Yeah that was my experience at university in the UK (well you put it in your bag and got a ticket like at a cloakroom) and that was in 2008 so pre smartphones being common amongst students. If university's or schools are allowing kids to have access to phones during exams in 2021 they're idiots or silently encouraging their students to cheat in order to boost their rankings (not unheard of admittedly in the UK)