A record number of more than 3.4 million Chinese are sitting for the 2020 national exam for postgraduate enrollment Saturday and Sunday, a 17.59% rise over last year.

The ministry has invited public oversight and tip-offs of exam-related wrongdoing including organized cheating and the peddling of so-called answers.

In accordance with the latest interpretation of applicable legal provisions, those acts will lead to criminal penalties, according to a statement by the ministry.

A total of 2.9 million Chinese students took the entrance exam for postgraduate studies last year, the highest number in the past 40 years, statistics from the ministry showed.