Turkey orders 58,000 exam do-overs

Mexico’s National Autonomous University, or UNAM, is requiring about 58,000 applicants to sit a new in-person admissions test after its first fully remote undergraduate entrance exam produced results the university said were irregular. The case has been widely recirculated online as a Turkey story, but the institution involved is UNAM in Mexico City, not a Turkish university. UNAM said it acted on recommendations from a technical expert commission convened after unusually strong scores in the 2026 admissions cycle. The new test, which UNAM calls an “Examen de Control Presencial,” will determine admission for affected applicants. ### Which university is actually at the center of the dispute? UNAM is the university involved. Gizmodo’s account identifies the exam as the annual entrance test for the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and UNAM’s own statements refer to its 2026-2027 undergraduate admissions process. (gizmodo.com) Mexico City is where protests and university announcements have centered. El País reported that the online admissions process at UNAM, the largest public university in Mexico and Latin America, was paused after authorities found “atypical” results. ### What went wrong with the online exam? (gizmodo.com) Nearly 158,712 applicants sat the exam after 191,306 registered, according to UNAM. The university had moved the undergraduate entrance exam online, and Gizmodo reported that applicants used a lockdown browser from Respondus and webcam-based AI proctoring software from Territorium. UNAM’s expert commission said the score distribution shifted sharply. (english.elpais.com) Between 2021 and 2025, about 3.5% of applicants scored 100 or more correct answers, but in 2026 that rose to 16.3%; the share scoring 110 or more rose from about 0.9% in 2021-2025 to 5.5% in 2026. The commission recommended an in-person control exam to verify results. (dgcs.unam.mx) ### Why are 58,000 people being called back? About 58,000 applicants fall into the group UNAM says must take the control exam. The university said the retest applies to people who had already received notice of selection through the original exam, and to applicants whose original scores were at or above the minimum threshold that had enabled admission to their chosen program, campus and mode between 2021 and 2026. (gaceta.unam.mx) That means the retake is not limited to a small set of flagged cases. UNAM framed it as a broader verification step aimed at preserving “objectivity, impartiality and equity” in admissions, according to statements from Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas and the expert commission. ### Did the university say applicants definitely cheated with AI? UNAM has described the results as irregular and atypical, but it has not publicly said every affected applicant cheated. (gaceta.unam.mx) El País reported that the university initially denied it had already decided whether to repeat the exam while the review was underway, then later announced the in-person control procedure after receiving the commission’s recommendation. (dgcs.unam.mx) Raúl Rojas, a professor cited by NPR and other outlets, estimated that “almost half” of students may have cheated in the online exam, but that assessment is his, not an official UNAM finding. Gizmodo separately reported that protesters at the campus chanted, “We demand honesty, not artificial intelligence.” ### What happens next for applicants? (elpais.com) August 7 is the date UNAM gave for eligible applicants to log into the admissions microsite known as “Tu Sitio” to retrieve their appointment details. The university said the control exams will be administered in person between August 12 and August 19, with the portal listing the date, time, site map and required documents. (mexiconewsdaily.com) August 31 is the revised start date cited in UNAM-linked coverage for first-year undergraduate classes, replacing the earlier August 10 plan. That delay gives the university time to complete the control exam and finalize admissions decisions for the 2026-2027 cycle. (iisue.unam.mx) (gaceta.unam.mx)