More than 45,000 students across Catalonia are starting their university entrance exams in Catalonia this Tuesday, 9 June 2026, with officials using electronic device detectors at random as part of a pilot programme to prevent cheating.
The Proves d'Accés a la Universitat, known as the PAU or University Access Tests, will run over three days. Students will sit five compulsory exams, plus an additional admissions test that can improve their overall score for university degree courses.
Exam boards will have detectors to identify electronic devices, which are not allowed during the tests. If a board, using the detector randomly, catches a student using unauthorised aids, that student will be expelled and receive a zero for the exam. Further sanctions may also apply.
The measure is intended to protect the integrity of the exams. Students are being advised to use analogue watches and to switch off and store all electronic devices in their bags or backpacks before the exams begin.
The pilot will be reviewed after this examination period, and any wider rollout will depend on the results seen this week. For more Catalonia education coverage, see our news page.