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Education chiefs in northeast China have devised a new tactic to clamp down on cheating in the country’s annual university entrance exams: they have banned bras.

Before this week’s gaokao — the intensely competitive Chinese equivalent to A-levels — schools in Jilin province have outlawed any metal object or item of clothing that sets off detectors being installed outside exam halls.

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The measure is reportedly an attempt to prevent increasingly brazen and sophisticated cheats from sneaking listening devices or transmitters into the exam.

“This year, Jilin will adopt the strictest entrance exam security check in history,” the state news agency Xinhua reported.

A letter sent to candidates’ parents outlined the new policy: “When students and staff enter the exam venue they will have their clothes, accessories, shoes, hats and any carry-ins strictly checked by professionals and will only be allowed to enter if the equipment does not set off an alarm. Therefore, any article that contains metal and can trigger beeping from the security machines will become obstacles for the candidates.”

Bras with metal clips were banned while students with metal fillings or implants would have to produce a doctor’s note, Xinhua reported.

About 9.12 million students will sit the notoriously difficult gaokao exam Friday and Saturday. Last year, according to the China Daily, more than 60,000 electronic devices were seized, including plastic earphones, wireless signal receivers, modified pens, watches, glasses and leather belts.