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Before submitting Gaokao applications, use RIASEC, MBTI, and real-world exploration as inputs—not verdicts—when comparing majors. This guide explains what these tools can and cannot tell you.
By: Fermat Institute
Published: Aug 3, 2026
Updated: Aug 3, 2026
15 min read
Human review completed · Aug 3, 2026When should I use this article?
Use this article when you want to connect public content with tests, personality profiles, or career guidance from a single starting point.
Does this replace formal judgment?
No. It offers public explanation and action cues, but does not replace medical, legal, or professional judgment.
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职业决策
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One-sentence summary: Gaokao college application major selection is not "take a test and then fill out the application" but rather first narrowing down options using scores and rules, then formulating hypotheses based on career interests and personality preferences, and finally refining those hypotheses through real course work and actual tasks.
This article is suitable for three types of readers:
This article does not tell you which school or major to apply to. Instead, it performs a different task: it breaks down the process of choosing a major into a clear, checkable, discussable, and verifiable workflow.
When choosing a major for Gaokao applications, families often compress several different questions into “What major suits me?” No single test can answer that. Separate the decision into these questions:
| The question you really want to ask | What to look for first | What testing can help | What testing cannot replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can I apply? | Score, rank, admission cutoffs, subject-combination requirements, enrollment plans, physical examination/single subject restrictions | Testing can do little to determine eligibility; it can only help order possible areas of interest | Provincial education examination authority rules, admissions regulations, and program-group requirements |
| Is this major worth studying? | Major courses, curriculum plans, graduation requirements, school resources | Help you determine which courses and tasks are more worthy of in-depth understanding | Official major catalog, the institution's official curriculum, real course information |
| Would I be interested in it? | Course content, experiments/projects, future work activities | RIASEC can help observe work activities and preferred work environments | Long-term learning experience, project feedback, internship experience |
| Does my learning style match? | Teaching methods, assignment formats, teamwork, expression requirements | MBTI can be used as a reference for learning and communication preferences | Learning ability, examination performance, admission outcomes |
| Is this direction realistically feasible? | City, tuition fees, family constraints, rules for changing majors, employment information | Help you ask questions to be verified | Family decisions, provincial policies, real changes in the job market |
Tests can help generate questions at the interest and preference layers. They cannot override official eligibility rules or provide an admissions decision.
Each source of advice can contribute information, but none should decide the major by itself.
Popularity should be translated into evidence about curriculum and real tasks. Parents’ concerns should be written as constraints to verify. Test results should become questions—not labels.
Before any testing, first examine the eligibility requirements. Eligibility requirements are not romantic—they determine whether you're eligible to apply, whether admission is even possible, and whether you can actually enroll and study there.
It's recommended to gather information from these 8 categories:
At this stage, the value of career interest assessments and MBTI is not to "screen" universities for you—it's instead to help you ask more specific questions: Which types of coursework should I prioritize? What kinds of learning tasks am I most likely to engage with? Which majors sound appealing but have curricula I might resist in practice?
RIASEC is most useful after clearly ineligible options have been removed. It helps you ask which learning and work activities deserve closer investigation.
| RIASEC signal | Possible tips when choosing a major | What should be checked | What conclusions should not be drawn directly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realistic (R) is relatively high | May be more interested in specific systems, equipment, engineering, operations, and practical tasks | Proportion of experimental classes, practical training, engineering projects, and on-site practice | "I can only study engineering" |
| Investigative (I) is relatively high | May be willing to analyze problems, do research, and understand system causes | Mathematics/statistics/experiment/scientific research training intensity | "I must be suitable for scientific research" |
| Artistic (A) is relatively high | May value expression, creation, open questions and design space | Portfolio, design classes, presentation-based projects, creative training | "I can only study art majors" |
| Social (S) is relatively high | May care more about education, help, communication and feedback | Internship settings, work serving people, teaching/consulting/organizing activities | "All humanities and social sciences are suitable for me" |
| Enterprising (E) is relatively high | May be more sensitive to influence, organization, business, resource coordination and result feedback | Business projects, management courses, competitions, organizational practice | "I must study business" |
| Conventional (C) is relatively high | May like structure, order, data, processes and reliable execution | Accounting, data, rules, processes, operations courses | "I am not suitable for innovative majors" |
Use the strongest and weakest activity preferences to select majors for further course and task verification. Do not map a RIASEC code directly to one “correct” major.
MBTI-style language may help you compare learning and decision preferences:
| MBTI Observation Points | How it helps in choosing a major | Risks | Safer ways to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information processing preferences | Determine your comfort level when facing abstract theories, cases, data, and experiments | Treat S/N as intelligence level | Is the core course of this major mainly concepts, experiments, cases, or projects? |
| Decision-making preferences | Understand the way you deal with value conflicts, logical judgments and interpersonal influences | Treat T/F as a ranking of rationality versus emotion | Is this major curriculum more focused on rule-based reasoning, policy judgment, or communication with people? |
| Collaboration preference | Observe your own energy consumption in group assignments, presentations, and internships | Treat E/I as social skills | How much presentation, communication, and teamwork is required for this major? |
| Life organization preferences | Determine how you adapt to open tasks, deadlines, and structured courses | Use J/P as a self-discipline/procrastination label | Are the assignments and projects in this major spread across the term or concentrated in short bursts? |
A safer approach is to turn each preference into two competing study strategies and test both. For example, compare reading the conceptual overview before examples with studying worked examples before the overview. The result can inform learning experiments, but it cannot determine eligibility, capability, or major outcomes.
The Big Five is not the main focus of this article, but it can serve as a third-level reference. It is better suited for observing long-term behavioral tendencies, such as Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability. For more on the OCEAN five dimensions, see What is the Big Five personality test?.
In Gaokao college application decisions, the Big Five is more useful for asking:
However, the Big Five cannot determine a major nor predict personal career success. It can only help you identify learning support systems earlier.
Official admissions rules, rank, subject requirements, curriculum facts, cost, and real-world validation remain separate evidence layers.
| Tool | What is the main answer | Suitable for use in the chosen major | Not suitable for use | Safer usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland / RIASEC | Which work activities and major environments am I more attracted to? | Prioritize the major tasks and future work environment worth studying | Decide on majors, predict admissions, predict employment | Generate a list of "Which major tasks do I want to verify?" |
| MBTI | How do I learn, communicate, make decisions, and collaborate? | Understand major learning methods and team collaboration experience | Select majors directly by type | Assess whether the major's courses and project formats would be sustainable for you over time |
| Big Five Personality | What are my long-term behavioral tendencies and stress boundaries? | Design learning support systems and observe stress sources | Determine ability or career success | Anticipate learning pace, feedback methods and adaptation conditions |
| Official application information | Can I apply, how to apply, and what rules apply? | Confirm scores, ranks, subject-combination requirements, enrollment plans, and restrictions in admissions regulations | Be replaced by any assessment | Use it as the final authority for the formal application |
| Real-world verification | Am I willing to continue investing in this direction? | Test hypotheses through courses, interviews, projects, and internships | Be replaced by a single assessment result | Put interests and preferences into real tasks to test |
Apparent disagreement is expected because the tools ask different questions.
| Situation | What it may mean | How not to interpret | Next step to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIASEC points to research/technology, MBTI shows a greater need for discussion and external feedback | You may be suitable for a study/work environment with analytical depth, but not completely isolated | "I am not suitable for research-oriented majors" | Looking for research-based courses that require presentations, team discussions or application scenarios |
| RIASEC points toward Social or education-related activities, MBTI shows that you need a lot of independent time | You may care about people, but are not suitable for high-frequency emotional labor | "I am not suitable for people-related majors" | Compare how much and what kind of interpersonal contact is involved in education, consulting, public services, content design, and similar fields. |
| RIASEC interests are scattered and MBTI results do not show a strong pattern | You may lack real major exposure and cannot judge for the time being | "I am not interested" | Do 3 low-cost course/project experiences first |
| MBTI is clear, but RIASEC is not obvious | You know how to study, but you don’t know what tasks you want to learn yet | “Just choose by MBTI” | Use RIASEC or a course list to identify the work and learning tasks that interest you |
| RIASEC is clear, but parents expect the opposite | Interest clues and family constraints conflict | “The test said it, so parents must be wrong” | Use curriculum, employment information, school resources and cost risks to discuss together |
Do not decide which result is “correct.” Use the difference to design a more precise course, task, or environment check.
Gaokao college application major selection can follow a 6-step process:
The key to this process is sequence. Do not let interest tests determine your major choice in Step 1, nor should you overlook official rules in the final step.
The value of a test result is the quality of the questions it helps you ask.
| Test signals | Possible prompts | What major information should be checked | What should be done to verify reality | Direct conclusions are prohibited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigative (I) is relatively high | More interested in analysis, experiments, and system causes | Does the major have mathematics, statistics, experiments, and research methods courses | Listen to an introductory class and do a small analysis task | "I must be suitable for scientific research" |
| Social (S) is relatively high | More sensitive to help, education, communication, and feedback from people | Whether the major has a lot of contact with people, internships, interviews, teaching or services | Interviews with seniors to understand the true emotional labor and communication intensity | "I am suitable for all liberal arts/social sciences" |
| Enterprising (E) is relatively high | Interested in organization, impact, business feedback and result orientation | Does this field involve business analysis, management, operations, or project work? | Participate in a competition/community projectBusiness case analysis | "I must study business" |
| MBTI suggests a preference for clear structure | It may be necessary to clarify the course path and deadlines | Is the curriculum plan clear and the course highly open | Compare the types of coursework and assessment methods | "Open majors are definitely not suitable for me" |
| MBTI suggests a preference for exploration and discussion | May need discussion, feedback and interdisciplinary space | Are there seminars, project-based courses, cross-department course selection | Attend open classes or interview current students about their learning experiences | "Traditional classrooms are definitely not suitable for me" |
| Higher stress sensitivity in the Big Five | May need clearer pacing and support systems | Sources of major stress, exam density, elimination mechanisms | Understand real class schedules, homework loads, and senior year feedback | "I can't take a challenging major" |
| Unsafe shortcut | Why it's dangerous | Safer approach |
|---|---|---|
| Select only by popular majors | Popularity does not mean that the course is suitable, nor does it mean that you will have a good job in the future | Check courses, curriculum plans, employment destinations and your own work interests |
| Only choose according to parents' recommendations | Parents may be more familiar with the risks, but they may not necessarily understand your learning experience | Put the stability, city, and cost that your parents care about together with your interests in the table |
| Select only by MBTI | MBTI is not an aptitude test, nor a major matching tool | Use it to understand learning and collaboration preferences, not to determine majors |
| Select only by Holland results | RIASEC is an interest clue, not an admission and employment prediction | Convert the results to a major verification checklist |
| Only look at the employment salary list | Salary lists often ignore individual differences, regions, academic qualifications, and industry cycles | Also look at course investment, industry paths, school resources, and personal constraints |
| Don’t read the course content | Major names are easy to mislead, what really affects the four-year experience is the curriculum and training methods | Check core courses, experimental courses, graduation requirements and project requirements |
| Not looking at the subject-combination requirements | It may lead to the inability to apply for the major at all or the range of options is greatly reduced | Look at the province, major group and school admission regulations first |
| Not doing reality verification | It is easy to regard the imaginary major as the real major | Doing open classes, interviews, small projects, and internship observations |
You can use this "major reality verification checklist":
Test hypotheses through reality verification to filter assumptions. Final application decisions must still be based on information from each province's examination authority, the Sunshine Gaokao, official admission rules, subject requirements, and score rankings. FermatMind is not an official college application system and does not predict admission outcomes.
College application major choices are often not an individual decision, but a joint family decision. The most common point of conflict is that parents tend to focus on risk, while students prioritize interest or personal feelings. Neither side should be overlooked.
| Decision-making tasks | Who is more suitable to take the lead | Why | Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organizing scores, rankings, and admissions plans | The student and parents together | Need to be accurate, patient, and avoid missing conditions | Fillable major scope form |
| Course experience and interest judgment | Student-led | The next four years will be the student's actual learning experience | Course-interest ratings |
| Cost, city, family constraints | Parents participate | Involving family resources and risk tolerance | Realistic constraints list |
| Major interviews | Student-led, parents assist in finding resources | Can directly change the understanding of majors | Interview records |
| Final application preference order | Shared decision-making | Need to balance rules, interests, risks and resources | Draft application preference order |
The worst approach is: parents say only "this is stable," and the student says only "I don't like it." A better approach is: both parties review the same major verification chart together.
If you currently have no clear direction, start with the RIASEC career interest assessment and convert the results into 3–5 major interest areas worth further exploration.
If you already have several major candidates but are unsure whether you're suited to these learning styles, take the MBTI Personality Test to observe your preferences in learning, communication, and decision-making.
If you've taken multiple tests but the results conflict, first read Differences Between Career Interest Tests and Personality Tests, then read What to Do When MBTI and RIASEC Results Don't Align.
If you are not a Gaokao student but have entered college or are working and still feeling uncertain about your career path, consider reading A Test and Reality Validation Map for Career Confusion.
No. Testing can only help you explore hypotheses, such as which types of courses, tasks, or work environments you might prefer. Formal major selection still requires consideration of percentile rankings, subject requirements, enrollment plans, admission regulations, course content, family constraints, and real-world validation.
RIASEC can help you identify the types of work activities and occupational environments that most attract you. When choosing a major, it is best used to generate a list of "major tasks I should focus on studying," rather than providing direct major recommendations.
It can serve as a supplementary reference but is not suitable on its own for major selection. MBTI is more appropriate for observing learning styles, communication approaches, decision-making preferences, and collaboration patterns. It cannot assess ability nor predict admission, employment, or career success.
Don't jump to conclusions about who is right or wrong. RIASEC assesses interest in work activities and occupational environments, while MBTI examines preferences in learning, communication, and decision-making. When results differ, translate them into two questions: What tasks would I like to learn? How do I best learn and collaborate? Then validate through coursework, interviews, and projects.
First consider scores, rank positions, subject requirements, enrollment plans, and admission regulations, as these determine whether you are eligible to apply, have a chance of admission, and meet the requirements upon admission. Interest tests should be used optionally for ranking and validation purposes, not as a substitute for eligibility criteria.
No. Career interest assessments can help you identify interest areas and preferences for work activities, but they cannot predict employment, income, promotions, or career success. Employment outcomes are also influenced by school resources, individual abilities, industry cycles, location, internship experiences, and opportunities.
First convert test results into 3–5 potential major directions, then investigate core courses, curriculum plans, subject requirements, career pathways, and actual student experiences. Attend at least one open house session, conduct one interview with upperclassmen or peer students, or engage in a low-cost project before deciding whether to include it on the application choices list.
No. FermatMind provides tools for self-awareness and career interest exploration and is not an official college application system operated by Sunshine Gaokao, the Ministry of Education, CHSI (China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center), or any provincial examination institute. It also does not provide admission predictions. Official applications should still be made through authorized platforms, admissions guidelines, and rules established by each provincial examination institute.
If you want to turn "I don't know what major to choose" into a discussable list, start with the RIASEC career interest assessment, then convert your interest results into major validation questions.
If you already know a few directions, but want to understand your learning and collaboration preferences, take the MBTI Personality Test.
Remember: The test is not the answer; it's a tool to clarify your questions. What truly determines the ordering of application choices is eligibility requirements, course understanding, real-world validation, and shared family decisions.