China Uses a Drone to Curb Cheating on College Placement Exams

Chinese education authorities flew a drone over two testing centers in Luoyang, China on Sunday in an effort to curb cheating on the National College Entrance Exams.

The drone, with six propellers and as big as a gas pump, scanned for signals potentially being sent to devices that were sneaked into the test, The Guardian reports. The drone can fly as high as 1,600 feet above the ground and cost hundred of thousands of yuan (tens of thousands of dollars).

Performance on the college entrance exams largely determines where Chinese students are placed for college, which can have a long-term impact on their future job opportunities. The country has recently seen a bout of cheating on these exams, including students selling answers, hiring people to take the tests for them and using wireless equipment to communicate during the test.

Since late May, the Chinese education ministry has arrested 23 students for creating plans to cheat on the test. Cheating charges can bar students from taking the test for up to 3 years and can hurt placement prospects.

About 9.5 million students began the test, which lasts between two and three days, on Sunday.

[The Guardian]