How to Cheat in a Proctored Exam
Sharing screenshots with peers is a successful cheating technique for an online proctored exam, and this method is tough for automated or live remote proctoring technology to catch.
In order to avoid being discovered by the sophisticated proctoring software, students could utilize internet connectivity issues or power outages as justifications for exam disruptions.
1. Use a Virtual Machine
Software used for online proctoring is intended to catch and stop exam cheating. Your head and eye movements are recorded, and they are sent right to the instructors for review. Unfortunately, some students continue to search for technical ways to cheat that may or may not violate academic integrity. Although these strategies may occasionally be effective, we do not recommend employing them when taking online exams. Instead, it would be smarter to prepare diligently so that you can answer every question on your own during an exam session.
Using a virtual machine is one method of cheating on an online test that is being supervised by another person. Using two displays during an exam allows students to view questions on one while chatting with a friend or subject matter expert on the other. Unfortunately, in order to apply this method correctly, substantial technical knowledge is required.
Using text documents or notebooks as notes during an exam and examining the answers later are other methods of cheating on proctored tests. Online proctoring businesses, on the other hand, keep a careful eye on this conduct and are prepared to spot them.
Writing the right response on paper and delivering it to someone else is another way to cheat during proctored tests, although this method is risky because proctors can readily spot it. We advise writing your answers in quiet spaces or immediately on your exam paper to reduce risk and be secure.
Exams that are proctored offer a variety of more ingenious and creative ways to cheat. For example, you could use a digital pen or smartwatch to help you recall the answers. You could even use specialized software on your computer to change the clock hours so you have extra time to seek for the answers.
These methods frequently fall short, though, because proctors are taught to recognize them and are aware of them. Additionally, the majority of proctoring software concentrates on finding any processes that are active in the host operating system, so if you employ this strategy, you must be well familiar with both operating systems.
2. Use a Small Laptop or Textbook
Proctoring services have increased as more students take classes and examinations online. Unfortunately, some students are learning how to cheat on these tests, which is against university policy and something that all students should avoid doing. Fortunately, there are strategies and resources that may be used to ensure that students are truthful throughout online tests.
Although this can be challenging because proctors are trained to spot telltale indicators of cheating, hiding answers or notes with answers under your desk or in your lap is one typical method of cheating during an online exam. Students have even gone as far as donning cosmetics and masks to pass tests while attempting to cheat; this strategy frequently works.
Delegating your exam to someone else, whether they take it for you or provide you the answers to the questions, is another successful method of cheating on an online test. Due to its difficulty in being discovered, this type of cheating has been successful; instances of twins or other individuals who are similar to one another cheating on tests have even occurred.
Some pupils with advanced technological abilities have learned how to hack the platform in order to cheat on an online exam. Changing PC hours will give them more time to post results and check the accuracy of the responses before the deadline. Although it is prohibited and dangerous, students have had success use this tactic.
By keeping eBooks, PDFs, notepads, and other apps distinct from safe proctoring browsers on their laptop or tablet computer, some students try to get around remote proctoring software. Then, during an online exam that is proctored, they switch between using these applications and the exam browser. This is an efficient kind of cheating that can only be halted by using software emulators or lockdown browser capabilities.
3. Use a Water Bottle
Students who struggle to learn may resort to cheating to pass tests and get good ratings. It’s important for students to understand that cheating is never appropriate and there are more effective techniques for handling online tests. Cheating can have serious implications, such as being found, being dropped from classes, or being expelled from school.
Many students attempt to cheat during an online proctored exam using various strategies and hacks, which may be effective at first but are short-lived. Furthermore, students should never underestimate the risk associated with cheating.
A student may bring a water bottle to an online proctored exam to stay hydrated, but cheaters may use it to conceal notes and documents. In this case, the student must make sure that their water bottle is out of the way of the monitor and that their font size is just right—between Tini (too small) and Goldilocks (not too huge).
Cheaters frequently attempt to circumvent online exams by staring into the camera in an effort to take screenshots. Although this method might be effective in a classroom context, Alemira Proctor’s gaze detection feature will alert any student who stares at their screen for an excessive amount of time or inappropriately.
While cheating may seem easy, it is actually exceedingly difficult to do so on proctored tests. The majority of pupils who are detected cheating will fail the test; if their teacher finds out, they may suffer severe consequences including suspension or expulsion from school. Therefore, it is essential to refrain from cheating on online tests because doing so could have a negative impact on your education.
4. Use a Camera
A common technique of cheating during online tests is the sharing of images or screenshots among peers, which is referred to as academic infidelity. When taking exams that don’t require a real person to be present to supervise, like online tests, this conduct is all too typical. The use of a camera to record oneself responding to questions during an online proctored exam is another method of cheating, but it can be difficult to catch. Because online proctoring software can tell when you aren’t looking at your computer screen and because this kind of activity can place you in violation of school or employer standards, making sure the camera is positioned correctly is crucial to avoiding problems.
One way to evade the webcam software during an online proctored examination is to buy specialized software that turns a live stream into prerecorded footage of you taking the test. Even though it works, this trick cannot get around remote proctoring software.
Keeping notes or cheat sheets near at hand is another way to cheat during an online proctored test session. Students have been known to hide these items beneath desks, in pockets, or even write notes on their arms, which is another method frequently used by cheaters during proctored tests. It is advisable to arrive early to avoid this form of cheating because proctors start checking IDs fifteen minutes before the exam is scheduled to start.
There have been reports of students using fictitious identities to take online tests, frequently by pretending to be twins or other family members. Although this strategy could appear innocent at first, if it is discovered, it can have major consequences, such as being expelled or suspended from school.