Ear checks and metal detectors approved for matriculation exams to curb cheating

The Matriculation Examination Board introduced the tightened guidance as the autumn exams began this week. Supervisors may ask candidates to show their ears and, if necessary, use a handheld metal detector; each upper-secondary school decides when and how the detector is used, YLE reported.

At Sammon keskuslukio in Tampere the school has already bought a detector, Vice-Principal Kati Rissanen said. Students waiting for their long English exam welcomed the checks. "It's sensible to check that nobody is cheating," Hanna Taponen said. Rasmus Lahtinen warned that "Bluetooth devices can connect outside the hall and let you listen to anything," and Tommi Kluen called the measures "quite necessary."

Secretary General Tiina Tähkä said cheating remains relatively rare, with about ten cases detected per exam session. The board has issued confidential guidance on spotting newer tools such as smart glasses and is alert to the risks of artificial intelligence. It stressed that exams are taken on devices without internet access, and screening with a metal detector can prevent accidental disqualifications when a phone is forgotten in a pocket.

The tightened guidance follows earlier scrutiny of exam sensors and testing systems during the spring session that raised transparency questions about exam monitoring and comes as many Tampere upper-secondary students report frequent use of AI tools in a recent city survey.