BEIJING — A total of 10.71 million students will sit this year's national college entrance exam in China on July 7 and 8, an increase of 400,000 over last year, the Ministry of Education said on June 19.

Over 7,000 exam sites will be set up across the country, including around 400,000 exam rooms, and 945,000 people will work as invigilators or service providers.

Wang Hui, an official with the ministry, said the exam will be the largest organized event in the country since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, at a press conference.

The exam, also known as the gaokao, is deemed the most important event for Chinese students. It is hailed as a fair system to select talent and change the fate of children from poor families.