More than 9 million students across the country will face an important choice in the coming few days as education authorities have begun to release the results of the annual national college entrance exam.

Under the scrutiny of their anxious parents, they have to decide on a list of universities or colleges to apply for, a decision that could make a big difference in their lives.

Sixteen provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have released the results of gaokao, the national college entrance exam, as of Sunday afternoon, and the rest of the results will be released by the end of Wednesday.

About 9.12 million applicants took this year's college entrance exam, compared with 9.15 million in 2012, according to the Ministry of Education.

Stories of top winners of the exam filled the media immediately after the results were released.

In Beijing, Zhu Chenzhuo, a student from the High School attached to Tsinghua University, received a score of 725, the highest mark of the municipality's science students. He has applied to Tsinghua University's Department of Electronic Engineering, sina.com.cn reported.

Zhang Yunning, from Beijing No 4 High School, finished first among the city's art students with 695 points, the report said.

But news media should not pay too much attention to the top scorers in the exam because students' comprehensive capabilities are related to many factors, said Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing.

"A multiple-appraisal system should be established to reflect students' comprehensive abilities," he said. "The person with the highest mark may not be excellent in communicating with others, socializing, and so on."

About 40 percent of Chinese undergraduates who received the highest marks on the college entrance exams choose to study abroad, according to a survey released by the China Alumni Association.

Most Chinese students and parents believe that attending universities is a prerequisite to securing a good job after graduation, Xiong said.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 06/24/2013 page6)