With three months to go before China's national college entrance exam, practice tests were up and running in Beijing on Tuesday. Students are usually busy attending mock examinations during this period, but the coronavirus has forced schools to change their plans.

A large-scale "cloud exam" attended by five million college candidates in Beijing started on Tuesday and will last till Friday. Students will sit for six subjects in total.

Schools either send the examination papers through online platforms or allow students to go to school to pick up the paper – but they can only open it at a specified time. The test is aimed at letting students get familiar with the coming exam and evaluate their study at this moment.

The national college entrance exam, better known as "gaokao" in China, is considered the most important event for Chinese students. The exam usually takes place in early June.