Nationwide University Entrance Exam Commences 

Iran’s university entrance exam commenced on Wednesday morning across the nation as more than one million students started competing for a chance at higher education in the four-day marathon. 
At eight in the morning, the first group of candidates eyeing seats at art universities began taking the four-hour-long exam, ISNA reported.
Some 161,000 students took the grueling test on Wednesday and another 558,000 majoring in mathematics or human sciences will sit for the test on Thursday. 
More than 574,000 attendees who have majored in biological sciences at high school will take the exam on Friday. 
On the final day of the four-day marathon, some 194,000 pupils will do the exam designed for those seeking higher education in foreign languages, including but not limited to English, French, German and Chinese. 
Data released by the National Educational Assessment Organization (Sanjesh Organization), showed that the majority of candidates (roughly 61%) are female. 
The divide between the number of men and women is especially evident in the foreign language test to be held on Saturday where a vast majority are female. 
The overall number of candidates has surged by 120,000, compared to the year before. 
The highest increase was registered in the human sciences test, where the tally of students taking the exam has risen by 40,000, compared to a year earlier.

Major Shift

In a major shift, the number of students taking the human sciences entrance exam now almost equal those who are interested in majors in biological sciences. 
Students majoring in biological sciences used to heavily outnumber other groups put together, as superior job prospects drove millions to study medicine, dentistry and related programs. 
Over the past few years, candidates for human science programs have slowly been increasing to new highs. 
Locally known as Konkour (from the French word concours), the test is taken in late June every year. 
The exam will also be held in 17 centers in 15 foreign countries to facilitate the process for expats, bringing the total number of test centers inside and outside the country to 2,911.
Same as previous years, preliminary results will be released by Sanjesh Organization by early August and final results will be out by late September ahead of the new academic year. 
Officials have tightened security to make sure they provide students with a fair chance at the fierce competition.