SHENZHEN, June 8 -- RAINSTORMS caused little inconvenience to Shenzhen's high school graduates who began sitting their three-day National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) on Thursday.

A yellow rainstorm warning was issued by the city's observatory at 11:55 a.m.,just as all 24,232 candidates finished their first exam. The warning of rainfall exceeding 30 millimeters an hour was canceled at 2:25 p.m., half an hour before the second session of exam.

More than 1,000 police were deployed citywide to ease traffic flows, while dozens of power generators were prepared for possible power cuts caused by the storms and 100 ambulances were on standby.

While tens of thousands of nervous parents waited outside examination rooms, most students appeared calm.

A student surnamed Huang from Yitian High School gave a positive comment on his first-day performance. "I didn't feel nervous and believe all my efforts will be repaid," the teenager said, adding that the NCEE is also a mental competition.

To look after Huang during the exams, his mother applied for a week's leave.

"But I always try to avoid discussing the NCEE, which could put further pressure on him," she said as she waited outside.

A consultant surnamed Chen from the city's mental crisis prevention hotline advised parents to pay more attention to their children's mental health, especially those who expect bad results.

Although the rainstorm alert passed by without incident, most schools prepared umbrellas and additional clothes for students.

"We put more than 100 huge umbrellas between the entrance gate and individual examination rooms. Towels and another 200 uniforms were prepared for soaked students and teachers," said Chang Wei, principal of Hongling Middle School.

Shelters were also opened at Shenzhen University's affiliated high school for candidates who arrived early.

This year, 9.5 million students countrywide sit the NCEE. Over the past three decades since the reintroduction of the NCEE, nearly 60 million people have taken part in the exams, with 10 million enrolled at universities.

During the "Cultural Revolution" decade, many young Chinese missed the chance to study in college. When Deng Xiaoping reinstated the NCEE in 1977, about 5.7 million Chinese competed for 270,000 university places available that year.

Chinese people describe the NCEE as "thousands of troops on a single-log bridge" because of the low enrollment rate. For students in poverty-stricken rural areas, the tough exams are their only opportunity to escape the rigors of country life.

Cao Xiangfan, 39, who lives in Central China's Hunan Province, has become famous for his perseverance in taking the NCEE despite many failures. This year is his 13th attempt.

"This is maybe my last time. I just can't let go of my dream of getting into university," Cao said before the exams.

For many participants, the exams also become a bitter memory.

"There was nothing crueler than the NCEE when I was young. We sacrificed so much fun and freedom preparing for it," said Miao Jie, a pop singer in Beijing.

Zuo Chengyi, an assistant professor at Hunan Normal College, said: "The NCEE is the gateway to college. There are many criticisms of the exams but, in today's China, the NCEE is still the fairest way to select talent."

A recent survey showed that 95 percent of respondents approved of the NCEE, but 92.8 percent believed the exams should be reformed, according to Dai Jiagan, director of the examination center of the Ministry of Education.

People say that a person's ability should not be based on his or her performance in one set of exams. Others argue that the obsessive focus on exams in China's education system has deprived students of their creativity.