Finland to inspect exam participants’ ears — YLE News
In Finland, starting this autumn, the ears of all participants in matriculation examinations will be checked before they enter the examination hall. The new rules were introduced by the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board to improve the detection of possible cheating, YLE News reports.
The uniform requirements apply throughout the country. The board adopted them after it began receiving an increasing number of questions and comments from schools regarding headphones. The checks are intended to help detect wireless devices, including those that may connect an exam participant with people outside the examination hall.
Metal detectors and checks
Invigilators may also check participants with handheld metal detectors when necessary. Each school will independently determine the criteria and procedure for their use, but participants must be warned about such checks.
Sammon keskuslukio upper secondary school in Tampere has already purchased a metal detector. Vice Principal Kati Rissanen noted that the board’s instructions allow participants to be checked before entering the hall or after returning from the restroom in order to detect concealed phones or other prohibited items.
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Tiina Tähkä, Secretary General of the Matriculation Examination Board, believes that metal detectors are in the interests of the participants themselves. For example, a phone accidentally left in a pocket could result in the examination being invalidated, whereas a check makes it possible to notice the device before it begins.
New technologies in invigilators’ focus
According to Tiina Tähkä, there are generally few cases of cheating during examinations: about ten such cases are detected during one examination session. No prohibited devices have been found during ear checks at Sammon keskuslukio.
This autumn, the board also provided upper secondary schools with confidential recommendations for detecting violations. They include guidance on how to recognize the use of smart glasses. The board and schools also take into account the possibility of the dishonest use of artificial intelligence. Although the examinations are held electronically, participants do not have access to the internet.
The new requirements also prohibit being in the examination hall with a hood pulled up. If a participant wears a headscarf, including for religious reasons, invigilators must check whether headphones are concealed underneath it. A total of 47,800 participants registered for the autumn session — approximately 1,200 more than in autumn 2025.
