Postgrad exam-takers on rise in tougher job market By Zou Shuo (China Daily) 09:38, December 26, 2020 Candidates prepare to sit the national postgraduate entrance exam at University of South China in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, Dec. 21, 2019. (Photo by Cao Zhengping/Xinhua) A record 3.77 million people are expected to take part in China's 2021 national entrance exam for postgraduate studies from Saturday to Monday, 360,000 more than last year, according to the Ministry of Education. That marks a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent. The number has increased steadily over the past several years from 2.01 million in 2017 to 2.38 million in 2018, 2.9 million in 2019 and 3.41 million this year, ministry said.