Authorities caught 2,440 examinees cheating during the Licensed Pharmacist Test in Xi'an City, the capital of Shaanxi Province, on Oct. 18 and 19. according to a Sina report.
The cheating examinees used unusual methods to carry out the act. They contracted the services of two organized cheating gangs, whom they sent to the testing sites to read the questionnaires.
The gang members, who were paid $330 dollars for their service, left immediately after memorizing the questions. They then sent answers to the examinees via radio.
"Most of the cheats used wireless earphones, while some used electronic erasers on which you can see answers," said Yao, one of the examinees caught cheating.
Authorities found out about the scam after the Shaanxi Radio Monitoring Station captured constant abnormal radio signals.
"We caught some 700 people for cheating at one test venue as the most severe case," said Du Fangshuai, director of Test Operation Department at the Shaanxi Personnel Testing Center.
According to Jiang Xueqin, a Beijing-based education consultant, China's emphasis on an exam-oriented educational system has given rise to a culture of cheating, CNN reported.
"Most examples are not as flagrant or as stark as this, but cheating is widespread because the focus is on getting the certification, not the skills you need in the work place," the consultant said.
Test operation department director Du said that those who were found cheating in the licensure exam would not be allowed to take the exam again for two years.
About 25,000 examinees took the licensure exam in seven different locations.