Candidate unfairly fails exam because they forgot to check a small item before taking the test.
Many high school graduation exam candidates were disqualified for forgetting to check their phones, AirPods, and smartwatches in their bags. The "3 Don'ts" rule helps avoid unfair failure.
Every year during the high school graduation exam season, many students lose the right to take the exam simply because they mistakenly bring prohibited items into the exam room, such as mobile phones, AirPods, smartwatches, or old scratch paper. Most violations stem from forgetfulness or carelessness, rather than intentional cheating.
Major exams are always considered the most intense knowledge competition for students, but in reality, every year there are still many cases of students losing their right to take the exam simply because they brought prohibited items into the exam room. According to the regulations for the high school graduation exam issued by the Ministry of Education and Training in recent years, items such as mobile phones, audio and video recording devices, Bluetooth headphones, smartwatches, documents, carbon paper, correction fluid, or any communication device are not allowed in the exam area. If found carrying such items, even if unused, the student may be disqualified from the exam.
What confuses many students is that the majority of violations stem from forgetfulness or carelessness rather than intentional cheating. Some students leave their phones in their shirt pockets from morning without remembering, while others forget their AirPods in their pencil cases after the previous day's extra classes. By the time the invigilator checks or the alarm sounds in the exam room, all explanations are meaningless.
Every exam season, numerous stories of students "almost getting suspended" because of small items appear on student forums. One former student recounted bringing a smartwatch into the exam venue without realizing it, only discovering it just before the exam started and avoiding a regrettable incident. Another student said they burst into tears in the hallway after discovering their phone was still in their backpack when the invigilator began checking their belongings.
Not only electronic devices, but also small sticky notes with formulas, old scraps of paper left in pockets, or forgotten study materials are all considered violations of the regulations. Many invigilators say that every year they witness students panicking because "a moment of carelessness can ruin the entire exam."
According to regulations, when suspended, candidates must submit their papers and leave the examination room immediately. The results of that exam will be canceled, meaning many students will almost certainly lose their chance to graduate or apply to university this year.
As the exam day approaches, teachers constantly remind students to follow the "bring as little as possible" principle. Besides the exam notification slip, pens, compass, ruler, calculator (as per regulations), and permitted items, candidates should not bring anything unnecessary. Many education experts also advise students to make it a habit to check their belongings before leaving home. Many apply the "three no's" rule: no electronic devices, no study materials, and no strange items in their pockets or backpacks.
Some parents even have their children switch to brand new backpacks and pencil cases on exam day to avoid the risk of leaving old papers or devices inside. While this may sound extreme, it's still a way to minimize unfortunate mistakes. The exam may only last a few days, but the consequences of a single moment of carelessness can ruin an entire year of studying. In the exam room, sometimes the most dangerous thing isn't the difficult question, but a seemingly harmless item left in a pocket.