A magnetic pulse gun, which can stop drones from passing messages and information used for cheating, is in use during China's "gaokao" college entrance exam in East China's Jinan, on June 7, 2023. Photo: Snapshot from video released by Jinan Times.

 
A magnetic pulse gun, which can stop drones from passing messages and information used for cheating, was used at a school in the city of Jinan in East China's Shandong Province on Wednesday, the first day of China's two-day "gaokao" college entrance exam.

Using electromagnetic force to launch metal projectiles, the magnetic pulse gun blocks communication with drones, helping to guarantee the fairness of the national college entrance exam.

A record number of 12.91 million high school students across China walked into the exam halls on Wednesday to attend the gaokao, which is the only way to get into China's top universities and is considered the fairest and most effective way to select candidates. The number of candidates sitting the exams has seen a continuous increase for six consecutive years.

Many areas, such as South China's Guangdong and Southwest China's Yunnan, have upgraded security checks for the exam, including installing intelligent security systems with facial recognition for the first time, and asking examinees not to wear ornaments made of metal into exam sites, to prevent cheating and guarantee the fairness of the exam.

In order to eliminate possible misconduct during the exam, the Ministry of Public Security launched a campaign in recent days bringing to light cases involving organized cheating and sales of exam recordings and secret equipment designed to cheat during the exam.