From next year the entrance exam for medicine, dentistry and veterinary studies in Flanders will once again be held at a single location. The Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) has also said that next year’s exam will be completed using pen and paper rather than on a computer.
The decision comes after last summer's entrance exam was marred by allegations of widespread cheating with would-be medical students using the AI tool ChatGPT to help boost their score. Such was the impact of the cheating scandal that the Chair of the examination board that had organised the exam resigned.
Previously, those wishing to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine in Flanders were able to sit the entrance exam at any one of a number of locations across Flanders and Brussels. This will now change and next year all candidates will have to sit the exam in one (very large) examination hall.
The Flemish Government has decided to make the changes despite the Council of State having found no proof of the alleged cheating. The 2026 entrance exam will be held at a location somewhere in Brussels in early July. Candidates will be required to answer paper-based questionnaires. The exam will be complete using pen and paper.
Ms Demir says the measures taken for next year’s entrance exam focus on the prevention of cheating. The possession of any electronic devices during the exam will be treated as cheating. In 2027, the format of the exam will be completely redesigned.