The authorities are on to all the tricks and wiles of students who just want to have a leg up, or rather eyes up on their competition. Kyoto University has officially prohibited students taking the entrance exams from wearing any sort of watch, whether it’s the traditional one or smartwatches. This is to prevent any sort of cheating that may happen with the use of these connected wearables as it is difficult to determine if they’re just looking at the time or already using it to get answers.
An official from the university said that this prohibition “is required in order to conduct a fair test.” They also said that it is now almost impossible to detect from a distance whether they’re using their smartwatch to just look at the time, communicate with someone, or calculate figures. They are not the first in the world to institute this ban and in fact there have been several schools and universities around the world to do so. But they are the first national university in Japan to ban all kinds of watches during entrance exams.
Back in 2011, Kyoto University became part of an “unprecedented” cheating scandal when a student taking the exam posted the questions on a message board and asked people for detailed answers. The student was later on arrested, but it was a wake up call that mobile devices and technology are the easiest ways to cheat during exams.
The entrance exams for Kyoto University, one of the most prestigious in Japan, is set for February, before the academic year starts in April. So if you’re preparing to take the exam, better get used to not wearing your watch.
VIA: Wall Street Journal
