Cheating is a common scenario in many institutions. Many students seek refuge in cheating, hoping to get good grades or pass their exams.
The institutions set out policies to handle such cases and make students responsible for their actions. Even so, students are ever inventing loopholes that they employ to cheat in school.
In this comprehensive guide, we explore why students cheat and how they cheat in exams so that we can understand the best methods to prevent cheating in school.
Here is a quick navigation to the main sections of this comprehensive guide. If you are in a hurry, click the section that discusses the aspect that relates to you with regard to cheating in school.
A complete guide on how students cheat in school and in normal exams and class work
Comprehensively learn how students cheat in online exams, whether proctored or not.
A detailed guide on hour to prevent students from cheating in class, assignments and during exams
Why Students Cheat in School and Exams
1. To Pass grades
Many students feel motivated when they get good grades which is a good motive. It can only be a wrong thing if it supersedes the desire to learn and grow it hence becoming a catalyst for cheating. For instance, a student may be desperate to get an A grade on the report card or test paper hence using get tempted to use unpopular means to get it.
2. Due to Pressure for Performance
Some students may be operating under pressure from their peers or parents to perform. Another pressure can come from the student himself by raising big expectations. Also, the student may be having too much to handle hence get tempted to look for shortcuts. Such shortcuts could be avenues that lead a student to cheat.
3. Due to Laziness and Tardiness
Some students are just too lazy to study and master their subjects at school. When the exams are around the corner, they fail to prepare well hence begin to remain nervous about their ability to perform well. As a result, they resort to cheating and hope that they can acquire better grades. If found, they face the underlying consequences.
4. To Qualify for their Careers
Some careers require specific grades for one to qualify to handle such courses. If a student desires to do a competitive course, the chances are that he or she must work hard to have better grades in specific subjects. However, when a student is not sure of his performance, he may get tempted to cheat and hopefully pass the exams to qualify for a particular career.
5. To reduce the Homework Burden
A student may be handling too much work and other activities such as sports. In the meantime, it becomes a challenge for that student to find enough time to prepare for the oncoming exams. Due to pressure to pass the exams, the same student may decide to use unorthodox means, which is cheating.
How Students Cheat in School and Exams
Students have been developing diverse methods of cheating in school and exams. Some risk using the following methods and escape the trap of being caught. However, a student should avoid such malpractices and stick with the facts. Let’s discuss this part in full detail.
1. Copying from Friends
Lazy students are fond of copying the assignments and homework from the bright students. They wait for the rest of the work only for them to copy the content and please their teachers. This is a common way that students cheat in online classes by using friends who know more than them.
Another avenue is to sit next to a productive student and copy what they are writing in the exam session. They may choose to strategically sit in a position that will allow a lazy student to pep the eye and see what the next student is writing. This is an unpopular method since the examiner can still read your facial and eye expression and know what you are communicating.
2. Impersonation by hiring other people
Impersonation is also a common cheating habit among the student. A student may decide to hire another person to be attending class on his behave and possibly do the exams for them. It is serious malpractice that has severe consequences in many institutions.
A lazy student who does not understand a particular course will hire a bright student who can simplify matters by sitting the exams for the real student.
3. Copying Online Answers
There are several loopholes that can encourage students to cheat at school during exams. For instance, there is an online platform which can provide ready answers to specific question satisfactorily.
Such could be Chegg or CourseHero, which are reputable online platforms. In fact, some students have devised methods to access Chegg answers for free and get the answers only when they have their exams.
If you are accessing such platforms in the examination room, you can take advantage of their generosity and get a clue of what you can write and pass the exams. The chance of being caught is high if the examiner checks your browser’s activities and discovers that you used them.
3. Copying Online Answers
There are several loopholes that can encourage students to cheat at school during exams. For instance, there is an online platform which can provide ready answers to specific question satisfactorily. Such could be Chegg or CourseHero, which are reputable online platforms.
If you are accessing such platforms in the examination room, you can take advantage of their generosity and get a clue of what you can write and pass the exams. The chance of being caught is high if the examiner checks your browser’s activities and discovers that you used them.
4. Googling Answers during exams
Several search engines can rain multiple answers when you ask them questions. The web has almost every piece of information that you may need to handle any specific issue, including getting tips to answer specific exam questions.
If your school allows one to access the internet during the exam, then it is a gateway that may promote cheating. If you are using the internet answers, then ensure that you do not plagiarize them since the examiner will eventually catch you. Also, you should ensure you get the content from authority sites since some sources could be questionable.
5. Hire Experts to do Classes for them
Well, when the student is under duress to perform, they can diversify different ways of cheating. One of them is colluding with the management and hire experts to do a specific exam for them. Although an expert may help you pass the exam, you may end up as a poor performer in the labor market.
6. Getting exam Leakage from faculties
Leakage is malpractice that happens in several institutions of higher learning and other tertiary schools. A student may befriend a lecturer who may give a hint of questions that are likely to appear in the exam. When the student in question has that clue, he may want to specialize on such questions and master their answers write to use them to pass the exams.
7. Buying Essays online
Essays are assignments given to the student to handle specific research topics. A student has the option to hire an expert to write an essay for him and pass the exam. Alternatively, the student can buy an essay that handles a particular topic and still pass the exam.
8. Using Online homework help services
Hiring someone to do homework or write an essay is part of academic dishonesty since you did not do it yourself. This method is risky, especially when you have to defend certain arguments in the content and later fail to substantiate. As such, you will become a victim of supervision and fail to pass the stage.
9. Write Notes on Body Parts
The method sounds weird but many student treasures at as a way of getting a clue to some questions. A student can write some notes on specific parts of the body and believe there is some likelihood of getting a question that draws some relationship from those notes.
This method is always risky since an examiner is likely to see your body activities and eventually ring an alarm of suspicion. If the examiner finds that you are guilty, then it is likely that you may face a penalty.
How Students Cheat in Online Exams
When you are doing an online exam, the chances are that you are doing it remotely. Such an arrangement tells us that you are likely to use several pitfalls to gain access to cheating materials, as indicated below.
1. Using Phones to get answers
Phones are critical components that could promote cheating when you are doing an examination online. First off, you can decide to download rich content that could hint at what the paper is asking you to write about.
Better yet, you can use the phone to access the internet and acquires some answers from the web. There is nothing that a phone can hide if you set the right parameters to promote your cheating activities. One can still send you messages on the phone that explain what to write when you are sitting for your exam.
2. Opening Many Tabs on the Browser
If you are sitting for an exam, you can choose to open many tabs. You can use these tabs to search for the answers on the internet. The purpose of opening many tabs is to search for different answers for different questions and obtain answers quickly.
Ensure that you are operating with a strong internet connection. Paste your questions on every tab and look for the right answer to your questions. If you only open one tab, it will waste your time getting an answer before getting to the next question and finishing on time.
3. Screen Sharing with friends
Screen sharing has its advantages as you sit for an online exam. By screen sharing, you can share your answers with another person whose computer is configured to communicate with you. If you cannot do an inevitable question, you agree with whoever can handle it to do for you and share your screen without causing any commotion.
This method is only valid if the examination rules allow it. It may work against you if the institution prohibits it. Also, if whoever is assisting you to do a particular question gives a wrong answer, it reduces your chances of passing that exam with a better grade.
4. Googling the Answers
You can still get answers from the Google search engine and obtain answers to help you get solutions for your question. Also, one can copy-paste your question on the Google search engine and see the resists as it shows on its first page.
You should select the answer from at least three sites that talk about that question. You can still type in a keyword that will hint at what to use when you use the Google search engine.
5. Having a Friend in the Room
You can inform a friend who understands the contents of your subject and be a helping hand in making sure you get the correct answers for your exam. You can talk him/her into researching answers on the web and enabling you to pass the exams without much challenge.
Alternatively, this friend could carry some helpful documents that could be useful in finding the answers for you. Such documents can be from your current notes or from the sites with rich content that can assist you in finding the correct answer to the exams.
6. Getting Colleagues to do Online Exams
You can decide to hire one conversant to that particular issue and get away with the exams. In case of this online exams, look for an expert who can write the correct answers and enable you to pass the exams. Do not just pick anybody but a person with dependable knowledge and skills that are great at handling any related problems.
Begin by vetting that expert to get a surety that you will pass the exams. Also, ensure that you do it without raising suspicions that could land you in problems with your institution.
7. Screenshot Questions and Sending to an Expert
Technology is key here. You can screenshot your question on your gadget or laptop and send the copy to your expert, who will instantly research and send you the correct answers. This expert should be in a position to type the answer very fast and relay it to them as fast as possible.
Ensure that this expert is sitting in a strong internet connection where there could be no chances of hanging or delays in the process. This is only possible if the institution allows one to have a phone in the examination room. Or it permits someone to access the email while doing an exam.
8. Using Advanced Devices
You can still use several advanced devices to steal an exam from a friend. Such include using advanced camera glasses which can see far to the extent of stealing the contents from afar. You are sitting in the room alone; you can put examination materials far as you still see them provide a clue to your answers.
For instance, some students cheat by using Bluetooth earbuds to get an answer from your friend.
The friend or friends then whisper answers to your eyes without causing a distraction.
The best way they do this is to have their friends sit in the nearby room where they will be researching for the cheating student and let them know via Bluetooth devices.
9. Hiding Textbooks or Notes in exam rooms
Having textbooks and notes in the room can be resourceful to you if you want to use them and pass the exams. When the exam is on, you can read the questions and refer the answers to these answers to these textbooks. Here, you must be very fast searching for the answers so that you write them within the timeframe.
The only danger is to ensure that your examiner does not see them since any carelessness will lead to a penalty which can be a bit embarrassing to your career. Hide them under your table or the lap and check the environment before using them.
How to Prevent Students from Cheating
1. Set Practical and Unique Exam Questions
You can opt to set multiple versions of a similar assessment. For example, a teacher could decide to set more than three versions of the same exam with questions in varying order. As an instructor, you can reword the question on every version to make it unique and hard for the student to steal answers from the rest of the colleagues who could be sharing their screens.
You should also set practical questions that require reasoning and not just allow someone to acquire the answers from the notes easily. This will discourage the student from cheating.
2. Using a Proctor Software
You can still use proctor software to curb cheating in class when exams are going on. Some of that software, like Honorlock, has excellent features that could assist you in giving a hint of any student who might be trying to cheat during exam sessions.
Honorlock has facial recognition features which will raise the alarm when there is a deviation from the original blueprints. Also, their AI-enabled software has mechanisms to detect eye movements and raise a red flag.
Honorlock can still detect phones on its network and any noises in the background and raise the alarm over such occurrences. Another platform is Canvas. With this one, professors can see your screens using Canvas if they have employed good proctor addons on the software.
3. Use secure Online Apps
Another perfect method of reducing academic cheating during exams is using the Google meet app. It is a resourceful application that takes several features, and the video of the student as one takes the exams. In some cases, instructors can request students to share their screens. That way, the instructor can view a student’s screen remotely and know the type of activities that are taking place if necessary. But this rarely happens.
Zoom is another video conferencing app that takes the video session of participants. The camera takes your images, and therefore a student will know that someone is watching through the camera eye. More importantly, Zoom can prevent cheating by helping the professor view students as they take the exam. Also, the app allows screen sharing when needed.
4. Using a Lockdown Browser
Lockdown browser is a super application that minimizes the activities of the student on the laptop during the examination period. For example, this browser ensures that all the tests are on full screen, and one cannot minimize them. Additionally, the lockdown browser prevents any communication with third parties through messaging, remote laptops, or virtual machines.
This software disables screen capture and printing functions. Again, this app disables all copy-pasting forms, and one cannot exit the test until you submit it.
5. Scanning all student work for Plagiarism
Plagiarism scanning is a powerful and effective way of detecting cheating during exams and assignments. A lazy student may steal someone’s work on the internet and pose it as the original work without eliminating any similarity leading to plagiarisms.
Several plagiarism tools exist to assist the teachers in discovering if the student copy-pasted someone’s work or not from the web. Precisely, the plagiarism scanner will indicate the source of your research and eventually reveal the extent of your shoddy work. Some of such tools are Turnitin, SafeAssign, and more.
6. Short Assignment/Exam Deadlines
There are several ways of skinning a rat. You can intensify more methods in reducing cheating in schools. Such could include giving short assignments with short deadlines whereby a student has little time to research from other sources and bring feedback, which could be an avenue of irregularity such as plagiarism.
Two, you can set your exam to have strict deadlines whereby someone must stick to the provided schedule. Such makes the student lack enough time to research for an answer from various sources.
6. Set Exam to Show 1 Question Only
You can program your exam to show one question at a time. This ensures that a student must complete one question before proceeding to the next. This method is very effective in reducing cheating because your programs could be giving a timeframe as to when one must answer the question before proceeding to the next.
If you fail to answer the question, you have an option to pass to the next one without an opportunity to go back and review the previous questions.
7. Punish Cheaters Thoroughly
Schools must have tough policies that handle cheating during exams. Some of those rules could be expulsion or repeating the entire unit, which could be tiring and discoursing. When there are no serious consequences to cheating, several students will master the art of cheating and use it to their advantage.
Thankfully, several institutions have great rules and regulations that ensure that the students stick to the code of conduct. Before a student registers for any examination, he/she should read and understand the implication of academic dishonesty and other malpractices.
8. Publish Rules and Teach Students Integrity
You can opt to educate your student on the importance of sticking with the right procedures during the exam. Let them know the importance of integrity at all times. Start ant-cheating awareness whereby a student takes the responsibility of their education by sticking with the right thing.
Another thing is to publish the rules and allow them to read and understand the school policy. Let them know the implication of cheating once caught.
Consequences of Cheating in Exams and School
Consequences may vary according to the magnitude of the matter in different colleges and other institutions. Cheating is a poor habit that may produce unqualified personnel to the labor market leading to incompetent people.
Effects of Cheating in College on the Student
Cheating can be disastrous to a guilty student who may attempt it for the reason of getting better grades. Such may lead to several consequences to the students, as indicated below.
1. Failing the Class
Several institutions and schools have diverse ways of dealing with cheating cases in a unique way to discourage the practice.
They do so to ensure that a student sticks to the academic integrity on all the subjects, whether it is an assignment or the examination.
For example, some universities have a particular way of dealing with plagiarism with some underlying consequences such as failing the assignment or that exam.
That means that once caught cheating in an exam, you cannot proceed to the next level deal you repeat and doing it rightly.
2. Facing Legal Consequences
Cheating in school or exams can be illegal if such cheating used methods that broke the law. For instance, if a student decides to steal a copyrighted work, it may land him into legal implications. Copyright infringement in exams occurs when someone uses other people’s content and later tries to publish them as their own project.
The real owner of that work has the legal right to sue whoever is pretending to steal the work and seek damages in court.
However, in most cases in the college to not escalate to such a level, it is vital for the student to know that stealing someone’s work is a serious crime punishable by set laws.
3. Suspension and Expulsion from school
As earlier indicated, many institutions have tough policies of handling cheating cases during exams. Some of the consequences may include suspension or expulsion.
However, the severity of such a case will vary from one institution to the next. Some of these rules may apply to a student who is ever cheating repeatedly.
By expulsion, it implies that the institution sends you away for good. That is a severe punishment that could cripple your academic career.
Another option could be suspension which is sending one away for a specified period which means your course may take you longer to complete.
4. Costs one a Scholarships
When you are looking for scholarships, your academic transcript is key in finding one. You must have clean transcripts with high grades, which can bargain scholarship.
If you are guilty of cheating in an examination situation, the institution will indicate the issue on your transcript with may cost you a scholarship.
On the other hand, if you are having a scholarship and be found to be involved in the cheating practices, the institution or the sponsor of that fellowship will terminate it immediately hence ending your care over that matter.
5. Hard to get a Job
Securing a job will become an impossibility if your transcripts indicate that you indeed cheated. That is because no employer will want to employ an incompetent person.
Also, it can still be difficult even if you went further to mend the fences after the incident.
Cheating in college can be a temporal thing, but the consequences of such action could be permanent after you come out of college.
A theory suggests that anyone who once cheated could have the same potential to continue cheating again and again.
Results of Cheating on the side of the School
Let’s look at the effects of cheating on the side of colleges and schools.
1. Affects the school’s Academic Reputation
When an institution fails to curb cheating among the student, many employers will begin to discredit the college certificates and render them useless in the market.
The institution will suffer from a poor public image since many employers will not recognize the certificates from it.
As a result of negative publicity, the institution may end up lacking students who will be unwilling to join since they will struggle to find employment once in the labor market.
In the worst-case scenario, the government may investigate the issue and ban the institution from operating anymore.
2. Disrespect from other institutions
Tolerating cheating in school brings disrespect for the institution. May will believe the school does not uphold the integrity by creating serious loopholes that can encourage the student to cheat and pass exams.
The institution will fail to earn a good name because the public will believe that they have no regard for academic honesty.
When an institution loses public trust, many will fail to enroll for any course in such an institution, and that could be the last nail in the coffin.
In other words, the institution’s survival will be minimal, causing many employers and other students to seek better places.
3. Cheating can cause Legal issues
When a school tolerates cheating, it means that students are free to access materials, including stealing someone’s work and pose it as their own.
We refer to that as draining of intellectual property. If found guilty, the owner of the materials is likely to sue the school for any damages.
The institution is there to protect such rights by enforcing tough rules that curb such a menace.
4. Cheating lowers a school’s Integrity
On a positive note, if the school is ever strict in dealing with cheating cases, it earns respect from the public.
Many people who value integrity will want to subject their students to a school that upholds academic integrity by producing competent students who are ready for the labor market.
For that reason, such a school will enforce high discipline, which comes with honesty and winning public trust.
Why is cheating is bad in school?
Cheating can lead to various impacts that are not friendly to you. Firstly, it can bring an embarrassment to you since you will have low self-esteem once found guilty.
On the other hand, cheating in school can lead to class failure where the institution will not let you proceed to the next class before you pass that stage.
Common Tools used by Schools to Prevent Cheating
1. Plagiarism Scanners
The purpose of using plagiarism scanners is to check for any similarity in the content of the student. If one copy-pasted the work and submitted it, it will indeed indicate the source of your research. Such tools are Turnitin and SafeAssign.
2. Lockdown Browsers
The role of lockdown browsers is to minimize the chances of cheating. The software can limit the access of certain options such as screen sharing or using remote desktops. They also prevent some popular actions such as copy-pasting. Moreover, a Lockdown browser detects cheating and also prevents access to some features such as screen sharing.
3. Honorlock
Honorlock is a proctoring software that can prevent cheating by taking the video of students. This app has mechanisms to detect eye movements and any other facial expressions that are suggestive of cheating. It is good to note that Honorlock cheating is possible but teachers can prevent it because the app can still detect background sound to get a clue of what is happening.
4. Mathway
Mathway is a powerful tool that solves mathematical problems for any student who is using it. It works by providing step by step explanation of how one can arrive at an answer. If a student is using it, you can use word problems to prevent cheating.
5. Examity
It is a proctoring software that has super features meant to detect the activities of a student during an exam session. It uses a web camera and sound detection features to view the image of a student and the background noises.
6. Moodle
It is a learning platform that helps the instructor to manage course activities in a responsive way. The teacher can create an online course and keep an eye on the student’s progress by giving out assignments and exams.
What happens if you get caught cheating on a college test?
Different colleges have varying approaches to dealing with cheating cases depending on the magnitude. For example, if it is plagiarism, the institution may opt to fail you the test. On the other hand, if found in possession of cheating materials, some severe punishment may occur on you, including suspension or expulsion.
Does cheating go on your college transcript?
Yes. Some institutions do indicate on the transcript cheating cases. If such a transcript goes to the labor market, many employers may be too careful to give you a chance to work for them since they believe you might extend the same cheating attitude to them. Cheating has long-term effects after school.
Can you go to jail for cheating on a test?
Such cases are minimal in different institutions. Normally, if it is plagiarism, the institution can decide to fail you and let you repeat the subject. In severe cases, if you infringe someone’s copyrights, then it will likely land you in jail. Ensure that you do extensive research and provide unique and original work.
What happens when you get expelled for cheating?
When the college expels you due to cheating, it means that you will never go back to that institution again. If you desire to continue with the same or a different course, then you are free to look for an opportunity elsewhere. If you are operating on a scholarship, it implies that that fellowship will get terminated immediately. Expulsion is the last thing an institution will do for you before exhausting other avenues.