Translation devices, mascots cost students in university entrance exam

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) The College Entrance Examination Center (CEEC) on Tuesday reported rule violations by students during Taiwan's annual university entrance exam, including one individual whose translation device was found when it made a noise during the English test.

The General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT), Taiwan's annual university entrance exam for high schoolers, was held from Jan. 17-19.

The exam included five subjects: Chinese, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science, with each subject scored on a scale of 0-15.

The CEEC recorded 562 rule violations this year, resulting in various penalties.

The most common violation was forgetting to bring required certificates, with 252 cases. Seventy-three students were found with cellphones after the test began, and 58 continued writing after time was called.

In one incident, a translation device read several English sentences aloud during the English exam. The student, who hid the device under his leg, claimed he did not use the device. However, the CEEC still canceled the student's English exam results.

During the Mathematics B exam, another student applied eye drops.

Since eye drops are considered "other personal belongings," the CEEC did not deduct points but said it may consider regulating them as medicine, which is forbidden in the test regulation, in the future.

Another student brought a mascot of the Rakuten Monkeys, a team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, into the exam. The student was deducted two points for bringing a prohibited item.

A separate case involved a student arriving at the English exam 21 minutes late, at 9:41 a.m. Despite being informed by two invigilators that he had exceeded the 20-minute late-entry rule, the student entered and took the test.

The invigilators allowed him to finish the test to avoid disturbing other test takers, but warned that his eligibility could be canceled. The CEEC later decided to revoke hid eligibility.

CEEC reported 931 answer sheet violations this year, including a student who drew emojis among molecular structures.

The rules stipulate that any writing or symbols not related to the exam, other than signing the signature box, incur a one-point deduction per sheet.