Candidates walk out of an exam site after taking the first test of the national college entrance exams at Tanglai Islamic Middle School in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 7, 2015. The two-day exams began on Sunday, with 9.42 million people sitting for the exams this year. Thirteen provincial-level regions will also arrange exams for additional subjects on June 9. (Xinhua/Li Ran)
BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 9.42 million Chinese high school students started taking "Gaokao," or the annual national college admission exam, Sunday.
The number marks a tiny increase from that in 2014, which stood at 9.39 million, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education.
The grueling test is deemed a "battle to determine fate," as its results will decide whether a student goes to college, back to school for another year, or tries to find a job.
The test lasts for two or three days in different regions.
