ZHENGZHOU, June 5-- Education authorities are ready to roll out new anti-cheating measures this weekend as millions of nervous high-school students will sit the "gaokao" (college entrance exam).

The gaokao is considered a relatively fair way to screen and select higher-education candidates.

However, the reputation of the test, which usually takes place every June, has taken a battering in recent years over allegations of arranged cheating between some teachers and students.

After last year's gaokao, more than 80 education officials, teachers, invigilators, students and even parents received punishments ranging from warnings to dismissals in Hubei Province, central China.

Authorities have ramped up efforts to ensure fairness this year.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education launched a campaign to crack down on the sale of concealed wireless devices, such as headphones, frequently used for cheating, as well as improper gaokao-related content online and the use of substitute exam sitters.

The ministry also urged local authorities to ensure exam sites were orderly, and to step up inspections on the printing, storage and transportation of exam papers.

"Officials directly related to the exam should understand that it is their duty to ensure discipline and they will suffer the consequences should they be implicated in malpractice," the ministry said.

Local government bodies have also issued guidelines promising stiff penalties for gaokao cheaters, with many netizens saying this year's test might be the "strictest gaokao" ever.

Close to 9.42 million students are expected to sit the grueling test this year.

DRONES, WATCHES AND UNIFORMS

Education authorities, public security officials and law enforcement officers have come up with some creative ways to make sure this year's gaokao is fair.

In the central province of Henan, where some 772,000 students are expected to sit the gaokao, the education authority of Luoyang City will station a drone outside the exam halls.

Stories of students cheating abound in China, with many test-takers reportedly wearing tiny earphones to get answers by radio.

The unmanned, six-winged drone, which has a long battery life and is wind-resistent, is designed to detect radio and electromagnetic signals.

"It can track suspicious signals and pinpoint the source of the signal," said Lan Zhigang, from Luoyang's radio management bureau.

The drone cost tens of thousands of dollars, and will be tested trial before the gaokao.

"We only have one drone for the inspection, so its function will be limited," Lan said. "So we envisage it to act more like a deterrent."

Students in Henan will barred from taking the gaokao for up to three years if they are caught cheating.

In Beijing, students will not be allowed to wear Internet-ready smart watches, such as the Apple Watch, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

The newspaper quoted an official with the Beijing Education Examination Authority as saying that any students caught wearing smart devices will be regarded as cheating, and their test will be annulled.

"Only simple watches will be allowed," said Guo Hongwei.

Other electronic devices will also be treated in the same way, Guo added.

In Hunan Province, central China, students taking the gaokao are not allowed to wear school uniforms, the Hunan Provincial Education Examination Board announced on Thursday.

"School uniforms and emblems will identify what schools the students come from, and could create room for cheating," said Zhan Xiaoping, the board head.

Whether this flurry of measures can effectively address cheating remains to be seen.

"Cheating should be severely punished to ensure fairness. Only with strictness can we truly make the 12 years of hard work worthwhile for high school students," user "Jinzhuzhechijinmozhehei" said on microblog Sina Weibo.