Students from the third school are graduates of secondary vocational schools, vocational high schools, and technical schools. After studying in high school, these students will take the corresponding college entrance examination. The differences between students from the three schools and students from general high schools mainly lie in learning content, training goals, enrollment targets, and exam difficulty.

The learning content of students from the three schools and general high school students is different. While studying cultural courses, students from the three schools pay more attention to the development of skills, mainly learning professional skills and practical operations. General high school students pay more attention to the study of cultural courses, mainly learning subject knowledge and theoretical knowledge.

In terms of training goals, the training goal of students from the three schools is to be high-quality and high-tech talents. After graduation, students have the skills to be qualified for the job. The training goal of general high school students is to take the general college entrance examination, enter university for further study, and cultivate academic talents.

In terms of enrollment targets, the enrollment targets for the three schools are junior high school graduates and those with equivalent academic qualifications, while the enrollment targets for the general high school students are outstanding junior high school graduates selected through the high school entrance examination.

In terms of exam difficulty, the college entrance examination for students from the three schools is relatively low-difficulty. It focuses on testing students’ basic knowledge and skills and has relatively few exam subjects. The general college entrance examination is more difficult, focuses on examining students' subject abilities and comprehensive qualities, and has many test subjects.

Generally speaking, there are some differences in various aspects between students from third-level schools and students from general high schools, but both are important parts of the national education system and aim to cultivate different types of talents for the country and society.