Cheat Online Exams
Cheating in an online exam is a serious breach of academic integrity, yet many students find ways to cheat despite proctoring services being available.
Some students will use the excuse of needing a bathroom break to open their notes or call friends for help, while others search online for content stolen for test purposes.
1. Pre-knowledge
Imagine taking an intensive course that requires reading large volumes of material, then feeling overwhelmed as exam day approaches and your test date nears. No matter how hard you study for that test, no matter what level of effort put forth from both you and the instructor–when it comes time, your mind goes blank despite all your hard work preparing yourself; that is test anxiety at work–something many students experience, especially online courses where instructors may not always provide encouragement and support.
Pre-knowledge cheating occurs when an examination taker knows in advance the questions and answers for an assessment before taking it. Relying on pre-knowledge to pass tests has serious repercussions that go beyond just passing the course you are taking; using this form of cheating could also harm your future professional career, employment prospects and reputation of those who did not cheat.
Cheating by this method requires exam content to be stolen prior to taking the test, via various means (memorization, screen recording software (which can hide in eyeglass frames or lapel pins or buttons on clothing or even inside buttons), hidden cameras positioned within pencil cases or water bottles or even pet mouths), etc.). When taken, examinees use this prior knowledge to gain higher scores than would have otherwise been achieved independently.
Pre-knowledge can serve both beneficial and malign purposes; some individuals might share what they anticipate will be on an exam through public forums on social media so as to provide assistance on exam day for friends who might require extra support on an assessment they haven’t earned yet. Unfortunately, often it serves only to better score an assessment that’s been granted to someone without merit or understanding on their part.
Studies have demonstrated the value of proctoring to mitigate academic dishonesty during tests. Proctoring can effectively counter this problem; its most effective methods for preventing pre-knowledge include using a locked down browser such as Respondus Lockdown Browser during assessments; automating randomization of questions and choice, setting a strict time window for completion, and including items which are difficult to duplicate.
2. Lockdown Browsers
Lockdown browsers are an innovative solution designed to assist invigilators with monitoring online exam behavior. Running full screen on student computers, they prevent students from moving out of the browser window or opening apps on their laptop. In addition, lockdown browsers disable keyboard functions and shortcuts as well as browsing and toolbar options as well as disallowing external ports allowing an invigilator to ensure exams are being taken under suitable conditions.
Though this method of monitoring is effective, it does not prevent cheating completely. For example, it is possible to exploit this loophole by repeatedly pressing ALT + TAB key combo to switch tabs – though not a typical practice, nonetheless possible. Other methods of online exam cheating could include flash drives, file transfer or taking notes off screen; though these techniques have become less successful over time.
Instructors have used Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor as tools for maintaining test integrity. While not replacing proctoring, these tools limit what students can do while taking an exam, and may deter cheating by forcing students to take it with a specific program.
Lockdown browsers can detect cheating by observing student behavior and flagging any suspicious activities. In order to do this, they require access to both their camera and microphone – they use this data to analyze body language and detect changes in voice tone as well as any hand gestures that might indicate cheating.
As soon as an exam is over, students must exit their browser and provide a reason to the invigilator before leaving their browser browser. This information will then be reported back to instructors via their browser dashboard; instructors can access this from the quiz drop-down menu under “Review Early Exits”, where this data will also include date/time stamp of when early exit happened.
3. Multiple-Choice Questions
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are an efficient and accessible way to assess student knowledge; yet their preparation can prove daunting for many students.
It’s essential that when answering multiple-choice questions, it’s essential that you read each question and answer option carefully. Doing this may help identify incorrect responses, as well as which options would provide the most benefit in answering that particular question. Furthermore, it may help if you don’t know the answer to a particular query to take an educated guess instead of simply rushing through or accepting conventional wisdom (i.e. “if in doubt, select B”).
There are various methods for cheating an online exam, but most involve special software or hardware designed to bypass proctoring technology. Students might use Bluetooth headsets or hidden devices in clothing or bags to relay questions back and forth to friends in another room or hide additional devices in clothing or bags; others use external monitors that mirror their main screen so they can share it with a partner who will provide answers during exams.
Some online MCQs can be worded to make it difficult to determine the correct answer, such as those phrased as a True or False question that presents two response options that are opposite each other and those phrased with Yes/No questions which provide one or more responses that match up with their question stem. Furthermore, matrix questions present responses in grid format while single select/multiple select questions present all response options at once for participants to select one response option out of many offered responses.
Educators can prevent these pitfalls in online multiple choice tests (MCQs) by writing well-framed questions that accurately assess student knowledge. Incorporating item analysis can also help detect difficulty, response patterns, and obvious errors by comparing which selections students usually select versus those they don’t select – this way instructors can ensure their MCQs remain fair and effective.
4. Proxy Test Takers
Examinees may attempt to cheat online by hiring professional test takers on formal braindump websites or social media groups dedicated to their certification, though this type of cheating is very rarely caught. Exam takers can hire these services – which guarantee passing scores – through formal or unofficial braindump websites and groups dedicated to specific certifications. Such services may be expensive but are guaranteed.
Proctors need to be able to reliably authenticate candidates in-person or remotely. They must compare candidates’ faces and identities against who registered for an exam, as well as scan for other facial features that might serve as false IDs such as hats or beards.
An effective way to combat cheating in online exams is ensuring students use a browser designed for that purpose, which will reduce any web-related distractions such as pop-ups or notifications that could distract the examinee, as well as ensure a more stable experience that reduces pre-exam anxiety for all students involved in taking an examination.
Installing the proper exam security systems will help to ensure that cheaters are identified and punished. In addition to authentication and scanning for potential cheating tools, proctors may ask students to conduct an environmental scan prior to each examination in order to look out for other suspicious objects that might be used as cheating devices – e.g. a water bottle could become a whiteboard that allows students to write questions or answers down.
Utilizing these strategies will help eliminate the most frequent and hazardous methods that cheaters utilize to pass online exams, creating a culture of integrity within your organization. You should encourage employees to remain vigilant regarding reporting suspected cases of misconduct as soon as they suspect any. In addition, developing an inclusive communication plan outlining consequences for cheating should include an outline on what constitutes cheating as well as reporting violations from employees.