College Entrance Exam candidates in Shaodong county, Hunan province, show Chinese characters cheng and xin, which mean "honest" and "trust", on their hands to express their will of being honest in the exam on Sunday, June 6, 2010. [China Daily]

No annoying drills. Stop the crane. Take a bus instead of driving your car - unless you are taking a student to the national College Entrance Exam.

There is no shortage of posters bearing such prohibitions around Beijing in the run-up to the two-day exam period, when high school graduates will compete for places at the country's universities.

During China's top test, which starts on Monday, the students are exempt from the nuisances of noise, traffic jams and any other possible disturbances at this crucial moment in their lives.

Cities across China have adopted the practice of creating a friendly environment for the students to sit the examination. This year is no exception, even though the odds of receiving a higher education are more favorable than ever before.

In the examination process, more than 9.57 million Chinese students will compete against each other for 6.57 million places at the country's universities or colleges, according to the Ministry of Education.

With enrollments at 68.7 percent, a 7 percent increase on last year, and a 650,000 drop in the number of students registering to take the entrance exam, the students have a greater opportunity of success than in past years.

However, the news may do little to ease examination nerves on the part of either the teenagers or their parents, as many of them are hoping to attend elite institutions.

"I am worried the exam will be too difficult," said Cui Shijie, a student from a high school affiliated with Fudan University, which is considered to be one of the best high schools in Shanghai.

Cui hopes to major in architecture at Tongji University in Shanghai and competition will be fierce.

Over the weekend, local governments have issued temporary regulations to give students a helping hand.

In Beijing, for instance, normal traffic control measures have been suspended for all cars carrying students to the exam, according to the city's bureau of road traffic.

To prevent noise, the city has banned night shifts at construction sites. Bus lines will also be rerouted around schools where the exams are due to be held.

The city government has further called for promotional activities to be halted for businesses and recreational events during the exam period.

Elsewhere, in Linchuan county of East China's Jiangxi province, all Internet cafes have been asked to close prior to the national exam to keep students focused on the job, rather than becoming distracted online.

In almost all provinces, the police are monitoring the Internet, looking for scams offering to help students cheat on the exam either by selling the answers or with the aid of a technological device.

If an emergency arises, traffic police are prepared to transport students to their exams.

Local police have also stepped up their inspection of identity cards after the education ministry called for a crackdown on impostors attempting to take the exam.