Russian Ministry of Education Supports Ban on Patting Down Graduates Before Unified State Exam

MOSCOW, May 1 – INTERFAX. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science (Minprosveshcheniya) has announced its support for the approach taken by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) regarding entry procedures at Unified State Exam (EGE) venues, particularly the prohibition of security personnel and organizers from patting down test-takers.

"The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation supports the search procedure for participants in the Unified State Exam (EGE) as established by Rosobrnadzor. Specifically, this concerns the current discussion of a ban on searching students before the EGE-2026. According to the recommendations, organizers and security staff are not permitted to touch students or their belongings," a ministry representative stated.

Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov emphasized the importance of "psychological comfort" for achieving good exam results. "Understanding the procedure and rules for entering the EGE venue helps reduce anxiety and focus on what matters most – knowledge. This approach demonstrates respect for students while simultaneously increasing their responsibility ahead of the final exam," Kravtsov said.

The ministry also reiterated that starting in 2026, the official high school graduation exam will for the first time begin on June 1. Approximately 750,000 test-takers have registered for the EGE-2026, of whom more than 664,000 are graduating students from this academic year.

Previously, Rosobrnadzor banned conducting searches of EGE-2026 test-takers. If a metal detector signals, the student will be asked to voluntarily hand over any personal items; if they refuse, the student will not be allowed to enter the exam. This information is outlined in Rosobrnadzor's methodological guidelines for preparing the 2026 exam.

According to the regulations, when a student passes through a metal detector and a signal sounds, they must be informed that, per exam rules, they are not allowed to bring communication devices, cameras, audio recorders, video cameras, electronic computing devices, reference materials, notes, or other means of storing or transmitting information. The student will then be asked to go to the personal belongings storage room and leave prohibited items there.

If the student refuses to surrender prohibited items, they will be denied entry to the exam. The student may only be allowed to take the subject exam on a reserve day if the chairperson of the exam board so decides.