"School guidance has made me feel more relaxed," said a girl student surnamed Song at Tsinghua Middle School Wednesday.

 

It was the last day for Song to prepare for the National College Entrance Examination which is to fall on Thursday and Friday.

 

 

Accompanied by their parents, the college entrance exam takers were ready to enter test rooms in a high school in Beijing on the early morning of Thursday, June 7.

 

This year, a record 10.1 million students have applied to take the exam, but only 5.67 million will be able to enter colleges. Except a limited number of students who will enter colleges with no-exam recommendation, 9.5 million people will attend the exam Thursday.

 

According to schedule, Song and her classmates had stayed at home for a week ahead of the exam.

 

Song said she got up at 7:30 as usual and studied for two to three hours after breakfast. After lunch, she would take a nap and then study for another two to three hours.

 

"I go out for a walk everyday and I've found it a good way to relax," she said.

 

Unlike many Chinese parents, Song's parents did not ask for a leave to accompany their daughter. "My teacher has told them that too much expectation only brings negative impact," Song said.

 

Before the exam, usually a big annual event for the whole nation, middle schools usually give seminars for students and parents, trying to help students stay calm and offer suggestions to their parents.

 

Gao Zichao, a student in Kunming Commerce and Trade School in southwestern Yunnan Province, said the school has put aside an entertainment time for them. He played basketball with his classmates prior to the exam.

 

"My parents listened to the teachers' advice and seldom talked to me about the exam," Gao said.

 

After consulting her teachers, Song decided to apply for the economics department at Tsinghua University, whose enrollment requires extremely high exam scores.

 

The national exam has drawn wide attention, as it is the only chance for most high school students to receive higher education.

 

Statistics from the MOE showed a record 9.52 million people applied to enter college last year, of whom 8.8 million attended the exam. Only 2.6 million were enrolled for a four-year college study.

 

The enrollment rate this year is expected to increase by one percentage point.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2007)