The subjects tested in the college entrance examination in Hebei province will be cut to three — Chinese, math and English — with the change in effect in 2018, the provincial education department said.

English tests will also be conducted many times each year rather than just once for the national exam, Liu Jiaomin, head of the province's education department, said on Thursday, according to a report by Yanzhao Evening News.

According to the timetable of the education system reform plan in Hebei, there will be an implementation plan by June and detailed implementing procedures by the end of 2014. The senior high school students who enroll in 2015 will be the first to take the new college entrance examination.

In Hebei, the exam has tested four subjects for years — Chinese, math, English and a comprehensive exam, which tests knowledge of geography, history and politics for students of liberal arts; and physics, biology and chemistry for those taking science subjects.