BEIJING — The latest weapon in the fight against cheating on China's all-important college entrance exam is a six-propeller drone.
The contraption flew over two testing centers in Luoyang city in central China's Henan province to scan for any unusual signals being sent to devices smuggled by students taking the annual test. No such signals were detected Sunday, the first day of the exam, a Henan province news website said.
''A drone has its advantages. In an urban area full of tall buildings, various barriers limit the operating range of devices on the ground, while the drone can rise up to 1,640 feet and detect signals over the whole city,'' said Lan Zhigang, from Luoyang's Radio Supervision and Regulation Bureau.
Almost all Chinese high school graduates must take the test, and the scores are the key criterion for which tier of university they can enter.
Pressure is immense. Those who fail can repeat a year or try to find a low-paying job.
Cheating is common, given the high stakes, and methods include selling supposed answers, hiring surrogate test-takers, and using wireless equipment to communicate during the test.