BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China's annual college entrance exam began Friday as an estimated 10 million students sat the critical exam needed to pursue their higher education.

The exam will last two days generally across China but, due to different arrangements in some provincial regions it may run until Sunday, the Ministry of Education said.

The number of students applying to take the exam this year is the highest since 2010, according to an annual report published by www.eol.cn, an education information service provider.

The exam coincides with the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. To minimize disturbance to examinees, authorities across the country have taken various measures such as maintaining traffic order and providing emergency medical care.

In the city of Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan province, a total of 171 first-aid medical personnel and 57 ambulances were on standby at the exam venues.

The city of Haikou in southern island province of Hainan is carrying out an operation to reduce noise caused by fireworks, commercial promotions and entertainment activities during the exam.

The city of Rongcheng in eastern Shandong Province has allocated 31 buses, allowing the examinees to travel free of charge during the exam days.