China's make-or-break college entrance examination, or Gaokao, got underway on Monday after weeks of delay because of the coronavirus epidemic.

It is the biggest organized collective event since the coronavirus outbreak, gathering more than 10.7 million candidates at 400,000 exam rooms in more than 7,000 venues across the country. The grueling test is being carried out under strict measures to ensure the safety of students and back-up rooms have been prepared for those who show symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, at the exam venues.

All candidates will have their body temperature checked at the entrance of test centers and those in mid- and high-risk areas are required to wear masks all the time.

Toughest test in gaokao history

The annual exam is one of the toughest and most taxing assessments a Chinese student can ever go through, and this year stakes are even higher because of the epidemic.

The onset of the outbreak coincided with the winter vacation in late January. Classes were already suspended but the Ministry of Education extended the holiday beyond mid-February, when students were supposed to be back to schools and asked local authorities to set up online platforms for virtual learning.

According to China Economic Net, after the Spring Festival, more than 10.7 million grade-12 students, who make up the great majority of Gaokao applicants, began their spring semester class online.

"The normal rhythm of studying has been disrupted," Wang Anmin, a grade-12 student at Longquan High School in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province, told Nanfang People Weekly.

In March, the Ministry of Education announced Gaokao will not be held in early June as is the custom and instead pushed the date to July in a first in the exam's history. "When I heard that the gaokao date was delayed I was relieved a bit," said Wang's classmate, Guo Jinxuan.

As soon as infections waned, senior high school students were allowed to return to schoola, albeit at different times according to the epidemic situation in different areas across the country. In low-risk northwestern Qinghai Province, classes resumed on March 9, but in the hardest-hit province of Hubei, schools remained closed until May 6.

Gaokao more important to applicants for art majors

For art majors applicants, onsite examinations are usually held by universities and colleges to test candidates' professional skills before Gaokao. The results of art exams and the Gaokao score will together decide the fate of students.

Due to the coronavirus, the Ministry of Education in March asked the country's colleges and universities to use off-site methods to examine art majors applicants instead, such as reviewing professional works submitted by students and conducting online interviews.

For academic institutions organizing on-site art exams, the tests will be held after Gaokao. But some schools have scraped the exams altogether, and plan to enroll applicants based only on their Gaokao performance, adding more pressure on the students.

This year, gaokao is the only chance for some of the country's 1.2 million art majors applicants to start their dream career.

More uncertainties ahead

In previous years, finishing Gaokao meant relief. Waiting for test scores and admission letters used to be the only thing students needed to do before packing their bags to go to their dream schools.

But for this year's candidates, more uncertainties lie ahead. The epidemic has forced most universities and colleges to close their doors and shift to virtual teaching for months now. Many college students did not attend class on campus for even a day during the whole spring semester.

In Beijing, a COVID-19 flare-up in June even stopped some students from returning to their schools for their graduation ceremony.

COVID-19 is not over yet, and whether this year's freshmen will make it to campuses remains one of the many unknowns after the Gaokao.

(Cover image: Two grade-12 students sign their names on a banner before taking Gaokao to boost confidence. /Xinhua)