cheating on test essay

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Why Students Cheat—and What to Do About It

A teacher seeks answers from researchers and psychologists. 

“Why did you cheat in high school?” I posed the question to a dozen former students.

“I wanted good grades and I didn’t want to work,” said Sonya, who graduates from college in June. [The students’ names in this article have been changed to protect their privacy.]

My current students were less candid than Sonya. To excuse her plagiarized Cannery Row essay, Erin, a ninth-grader with straight As, complained vaguely and unconvincingly of overwhelming stress. When he was caught copying a review of the documentary Hypernormalism , Jeremy, a senior, stood by his “hard work” and said my accusation hurt his feelings.

Cases like the much-publicized ( and enduring ) 2012 cheating scandal at high-achieving Stuyvesant High School in New York City confirm that academic dishonesty is rampant and touches even the most prestigious of schools. The data confirms this as well. A 2012 Josephson Institute’s Center for Youth Ethics report revealed that more than half of high school students admitted to cheating on a test, while 74 percent reported copying their friends’ homework. And a survey of 70,000 high school students across the United States between 2002 and 2015 found that 58 percent had plagiarized papers, while 95 percent admitted to cheating in some capacity.

So why do students cheat—and how do we stop them?

According to researchers and psychologists, the real reasons vary just as much as my students’ explanations. But educators can still learn to identify motivations for student cheating and think critically about solutions to keep even the most audacious cheaters in their classrooms from doing it again.

Rationalizing It


First, know that students realize cheating is wrong—they simply see themselves as moral in spite of it.

“They cheat just enough to maintain a self-concept as honest people. They make their behavior an exception to a general rule,” said Dr. David Rettinger , professor at the University of Mary Washington and executive director of the Center for Honor, Leadership, and Service, a campus organization dedicated to integrity.

According to Rettinger and other researchers, students who cheat can still see themselves as principled people by rationalizing cheating for reasons they see as legitimate.

Some do it when they don’t see the value of work they’re assigned, such as drill-and-kill homework assignments, or when they perceive an overemphasis on teaching content linked to high-stakes tests.

“There was no critical thinking, and teachers seemed pressured to squish it into their curriculum,” said Javier, a former student and recent liberal arts college graduate. “They questioned you on material that was never covered in class, and if you failed the test, it was progressively harder to pass the next time around.”

But students also rationalize cheating on assignments they see as having value.

High-achieving students who feel pressured to attain perfection (and Ivy League acceptances) may turn to cheating as a way to find an edge on the competition or to keep a single bad test score from sabotaging months of hard work. At Stuyvesant, for example, students and teachers identified the cutthroat environment as a factor in the rampant dishonesty that plagued the school.

And research has found that students who receive praise for being smart—as opposed to praise for effort and progress—are more inclined to exaggerate their performance and to cheat on assignments , likely because they are carrying the burden of lofty expectations.

A Developmental Stage

When it comes to risk management, adolescent students are bullish. Research has found that teenagers are biologically predisposed to be more tolerant of unknown outcomes and less bothered by stated risks than their older peers.

“In high school, they’re risk takers developmentally, and can’t see the consequences of immediate actions,” Rettinger says. “Even delayed consequences are remote to them.”

While cheating may not be a thrill ride, students already inclined to rebel against curfews and dabble in illicit substances have a certain comfort level with being reckless. They’re willing to gamble when they think they can keep up the ruse—and more inclined to believe they can get away with it.

Cheating also appears to be almost contagious among young people—and may even serve as a kind of social adhesive, at least in environments where it is widely accepted.  A study of military academy students from 1959 to 2002 revealed that students in communities where cheating is tolerated easily cave in to peer pressure, finding it harder not to cheat out of fear of losing social status if they don’t.

Michael, a former student, explained that while he didn’t need to help classmates cheat, he felt “unable to say no.” Once he started, he couldn’t stop.

Technology Facilitates and Normalizes It

With smartphones and Alexa at their fingertips, today’s students have easy access to quick answers and content they can reproduce for exams and papers.  Studies show that technology has made cheating in school easier, more convenient, and harder to catch than ever before.

To Liz Ruff, an English teacher at Garfield High School in Los Angeles, students’ use of social media can erode their understanding of authenticity and intellectual property. Because students are used to reposting images, repurposing memes, and watching parody videos, they “see ownership as nebulous,” she said.

As a result, while they may want to avoid penalties for plagiarism, they may not see it as wrong or even know that they’re doing it.

This confirms what Donald McCabe, a Rutgers University Business School professor,  reported in his 2012 book ; he found that more than 60 percent of surveyed students who had cheated considered digital plagiarism to be “trivial”—effectively, students believed it was not actually cheating at all.

Strategies for Reducing Cheating

Even moral students need help acting morally, said  Dr. Jason M. Stephens , who researches academic motivation and moral development in adolescents at the University of Auckland’s School of Learning, Development, and Professional Practice. According to Stephens, teachers are uniquely positioned to infuse students with a sense of responsibility and help them overcome the rationalizations that enable them to think cheating is OK.

1. Turn down the pressure cooker. Students are less likely to cheat on work in which they feel invested. A multiple-choice assessment tempts would-be cheaters, while a unique, multiphase writing project measuring competencies can make cheating much harder and less enticing. Repetitive homework assignments are also a culprit, according to research , so teachers should look at creating take-home assignments that encourage students to think critically and expand on class discussions. Teachers could also give students one free pass on a homework assignment each quarter, for example, or let them drop their lowest score on an assignment.

2. Be thoughtful about your language.   Research indicates that using the language of fixed mindsets , like praising children for being smart as opposed to praising them for effort and progress , is both demotivating and increases cheating. When delivering feedback, researchers suggest using phrases focused on effort like, “You made really great progress on this paper” or “This is excellent work, but there are still a few areas where you can grow.”

3. Create student honor councils. Give students the opportunity to enforce honor codes or write their own classroom/school bylaws through honor councils so they can develop a full understanding of how cheating affects themselves and others. At Fredericksburg Academy, high school students elect two Honor Council members per grade. These students teach the Honor Code to fifth graders, who, in turn, explain it to younger elementary school students to help establish a student-driven culture of integrity. Students also write a pledge of authenticity on every assignment. And if there is an honor code transgression, the council gathers to discuss possible consequences. 

4. Use metacognition. Research shows that metacognition, a process sometimes described as “ thinking about thinking ,” can help students process their motivations, goals, and actions. With my ninth graders, I use a centuries-old resource to discuss moral quandaries: the play Macbeth . Before they meet the infamous Thane of Glamis, they role-play as medical school applicants, soccer players, and politicians, deciding if they’d cheat, injure, or lie to achieve goals. I push students to consider the steps they take to get the outcomes they desire. Why do we tend to act in the ways we do? What will we do to get what we want? And how will doing those things change who we are? Every tragedy is about us, I say, not just, as in Macbeth’s case, about a man who succumbs to “vaulting ambition.”

5. Bring honesty right into the curriculum. Teachers can weave a discussion of ethical behavior into curriculum. Ruff and many other teachers have been inspired to teach media literacy to help students understand digital plagiarism and navigate the widespread availability of secondary sources online, using guidance from organizations like Common Sense Media .

There are complicated psychological dynamics at play when students cheat, according to experts and researchers. While enforcing rules and consequences is important, knowing what’s really motivating students to cheat can help you foster integrity in the classroom instead of just penalizing the cheating.

Cheating in the Test: Issue Review Essay

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The fact that he has cheated in his college entrance exam does appear to be something which should not have been done by my friend. Thinking about his action in doing so, I believe that he may have been in a mental state that instigated him to do so. He may have believed that the college entrance exam is not very significant at the moment and that there is nothing wrong in cheating for a test which will decide whether he should be admitted in the particular college. In effect I am sure he did not ponder over the problem in thinking about the deep rooted consequences of such an action. He would not have been aware that had he been caught cheating he could never have been granted admission and may have been debarred from applying in the college for a few years. The fact that he confided in me about having cheated does show his confidence in me, which also implies that he needs some effective advice so that such action is not repeated by him.

He has already cheated in the test and there is no reason to make him feel guilty about it. But he needs to be counseled about the action being principally wrong in not being a justified measure to determine his caliber in seeking admission to the given college. He needs to understand that this entrance was the first test for him and if he begins his career in this way, it may set a pattern for him in justifying such actions during future tests and exams too. There would ultimately be a time when he would be caught in the misdeed which may prove very detrimental to his future and career. The first time someone makes a mistake, he can be pardoned provided he realizes his mistake and does not repeat the act of delinquency. The most important task is to make him realize that it is wrong to cheat in an exam and that life has in store for us several exams where we just cannot cheat. It is clear that the adverse consequences of claiming credit by unjustified means are not known to him other wise he would not have indulged in such an act.

A student, who is on the verge of making a foray into the independent life of college which grants much more freedom and independence as compared to school life, must be made aware of the risks attached with such independence. He needs to understand that he is answerable for all his deeds to his family, friends, relatives and teachers and nobody is going to pardon him for repeated wrongdoings. He is now stepping into a different world where he is expected to display a greater amount of responsibility and to make achievements on the basis of his own strengths and capabilities. Cheating in the test would enable easy entry into the college, but during the semesters he would have to undergo several tests where he will not be able to cheat. Hence he should understand that cheating in any sphere of life is ruled out. He must also be made to realize that he will gradually reach different stages in life where he will have to set an example in front of peers, juniors and even his children after he marries. He would never allow his son to cheat in any exam. This process of understanding will go a long way in making him realize of the wrong action he has taken.

In making judgment about my friend that he is a cheat, one may forget that humans are a bundle of limitations and that he may have just been unaware that such an action is immoral and unjustified. He may have been in the company of friends who influenced him into thinking that there is nothing wrong with cheating in such a test. The shift from school to college can be utilized as an opportunity for him to change and adopt better habits and practices since the same friends will not be with him in college. It is very much possible that he may be having immense potential to make an excellent mark in life if given the right and appropriate guidance and directions in leading his forthcoming life. Hence it is imperative that he be made to realize of the wrong action he took in cheating in the admission test. After having realized his mistake he will surely adopt a more positive attitude in doing the things in the right perspective. Human tendency is such that nobody can be prefect all the time in terms of the different things that we do in our everyday life. If my friend has cheated, he may have made a mistake and it is proper to give him an opportunity in improving himself instead of labeling him as incompetent or as a cheat.

It is important to provide leverage to my friend on account of the different culture and circumstances that he comes from, as compared to majority of the people in this country. He is from a family that is not sound economically, and his father had expired when he was very young. Having been brought up in a tightly secluded environment he was not much exposed to the rigors of real life situations. He does not understand the implications and consequences of cheating in the exam. He got an opportunity to cheat and he cheated because he felt there was nothing wrong with it. Although ignorance of law is not an excuse, but since he was not caught cheating and had only confided in me, I consider it my duty to apprise him of the wrong action that he took as also of the serious consequence that lie ahead if he does not mend his ways. He will surely understand since he is very receptive to reason and is open minded in realizing the correctness of my advice to him.

The action that my friend took by way of cheating in the college entrance exam is indeed undesirable and incorrect on his part and would have been severely punished had he been caught in the act. Having confided in me of his doing in this regard does indicate that he had the openness to share his actions with me. There may have been an inherent expectation from him for me to advise him in regard to whether it was right or wrong. It is required that he be cautioned that he did take a wrong action and that he must refrain from such activities. More importantly he needs to be counseled at this critical turn in his life, when he is stepping into a new world, about his duties in adopting the most ethical perspectives in leading his future life. He must be conveyed that there is so much to do for him and that the whole world is at his disposal only if he adopts ethical means to achieve his objectives.

• Marginal Analysis of Cheating
• Trust & Threat Messaging and Academic Cheating
• Cheating in College and Its Negative Consequences
• Assessment Methods for Students.
• Large Scale or Classroom Based Assessment
• Teaching of English in Primary School
• Principles and Practices of E-Learning
• Literacy and Numeracy Demands
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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I was caught cheating on an exam, how can I minimize the damage?

I got caught cheating in a two-hour engineering exam consisting of 100 multiple choice questions which was done online through the moodle e-learning software. I feel like my life is almost over.

Having not studied well and having no time to study, I decided to cheat. I know there are no excuses for cheating. Before the exam I dug up research about moodle exams, and it turned out you can take the exam anywhere you want to as long as you have the quiz password. Taking advantage of this, I went up to my engineering library and asked a close friend who was taking the exam to send me the quiz password before he starts.

What I had prepared:

• Calculator (was not allowed during the quiz).
• Printed material (consisted of more than 200 pages).
• Google search engine (on a laptop ready to help).
• Whatsapp (to ask questions for a friend who took the quiz last year).

As I sat down, I did the first 50 questions, suddenly the quiz froze and moodle told me:

you are not allowed to take the exam from this location .

While I was leaving, one instructor responsible for the course (there are 5) came and found me. She accused me of cheating, took my mobile and made come with her to a huge office where two instructors searched all my mobile (took the name of my friend who gave me the password), and started talking to me, asking for all details of this crime. They confiscated my phone and looked at everything: Whatsapp conversations, all my emails, and images. The instructor took the mobile from my hand without asking me and kept it with her. It seems that the instructors are going to report me as well as my friend who sent me the password for the exam.

The university's Student Code Conduct says that cheating will result in one of the following: a Dean's Warning, Suspension, or Expulsion. If any of that happens, my future is over. A Dean's Warning will cancel my financial aid. A suspension would be for at least two years, and coming back would require a lot of work. An expulsion will be definite.

I've learned the lesson about cheating, now how can I fix this? How can I prevent the five instructors from reporting me? It's obvious that I should speak to them, but what should I say? What can I do? My future is almost over, but many of you are teachers and instructors here, what can I do to fix this?

EDIT: Wow, it has been almost 3 years. I would like to update on how I dealt with the situation.

Lesson: It was obvious to never ever cheat under any circumstances, independent of whether you'd get caught or not.

Consequences: I received a Dean's Warning but the financial aid wasn't revoked. However, I couldn't stay in the department as engineering was not for me, and I was even ashamed to stay in the university.

What happened next: I transferred to an ABET-accredited Computer Science institution and I graduated with distinction in 2.5 years. It was extremely stressful as I took 6 major courses (18 credits) in one semester, but I had to do it.

Future plans: I'm going for an MSc in Computer Science in St. Andrews next year.

• disciplinary-action

• 2 See also: User admits to bad behavior in a real-life situation, how do we best respond? –  bwDraco Oct 25, 2014 at 20:08
• 3 All the previous comments have been moved to a chat room . Please carry the discussions on there. –  StrongBad Oct 30, 2014 at 17:53
• 184 This certainly does not excuse the cheating in any way, but am I the only one who thinks that a warrantless search on a cell phone by an educational institution is an autocratic, and quite possibly illegal tactic? –  user8762 Nov 2, 2014 at 2:27
• 44 I loooooooooove it when people come back and tell us what happened! I guess you could make an argument that it makes the question even more useful, but I'm upvoting for the human satisfaction from knowing how the story turned out. And congrats to OP for overcoming this (yes, self-inflicted) setback! –  msouth Oct 15, 2019 at 15:30
• 17 The instructor took the mobile from my hand without asking me. Don't ever let anyone who is not police do that. I don't believe you give up personal property rights to such an extent just because you're on campus - maybe a lawyer could pitch in? What the instructor did could potentially get them into extremely hot water. If you were in a privileged position of having money for lawyers, that instructor might have been out of a job. You played them, and they played you - that was the lesson here. Now you know how it feels to be played. Know the game before you play - always the case. –  Kuba hasn't forgotten Monica Mar 8, 2021 at 22:37

19 Answers 19

I've learned the lesson about cheating, now how can fix this? How can I prevent the 5 instructors from reporting me. It's obvious that I should speak to them, but what should I say? What can I do? My future is almost over, but many of you are teachers and instructors here, what can I do to fix this?

From the way you wrote this, it seems to me that in your current mindset, you have not yet learned the full lesson. I say this because the second sentence above seems to me still in the same mindset where you are trying to control and engineer a result to essentially beat the system and get something better than your own actions have generated. That is not full understanding of learning that that whole approach is not appropriate. You're treating the system like an adversary, acting in a victim mentality, and trying to manipulate your way out of it. You have some lessons to learn about humility, honesty, surrender, and building integrity from the ground up. I would suggest accepting those.

I would suggest it may help for you to consider you may also be wrong-minded when you think things like:

If any of those happen, my future is over. A dean's warning will cancel my financial aid. A suspension, will be at least for two years and coming back requires a lot of work. An expulsion, will be definite.

The "my future is over" fear is what led you to cheat in the first place. As your professor kindly observed, you didn't need to cheat in the first place, and it got you into far worse trouble than doing your best would have. Indeed, I think your future looks darker if you don't take full responsibility now. I would be more optimistic about your future if you lose your financial aid and have to leave that university, but actually learn your lesson and continue at some other institution.

Your future will depend on your mindset, your integrity, and how you do your chosen field of work (including how you feel about yourself and how you relate to your work). These things are built upon each other like the bedrock, foundation, and upper levels of a building. If your mindset is full of panic, it will undermine your integrity. If your integrity is unsound, it will undermine your work. Seriously. This is practical and not empty moralizing.

So, realize that if you really want to be an engineer, you can do this, even if you need to go to another university. Even if it takes another 2 or even 4 years. Then, restore your integrity by being completely honest about everything and taking full responsibility for everything you caused and continue to cause. Don't try to cover anything up, make anything sound good, look good, nor avoid looking bad. You will feel a lot better about it all when you let go of resisting and admit everything. Your instructors know all about it, and will notice any attempt to make this better for yourself, so even if you were going to cling to being a desperate manipulative person, it would be best to surrender and fully admit everything, and be as honest as possible in everything you do. If you can really learn these lessons, then it may actually make sense to give you some leniency. If you're still resisting, then it wouldn't be doing anyone any favors in the long run, to do anything less than suspend you.

The good news is, this lesson is FAR more important than the engineering content you were studying.

• 52 +1 This is a wonderful answer and hits on the bigger picture for the OP. The first paragraph is spot on. –  Jason C Oct 26, 2014 at 5:10
• 5 I was wondering whether anyone would mention the fact that the instructor didn't think that he/she needed to cheat to pass (though it might not be an exact quote) –  chipbuster Oct 26, 2014 at 16:27
• 9 I disagree with this answer. He should simply get a zero and warning (unless this is repeated). From an outcomes standpoint, a productivity standpoint, forcing a student to move to another university and spend 2-4 years redoing all courses, or spending tens of thousands of dollars redundantly is economic waste. Is, not seems to be. If he were employed, he probably wouldn't be fired. He would, in most cases, be warned. How many times he could do this would depend on how otherwise valuable an employee he is. If he is a poor researcher, fire him; otherwise warn him. Anything else is unreasonable. –  user15282 Nov 1, 2014 at 16:08
• 14 The OP does not take responsibility for cheating. They just want to avoid the penalties of having been caught. I would hope that they are reported - I would not want to hire them. –  WestCoastProjects Nov 2, 2014 at 7:42
• 30 @user15282 I disagree with you completely. He is seeking to be an engineer. Dishonest actions and then further trying to cover them up kills people in engineering. You would almost certainly be dismissed immediately from any serious engineering company for such actions in a job and, in some situations, you could also face criminal prosecution. –  reirab Nov 18, 2014 at 19:39

First, in light your question title, let me offer some encouraging words. Your life is not over. Cheating is an academic transgression; unless your situation is very unusual, you have not committed a crime. Take a breath, realize that this is a problem that you need to address as an adult, and part of that means being sober and reasonable.

Of course this is serious, and will likely have severe consequences regarding your future as an engineering student--but it is not the end of the world. It is essential for your own sake that you learn from this experience. Understanding why this was a poor choice is probably more important than your engineering degree.

You should not try to fix this. The fact is, your instructors are there to help you, and they are still trying to help you. They are understandably frustrated and disappointed by this situation.

You should be honest to yourself about the choices you made. This could happen to anyone; it doesn't happen to people who think about and understand the consequences. More specifically, my advice to you is:

• apologize to your friend for coercing him into helping you cheat
• understand that your cheating was not justified in any way; do not offer any excuses
• admit everything and be as honest as you can with your instructor

Of course, that advice is predicated on you understanding that your cheating was a poor choice, and not merely unfortunate because you got caught . It's not clear from your question if you've made this distinction.

In the stereotypical view of cheating, you struggle because you aren't willing to put in the time and effort to learn, and you misrepresent your abilities through cheating on an exam, quiz, etc. It is easy to see this is dishonest; it's a form of lying.

Say that we take you at your word and that your description of the course as an "unreasonable amount of work" is completely true, accurate, and without embellishment. Let us further suppose that cheating is the only way that a qualified, hard-working student could earn a passing grade in this course. Cheating in this instance is not better, it is even more dishonest.

Here, by cheating and earning a passing grade, you misrepresent the abilities of the honest students in the class, and interfere with the instructor's ability to assess learning and make necessary changes to the course.

• 21 Well I don't really understand why this is getting upvoted. His life as he was seeing it is getting stripped from him for nothing, he's asking for a solution that has a reasonable chance of working and your answer is "Don't worry it's for your own good that you won't become an engineer my poor little kid *hug*"... wth ? –  Wicelo Oct 26, 2014 at 14:20
• 29 @Wicelo I included the first paragraph because the original title included the phrase "my life is almost over." I think any remark like this should be taken seriously. I would summarize my response as: Don't do anything rash <fullstop> Be honest and don't make excuses, as anything else will make your situation worse. –  dionys Oct 26, 2014 at 14:37
• 30 Personally, I believe the first paragraph is a key point, and I upvoted (at least partially) because of it. Yes, the OP made a mistake that will have serious consequences. But that does not mean that their life is almost over. It does mean that their life may not be what they had originally anticipated. @Wicelo –  Oswald Veblen Oct 26, 2014 at 14:50
• 63 @Wicelo SRSLY? The kid deliberately worked out a scheme to cheat and you think he shouldn't get booted? Are you perhaps not aware there's a reason for exams in the first place: to separate the competent from the not-capable? If the course was that hard, he should have dropped it in the first place and taken some lower-level courses prior to retaking. Sheesh. –  Carl Witthoft Oct 26, 2014 at 14:54
• 18 @Wicelo the point is that it is not 'for nothing'. If you cheat in real life the consequences are usually that you'll end up in jail. It doesn't really sound like he has learnt that cheating was bad but that getting caught was bad. –  JamesRyan Oct 29, 2014 at 12:05

To the comments: The OP knows he cheated - he's asking what he can do to improve his situation. Clearly, there are good and bad ways to deal with it.

I haven't been on an AD board myself, but I have caught cheaters. From my experience, the best thing you can do is the following:

Admit everything.

Apologize. Make it clear that you understand how and why cheating is wrong.

Do not under any circumstances give excuses for your cheating or blame others for it - as you do in this question. You chose to cheat, no one put a gun to your head.

• 69 To add to this I would explain the financial aid situation so that the board can carefully apply penalties so that there are not any knock on effects. Writing someone a warning that gets financial aid withdrawn is effectively expelling them and probably not the intention. –  StrongBad Oct 25, 2014 at 20:21
• 13 @StrongBad and just why shouldn't a cheater be expelled, or at least suspended for a year? I fail to see the upside of letting this slide. –  Carl Witthoft Oct 26, 2014 at 14:56
• 20 @CarlWitthoft it seems unfair if the effective penalty depends on if you need financial aid or not. –  StrongBad Oct 26, 2014 at 15:45
• 24 @StrongBad Whoever provides the financial assistance has determined specific criteria to decide who should receive it, with presumably many more applicants than they are able to provide assistance to. To not give a Dean's warning to the OP, when the protocol says that he should definitely get one, is to deceive the provider, and to deprive other applicants. –  jwg Oct 27, 2014 at 8:55
• 5 @jwg I think the point is that the board would now have full knowledge of the penalties they're applying. If they had a discussion that went "we want to penalize him, but certainly not expel him!" they might want to know that (I have no idea if such a conversation is likely to take place). But if they do want to expel him, financial aid probably won't change that. EDIT: it also seems unlikely that the board being annoyed by a note about OP's financial situation will make things substantially worse for him than they already are. –  Prime Oct 30, 2014 at 1:17

What you did was actually pretty severe as far as cheating goes. Sometimes cheating could be explained by a brief moment of weakness. For example, suppose you take an exam and discover that it is far more difficult than you expected, so you make an impulsive decision to take a look at your neighbor's answers. That's still wrong and deserving of punishment, but it could at least be viewed as a foolish choice brought on by panic, which could make it easier to forgive. On the other hand, you planned and carefully prepared in advance to cheat effectively, and you even recruited a friend (who is apparently not so honest himself but might not have done anything wrong if you hadn't brought him into your plan). It's pretty much the worst case scenario for cheating.

I don't think there's anything you can do to keep from being reported. There may not even be much you can do to affect the punishment. However, what I hope for from students in cases like this is genuine introspection.

By this I mean going beyond a superficial account of rules and motivations. There are a lot of standard things you can say: your fear of punishment will keep you from cheating again, you recognize that you were cheating yourself out of real learning, you understand how unfair your actions were to your honest classmates, etc. These should all be true, but they are fundamentally unsophisticated. Essentially, they are what society tells eight-year-olds who are having trouble behaving. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence when someone announces "Oh, now I finally understand what my elementary school teacher always told me."

Instead, I hope a crisis like this will provoke some soul searching, not just repeating standard answers. What sort of person are you? Could your family or colleagues rely on you, or will you someday pull the rug out from under them when your long-term dishonesty is uncovered? Could a stranger rely on you? Are you the sort of person who acts with honor even when he could get away with cheating, or the sort who always puts himself first? Who are you, and who do you want to be?

The point is that many cheaters have elaborate rationalizations and excuses (I see some tendency in that direction in your question). They convince themselves that they aren't actually dishonest people, just trapped in difficult or unique situations. When caught, they try to repair their self-image with as few changes as possible: they learned what not to do in this situation , or they view it as a one-time mistake unconnected with the rest of their life. When I see someone doing this, I worry that they are on a dangerous path in which they will blindly follow the same old habits and patterns in other cases. I'm confident that you have the potential to be an honest and trustworthy person, but what you did in this class is not a good start in that direction.

I don't want to coach you on what to say or how to say it. It's a deeply personal matter, and in any case I don't want to help you pretend you've had a deeper learning experience than you actually have. However, I'd really recommend thinking about the big picture of your life, not just this one incident. It may help to discuss it with a relative, mentor, religious leader, etc. In the end, you need to convince the university that you've learned more than just a cost/benefit analysis of cheating, so that they have faith that you could benefit from a second chance. I don't think you will, or should, escape punishment, but it's in your own interests to try to learn and grow as much as you can from this experience, and it can't hurt your prospects if the administration sees that you are doing so.

• 22 "It's pretty much the worst case scenario for cheating." Only thing worse I can think of is stealing the questions and/or answers before the exam starts. This would make it a criminal offence. I fully agree with your answer. –  Mast Oct 30, 2014 at 14:01

You were caught in flagrante delicto . You were accessing the exam with illicit material in an unapproved location and were caught while the exam was in progress.

Reading what you have provided, I believe there is essentially nothing you can do to prevent the instructors from reporting you. Given the extent of your infraction of the code—after all, this was an intentional violation, not an accident like forgetting a citation in a paper—it's hard to see how they can avoid reporting this. Think about it this way: if you do not get reported, who can be reported?

Letting you off the hook also sends the wrong message to you and to your fellow students about the importance and strictness of the honor code.

I'm afraid you will have to live with the consequences of your actions. (Was the benefit from cheating really worth the consequences of possibly being caught?)

• +1 Given the behavior of the OP, why even have exams. Having read the OP it may affect the way that I interview college students: looking for this flagrant cheating attitude will not be easy though.. –  WestCoastProjects Nov 2, 2014 at 8:26
• 2 Exams are hardly realistic: When I worked in industry and told to solve a problem, they didn't say "Sit by yourself, talk to no one, do not make use of material of a related nature" –  jim May 1, 2016 at 21:46
• 2 @jim: I wholeheartedly agree with your view of examinations' lack of realism. Unfortunately, we as educators need means of assessing individual learning. How do we honestly know who's done the work in a group without direct observation? And how do we do this realistically for a class of 50 or 100 students? –  aeismail May 2, 2016 at 2:58
• @aeismail Yes, of course there is some need to assess individual learning, and suppose the issue is the best way to do this. –  jim May 2, 2016 at 8:53

One normal engineering course at my university had an unreasonable amount of work: each week we would have like 5 quizzes (1 labview quiz, 2 class quizzes, 1 computer lab quiz, 1 graded report). The course merging with another 4 courses (Electric Circuits - Differential Equations - Statistics - Chemistry) caused a lot of pressure. The material of the engineering course, was overwhelming, incredibly lengthy in unreasonable amount of studying required.

Outside of the question of cheating---and you are clearly in the wrong there---this suggests that you may not have mastered the material from the previous courses to the level expected of you.

Engineering school is hard , but it is not impossible.

If you come out of this with the option to continue your studies (either at your current institution or elsewhere) you might want to consider either or both of ...

Going back and re-doing some of the preceding material until you are deeply conversant with it and able to handle the concepts and calculation needed fluidly and without much difficulty. Just being sufficiently prepared will reduce the load from the subsequent course.

Recognizing that engineering is not for everyone and it might not be for you.

In any case, I'd like to remind you that the job you are studying toward is one where a mistake or a cut corner can have life-threatening consequences. Your instructors are right to take this very seriously and you should too. Think carefully about this. Do you want that kind of risk hovering over your work?

• 30 +1 for the bigger picture of engineering itself, something the OP does not demonstrably grasp. –  user21984 Oct 26, 2014 at 6:27
• 8 An issue which I see frequently among students. In math, physics and likely engineering, other sciences and even liberal arts courses, the material builds on itself. Ultimately if a student receives a C in a course, the student is probably not fully prepared for the next course. This makes the next course in the sequence harder than it is supposed to be. A large portion of my tutoring is in fact developing a stronger foundation before the student can understand the current topic. I'm getting off topic. See chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/18175/… –  nickalh Oct 26, 2014 at 21:40
• 6 If the course is really so difficult, every student is in the same situation. Usually, the instructor will recognize this and curve the grades at the end. If it's particularly difficult for you, there is often other recourse, such as reaching out to the instructor/TAs/other students and even dropping the class. It's best to realize this before an exam and when you realize is often the difference between succeeding and failing. –  La-comadreja Oct 29, 2014 at 2:55
• 13 +1 For where a mistake or a cut corner can have life-threatening consequences . –  Nobody Oct 30, 2014 at 4:05
• 19 +1 also for "life-threatening consequences". As a practicing engineer now, the idea of stamping a design I don't understand and having it fail is pretty terrifying. Go spend a little time on Google learning about engineering disasters - e.g. the Hyatt-Regency walkway collapse - and let it sink in what happens in the real world when an engineer "cheats". You're better off getting suspended now than going to jail later for "cheating" a.k.a. professional negligence. Harsh but true. –  brichins Oct 30, 2014 at 17:01

There are two issues here that I see. The first is the punishments seem to be designed such that a Dean's Warning is relatively light. Without section 5 which outlines the punishments that can accompany a Dean's Warning, one cannot be sure. I guess is if outside factors, such as financial aid, would greatly magnify the penalty, the committee who oversees these things might be wiling to work with someone who has been caught cheating. The second issue is that the event you describe are so egregious that the committee wouldn't try and move directly to suspension or expulsion. If the committee is trying to figure out how to suspend you, then asking for a lenient application of a Dean's Warning will not go over very well.

As with any case of academic misconduct, you need to find someone who is on your side and understands the system. A lawyer arguing from a legal perspective is generally not the best first approach. You should check with the student services office for help.

• 6 +1 for the last paragraph. Most institutions offer some sort of "public defender" service for students facing disciplinary action. I would encourage anyone in such a situation, regardless of guilt or innocence, to seek this sort of expert assistance. –  Nate Eldredge Oct 26, 2014 at 2:43
• 1 In particular, many U.S. schools have a "student advocate" in the student affairs office, who can give impartial advice and is familiar with the university's procedures. –  Oswald Veblen Oct 26, 2014 at 3:22
• 1 I missed this answer, but I commented on the OP in a comment thread above as follows: The school has a range of penalties that may be imposed for cheating; it is not necessarily the case that this instance merits the most draconian punishment. There may be dozens of cheating cases at the school. Cheating may be endemic in a particular professor's class but rare elsewhere. An attorney will make sure that all mitigating circumstances are heard. There is a greater chance that similar cases that merited lesser punishment will be considered. – –  user26732 Oct 29, 2014 at 12:08

You can not prevent them from reporting you, and attempting to prevent the report would only reflect worse on you and your character. This is your opportunity to demonstrate humility and integrity.

Do not make excuses, do not lie. Own your mistake and be ready to say why it was wrong, and the impact to your instructors and to your classmates. Consider that engineers design, construct, certify and maintain critical infrastructure; they must be held to the highest standards, to protect human life, and why integrity matters. To illustrate, look back at Roger Boisjoly , the engineer who tried to prevent the Challenger disaster, and the engineering manager who was cowed into making a decision against his better judgement.

Expect disciplinary action. Whatever the disciplinary action, thank them for it, as it will be a valuable learning opportunity.

Be sincere, be gracious, and move forward. Begging,feeling sorry for yourself or attempting to shift blame will only make you look worse in the eyes of the school, in the eyes of your peers, and eventually in your own eyes.

You will get through this, even if it changes the trajectory of your career. And who knows? You might find your passion in something else other than engineering.

• 1 +1 for You might find your passion in something else other than engineering. I spent several years as a civil engineer who was gradually doing more and more software tools - I am now a full-time software developer, making a higher salary with less stress and fewer work hours. I've had a rough road (ha) getting there, but I enjoy where I'm at and my engineering training and experience continues to be valuable. –  brichins Nov 9, 2015 at 19:36

A long-term plan is something you need to think through.

It probably looks like this: -- maybe not exactly as that would be arrogant -- I've left out what to do about where to live, whether to stay and work in the local community or create a clean break, etc -- though obviously your personal lifestyle is going to be affected by what happened and how you handle it. Your life is not over. It is merely more difficult. Step up to the challenge.

• Accept that you deserve to be suspended or expelled. If you are instead given a second chance, great! or not. Aren't you burned out by this point? Most people would be. This incident also doesn't sound minor, at all.
• If you are lucky, your friend(s) who helped you cheat will get the Dean's warning level of punishment. I say "if you are lucky", because a normal person would feel absolutely awful, for a long time, for damaging their friends' reputation and career. Don't try to lobby for your friends.
• If you haven't already done so, tell your parents, and apologize to them or anyone else personally bankrolling your education.
• Get a job and pay your own bills -- assuming your financial aid, loans, work-study, and/or family pays your current bills. Your family, rich or poor, will see this as a sign of maturity. Now obviously the best jobs want degree holders and are concerned about grades and honesty. Don't apply for jobs like that, you'll wind up beating yourself up over and over about what you did every time they reject or worse, be tempted to lie and cover it up. Now the workplace is hardly angelic, there are obviously bad jobs working for dishonest people. Try to avoid those as well. It looks like you could do some computer freelance work. Actually marketing yourself and finding customers is harder than the programming part. Consider trying that for a while.
• While working for a living, hit the books and the free online course sites. There are good free online courses from top engineering schools: i.e. Caltech, MIT, Stanford, etc. Cut yourself some slack by not officially signing up - trying watching all the lectures and doing the readings. Then start doing some of the assignments. Answer forum questions or Stack Exchange questions about the material.
• As you gain demonstrated proficiency in the coursework you were once struggling at, build a portfolio. Like the computer program portfolio I see attached to your profile page. Stuff you are interested in and good at.
• By this point you should be good at something that wouldn't be obvious from your former transcripts. Find academic allies who can help you develop. Write profs of online classes where you think you are doing well. You can sometimes get a certificate, or a promise of letter of recommendation this way.
• Use the portfolio when writing your new university applications a few years from now. To get back into a university you should diversify the applications across schools. A few years and all these steps will make an application more acceptable. Though you may still need to address the earlier incident, by this point you will not only have an idea of what to write or say but can demonstrate your new-found passion and ability. By this point you should also have made at least one ally who can write a decent recommendation letter.

Good luck with this journey.

• 4 +1 and I really love this answer for its practicality and realistic preparation for not the worst but perhaps just second best life outcome. –  Penguin_Knight Oct 26, 2014 at 14:26
• 1 Good practical advice. To the final steps I would add: be prepared to honestly explain in new applications/interviews what happened when you were previously at college. I also think you should mention that this strategy has a low probability of success - most people who try to educate themselves to degree level while supporting themselves financially through full time work don't succeed. –  jwg Oct 27, 2014 at 11:01
• @jwg It depends on the degree and institution. I used to teach a lot of night-school MBAs for Georgia State in Atlanta. The day school undergrad crowd had a diversity of ages. It was clear that many people were working and attending part time. When I taught in Asia it was entirely a different story, a conveyor belt of young minds with the occasional exchange student --- almost none of whom were employed, where aid and grants paid their way. The top tier in the USA has become so expensive that paying your own way through work is pretty laughable, but there are still plenty of state schools. –  Paul Oct 27, 2014 at 11:12
• @Paul Particularly like the last part of point number 5. Paying back by helping other people will do alot to help him rebuild his confidence and sense of worth. It helps me every day. +1 –  bobbym Nov 13, 2016 at 19:18

I've learned the lesson about cheating, now how can fix this? How can I prevent the 5 instructors from reporting me.

I want to discuss why the university has such strict policies against cheating, and why this situation must be reported.

The first problem with cheating is that it degrades everyone's degree. When you start working for a company on graduation, your degree represents certain skills that you are assumed to have learned in getting that degree. If the company finds out you don't have these skills, in the future they will assume that anyone who graduates from your program might not have those skills. If cheating is taken lightly, then your degree becomes meaningless, because no-one will know what skill-set it actually represents.

This leads into my second point: getting an engineering degree sets you up to become a professional engineer, a position of great responsibility. I'm not exaggerating when I say that people's lives will be in your hands. If you misrepresent your skill-set, you will be put in situations where you don't have the knowledge to do the job properly. If you haven't learned integrity in your undergrad, when put in such a situation you may complete the project anyway (this is like cheating in the real world). If you do this, whatever system you're designing may fail, and this could get people killed. That is why integrity is of the utmost importance in engineering programs.

If you have truly learned your lesson, and you understand these two points, then you will understand that cheating was wrong not because you got caught, but because that type of behaviour ultimately puts people's lives at risk. But as others have said, your life is not over, and it is not too late to change. If you learn your lesson now, and carry yourself with integrity from this day forward, you will make a great engineer.

It is especially important that you show this integrity over the next few days. This means not trying to cover anything up. The instructors have to report you; if they don't, they are also committing an offence. If you have truly learned your lesson, and can demonstrate this, then hopefully your punishment will be lenient.

If you want to be an engineer because it fits into some life plan (it gives you status, money, whatever), I think you've got things all wrong. Be an engineer because you want to help people. If you don't end up being an engineer, that's fine; there are lots of other ways to help people, and I'm sure you'll find one that you really enjoy.

Your life is not over. I want you to obtain professional psychological counselling but I fear that you will think this is only another kind of punishment to be "fixed".

Your comment "How can I prevent the 5 instructors from reporting me. It's obvious that I should speak to them, but what should I say?" is massively irrational.

It is the job of the 5 instructors to report you. You are thinking you can ask them not to do their job, apparently in the same way you thought you did not need to do your job of understanding the course material for the examination.

It is not at all obvious that you should speak to the 5 instructors. Unless they have asked you for a formal response I think it would be very unwise to speak to them.

There is no ethical dilemma over whether people should do their jobs. Your dilemma is whether you have chosen a job (student of engineering) that is within your capacity. There are fundamental norms of human behaviour involved here that your family should have taught you to navigate. That they haven't is why I suggest counselling. A 2-year suspension sounds like an excellent option. If you become an engineer, people's lives will depend on your knowledge of the subject matter and your honesty to say "I do not know the answer to this question" when you do not know the answer to a question.

• 6 Speaking as somebody who has a bit of experience with the "psychological counselling" part: It is true that the OP made mistakes. It is also true that adopting a different perspective of the situation would be more constructive for him. But your tone is very counterproductive. Shaming and belittling him, and suggesting that he might be incapable of becoming an engineer because he showed bad judgement is not helping him develop better judgement, it's preventing it. If you want to help somebody to improve their behavior, the first thing to do is treat them with respect and understanding. –  rumtscho Oct 26, 2014 at 18:17
• 1 @rumtscho It's important that people understand the consequences of their actions. Everything Scott said is true. I don't get the impression that he intended it to 'belittle' him, just that he wants him (or her as the case may be) to understand the very serious consequences of his actions and their motivations. It doesn't look like the OP has learned this lesson yet, judging from the diatribe on his profile that seems to be blaming the university rather than himself and from his profile picture, which consists of equations written on someone's hand. –  reirab Nov 18, 2014 at 20:11
• 3 @rumtscho The fact of the matter is that the OP should feel shame and remorse for what he did and his question does not make it clear that he did, only that he was sorry he got caught and wanted to know how to make the consequences go away. –  reirab Nov 18, 2014 at 20:14
• @reirab I agree with your first sentence: the OP should understand the consequences. The top voted answers here are well suited for that. But you (and anybody else) cannot tell the OP what to feel : a feeling is a biochemical reaction, it either happens or doesn't, no matter what feeling somebody deems appropriate for a situation. Also, remorse is a consequence of guilt, not shame. And causing shame in somebody by telling him a variation of "you're a loser who'll never amount to anything" is cruel, and never has any positive consequences for the person told off. –  rumtscho Nov 19, 2014 at 7:09
• I don't think he was trying to say "you're a loser that will never amount to anything." Simply mentioning that someone should consider whether or not engineering is really for them is not saying they'll never amount to anything. Not everyone can be an engineer. There's nothing wrong with that. Also, he didn't say that that's definitely the case here, just that OP should consider the possibility. –  reirab Nov 19, 2014 at 7:20

Actually I have a different take on this. There are also ethical rules that must be followed by the university just as there are ethical rules (aka laws) that must be followed by the police even if you commit a crime. I highly doubt that it is legal for them to detain you against your will, use intimidation tactics to steal your personal information from your phone, and confiscate your personal property without consent. I'm not condoning cheating but I also believe that both parties are required to use ethical conduct. The university faculty are people who are in positions of authority, and they should not be allowed to use their position to manipulate you into doing anything they want. Even if they suspect you of cheating. There are ethical ways of doing it. It's not just on the part of the student to maintain ethical conduct. In the future know your rights and know the laws. Police require warrants to take your personal property. Is it not the case that university faculty must also abide by the laws?

• Comments are not for extended discussion; all of the comments on this post have been moved to chat . If you would like to continue this discussion, please do so over there. –  ff524 Oct 30, 2014 at 8:39
• 2 I agree with you in general on this answer, however it should be noted that the OP is in Lebanon, not in the West, so the laws are likely very different from what they would be in the U.S. or Europe. Certainly, confiscating a cell phone without permission would be a criminal offense in the U.S. I'm not sure whether that is the case in Lebanon or not, though. –  reirab Nov 18, 2014 at 20:17

To elaborate on @Sverre's excellent response, take full responsibility for your actions. It seems you still have several things to learn. Although the consequences are potentially severe, you seem more concerned with the consequences than a genuine change of heart. The desire to not be reported is strong indication of this. Your friend is not innocent and chose to participate in collusion, in other contexts this is illegal. Also, a good professor will ask "Why did you cheat?" and not assume you have excuses with "What are your excuses?" Engineering courses are known to be quite difficult. Despite the temptation to cheat, follow through with a lifetime of being honest. Finally, many even most students I have worked with have poor study skills. Since 50% of learning is forgotten with 24 hours, review frequently. Get in the habit of summarizing methods, notes, etc. Combined with other study skills, the course load should become not easy but bearable thereby reducing the temptation to cheat.

Do not make excuses .

I believe this is the only important thing in this situation. Any student can muddle through phrases like "this course was too much work," "my life is over," etc., as you are right now.

Engineering programs usually receive large funding support from corporations that plan to hire their students. They accordingly act like such corporations, so perhaps it's good to think of how this would look in a corporation. Say you're a journalist who plagiarized, a software engineer who downloaded source code on a USB stick and lost it, a mechanic who mucked up the brake line in a car, etc... what happens? you get fired!

• "But my wife and kids."
• "But it was an accident I promise not to do it again."

Et cetera, will fall on deaf ears. Your "excuses" will also fall on deaf ears.

I earnestly do think that your punishment will be somewhere above "light" and below "career-ending." The best thing you can do here, in my opinion, is act professionally . That means understand the above points. Understand that you know you are in a bad situation and nothing you can do will change their view of that . That will be the platform from which they may feel they are doing business with a worthy professional instead of a whiny student who doesn't understand his life "being over" has little to do with "the company's bottom line". Be someone they can do business with.

Next, of course your life isn't over! There are way too few engineers for corporations not to hire people who have never made mistakes. Even real mistakes with consequences. This is what people sometimes derisively call an "adult" or "real world" lesson but the platitudes are true that character and perspective are important in getting through them. I'm not going to call this a rosy mistake; it is a real one with consequences. Some corporations - maybe including your dream one - may see this as egregious and unexcusable. Other companies will be happy to evaluate your character in an interview and see for themselves, and this is a story you can actually interview off of quite strongly (in fact how meticulously and honestly you were able to write about this makes me quite optimistic about that). There will be far worse things that will happen to you in life and your life will, sometimes begrudgingly, go on, I suggest taking this as such.

P.S. The lesson here? Goody-two-shoes version: Doing something wrong has completely unpredictable consequences. Realist version: Protocol and regulations are enforced far better than the perpetrator realizes. See: insider training.

It is not surprising to me that your engineering school had the caveman-level technical resources to dismantle your plan. This should not be surprising to you. Furthermore you can prove in an interview you really understand the consequences of, say, downloading company code illicitly better than anyone else (in particular that you will get caught!) So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and the first time someone asks you about this, breathe a sigh of relief since you know they're ready to be won over.

This is probably a good time to transfer to another college. Your situation is likely being discussed by all of the faculty in your department as well as many of the students. You've burnt any positive references you might have at this university which depending on the job market may make it very difficult to find work even if you do complete your degree there.

You need to transfer the work that you've completed so far and start over building up the trust and respect of a new set of faculty and peers.

You sacrificed whatever good will you had and financial aid when you bet on not being caught. It's time to salvage what you can, learn your lesson, and move on. Lots of people transfer for all sorts of reasons and you don't need to disclose your reason to everyone you meet. The transcript might list something about your situation, but it won't convey all of the details and the severity. You may need to work extra hard to build the respect and trust of anyone who has access to your transcript however at the undergrad level that shouldn't be a big problem.

Next time discuss the difficulty level of the classes you want to take with other student before taking them, estimate your ability to complete those classes to the quality level you want. If you can't complete 5 rigorous classes in one semester, then don't take 5 rigorous classes in one semester. If you find yourself stuck like this again, consider that getting a failing grade in a class isn't the end of your academic career. Depending on the timing and the institution you may be able to either drop the course or retake it and average the grade.

• 4 finally one answer that doesn't say "it isn't the end of the world, but yeah, you're pretty much finished and have little chance of obtaining an ing. degree, however, do enjoy your lesson and your status as a statistic of people who failed to become engineers", but offers realistic advice to salvage your career and move on. Honestly, I didn't expect such brutal attitude from the community. Makes me wonder why we don't still cut off the hands of thieves. –  user3209815 Oct 30, 2014 at 12:44
• 1 @user3209815 - I don't see anything "brutal" about the other answers from the community. The O.P. committed a flagrant act of cheating and got busted; the punishment should be heavy-handed and not a slap on the wrist. Folks here are simply being up front about the gravity of the situation, and yet there is still plenty of talk about second chances and damage control in other answers besides this one. I also wonder if this is the O.P.'s first time cheating, or first time getting caught. –  J.R. Nov 2, 2014 at 0:16
• 2 @J.R. That right there is what I'm talking about, it is irrelevant whether OP cheated before. He turned to us with a specific question. While the majority of answers, as you say, still offers more or less genuine advice, the tone is judgmental and I dare say hostile. Cheating is a serious offense, so should be the punishment, however, this is a Q&A site and we, the members of the community, should try to keep our personal frustrations and disdain towards the poster or their situation out of an answer and attempt to provide an objective view to the poster's problem. –  user3209815 Nov 3, 2014 at 8:46
• @user32 - I don't think it's "irrelevant;" the answer to that question might affect my counsel. If the O.P. came to my office for advice, I'd want to know. If the individual is a chronic cheater who just got caught for the first time, that's different than if the person had been an honest student until this one moment of weakness. I wouldn't treat both cases the same, and I don't think wondering aloud constitutes a "hostile" environment. I'm not sure that "How can I minimize the damage?" is the best (or only) question that should be asked; that's just being objective and helpful, not hostile. –  J.R. Nov 3, 2014 at 11:21
• 1 @J.R. It is irrelevant because it is not based on facts. The OP was caught cheating now and if he cheated before is only speculation, as there can be no proof for either case, regardless what OP might tell you if he came to your office for advice. "How can I minimize the damage?" may also not be the most relevant question, nor the only one, nor the best one, but it is the one that was posted. Your concerns and the judgmental attitude of some of the other answers might be in place only if you knew OP or the case on first-hand basis. OP came here for the answer to his question not for judgement. –  user3209815 Nov 3, 2014 at 12:46

If any of that happens, my future is over.

No it isn't. I personally know people who have done far worse and still manages to have good futures. For example, I know someone who stole thousands of dollars from a charity online funding campaign by hacking. He was jailed for 20 years, but when he came out he began a new life, atoned for what he did wrong, and become a professional programmer and now works for Amazon. You're mistake is much less worse. It is much easier to recover. You didn't actually commit a crime. Here is the worst that could happen in 3 punishments:

1.Dean warning. You lose your financial aid. Then, you need to work where you can't cheat. This will make college harder for sure, but I know people who do it. And I have a feeling that after a bit of this you may get financial aid back and they see that you do really care.

2.Suspension. This is worse than 1. You are out for 2 years. During those 2 years, though, you can get a job and as such real world experience. Maybe also go to therapy. While you'll be delayed by 2 years in school, on the upside, you will learn actually useful things.

3.Expulsion. This is a really big problem...but not life ending. Youre expelled and then, as I have said before, will have to get a job . After a few years of real-world job experience, during which time you might learn more than you would at school, you should be able to be accepted into a different college. Large setback, but overcomeable.

In conclusion, the worst that can happen to you is that you need to actually work for a bit/while and possibly are set back a few years schoolwise. Not the end of your future.

To answer your original question:The damage has been done, the genie is out. Don't say anything unless asked. You can't fully fix this immediatly. You won't get them not to report you. The best you can do is accept your punishment, learn, get a job and real-world experience, and eventually resume school. You're not 2 anymore, and "Sowwy. I prowise to newer do it again." doesn't work. Welcome to the real world, where things aren't fixed in 2 seconds.

(I originally planned to make this just a comment, but then I realized that I have too much to say for a comment. I'll still try not to repeat what was said before and keep on topic.)

Please, feel sorry for your friend. I know what I say, since I was more than often the one helping in cheating, but not the one trying to cheat himself. If there is a hearing with the course responsible, please try to explain this to them, because at least in my eyes, your friend is not guilty here, he's been just a friend.

Side note to the previous point: When they took your phone to find out who'd helped you, they might have done so illegally, depending on your country, and on other circumstances. I need not be right and it's not something you should use to get a profit from it. But it could be helpful if your friend got into troubles too. Update: I just learned that you gave them consent to the search, which probably changes a lot. Still, I think that this aspect may be considered, but don't want to give you false hope.

Do not give up. I know it's easy to say and difficult to do, but you should perform at school at the same level as you did before. All the people that will treat your case and make any decisions are humans, not robots, and you haven't lost your credit completely, you "just" cheated in one course. Facing the problem in as professional manner as possible is certainly helpful.

And to answer your original question: How can I convince the instructors not to report it? You shouldn't. (But that has been addressed by the other answers.)

• 13 Helping someone cheating is also academic dishonesty, and his friend is probably also in troubles. I suspect his friend will get a lean penalty... The people which helped him on WhatsUp might also be in trouble, depending on how much they know... And helping someone else cheat is WRONG. –  Nick S Oct 26, 2014 at 20:02
• 1 "But you are not cheating, I am!" <--- This is exactly the reason why students MUST read the Student Code of Conduct or however else is called at your university. I am pretty sure that for almost all universities it is stated clearly there that helping someone else cheating is also cheating...At my school, we actually put a section on academic integrity in syllabus/outline.... –  Nick S Oct 26, 2014 at 20:16
• 3 @NickS: Cheating is treated quite differently in different countries, both from the students' perspective and the professors' perspective. For example, here in Italy there is no general policy about cheating and cheating is directly managed by the professor who finds a student cheating (typically failing him, but with no report to a higher authority). Probably the situation is similar in other EU countries. –  Massimo Ortolano Oct 26, 2014 at 20:28
• 3 @MassimoOrtolano It probably depends on Country, University or instructor, but I don't think that the students caught cheating first time get an extreme penalty, it is the second time when things get tough. And an official warning on their dossier stops them from cheating in any class, while your warning probably stops them from cheating in the classes you are teaching.... –  Nick S Oct 26, 2014 at 21:24
• 3 The university is not the police, though, and so any legal restrictions on the types of searches the police may perform don't have any obvious reason to apply to a university faculty member. Remember the university is not charging anyone with a crime. There is also a significant difference between a random person on the street (who you don't know) and a professor who is teaching your class - and the issue that the student could have simply walked away, but didn't. Really, unless someone can cite an actual case, any legal speculation seems to be just speculation. @tohecz –  Oswald Veblen Oct 27, 2014 at 12:27

In order to minimize the damage it is essential to have a different plan you will follow if you ever find yourself in a similar situation in the future. One option is to ask for help.

If your course workload is too much for you, talk to someone - an instructor, an adviser, even fellow students etc. If the workload really is unreasonable, the more students saying so, the more likely the department would be to change it. If most students are coping, you may get advice on how to cope. Or maybe you needed to take an extra year, or move to a different, less demanding program.

In any case, you need to have a definite plan for dealing with similar situations. Even in the short term, having that plan firmly in mind will come through in your interactions with others, and may help convince them this is the last time you will cheat.

Every error carries potential for something good. This is quite possibly an example of being manipulated into cheating without even knowing. The school's error, quite possibly, may be that they are expecting unrealistic amount of studying to be done by a student. It takes time to absorb new knowledge; they may think "well others have done it before..." but no one knows how much previous knowledge others had. Usually those who are getting top marks have more than average or required knowledge about the subject. I know, I have certainly been in that situation (when I was a student, while others were struggling with math, I did not; but I used to win math competitions, and my mother and my roommate at the time were both math teachers). However, this still does not give you a reason to cheat. The lessons is: no matter how badly someone else is behaving (and I have seen that in many institutions of higher learning), you should always do things that are ethical. Integrity is one thing that makes all the difference on this planet. Yes, I think that your school lacks in that department, but you have shown to be just the same at that moment you cheated. Once you understand that, that we are often manipulated into "cheating" (e.g. when doing 85 mph on a 65 mph road, where the conditions, car, and even road survey make that 85mph perfectly safe) you look at your error in better light.

Ultimately, this is not a perfect world, and one needs to be aware of other people's errors so that we are not misled into doing more of the same. In the end, if your school is one of the nation's leading institutions, they are unlikely to budge; but if it is a "for profit" institution with questionable record, they may be willing to back down. The point you made about too much work should be mentioned in your meeting. You can tell them honestly that in all that panic of not having enough time to prepare (they should know you need to sleep, eat, go to a doctor and whatnot), you could not think clearly and this seemed like the only way out. Perhaps you were under too much stress to think clearly and make a right decision. You obviously did not feel you could honestly approach them and let them know that expectations were too high. But, don't focus on their error. Your part of the error is what matters. Ask yourself - what it would take you to sell your integrity. Only when the answer is a firm "there is no way", is it a correct one.

• 17 The school did not manipulate him into cheating. The other students managed not to come up with an elaborate plan to break the rules. –  ceejayoz Oct 26, 2014 at 15:28
• 8 In every class we are teaching there are few students which cannot keep with the course... This doesn't mean that the class has unreasonable expectations, or that we are manipulating them into cheating...... –  Nick S Oct 26, 2014 at 17:33

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The most common ways students cheat in remotely proctored exams.

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• Using outside resources
• Collaborating with others

Method 1: Using Outside Resources

When it comes to candidates using outside resources to cheat in remotely proctored exams, (that is, using anything not allowed to be accessed or used during an exam,) there is a misconception among some candidates that this is a very easy thing to do.

While scribbled notes snuck into exam halls are likely as old as exam culture itself and combated with a mix of deterrents including physical proctors, the truth is that remotely proctored exams can be just as protected against cheating attempts too.

When it comes to the question of which is best: online or test center proctoring , there is a myriad of reasons why an organization might choose one over the other. But in terms of exam security, the answer is the same for both: there is no silver bullet when it comes to test cheating. Rather, all test cheating safeguards should include 3 critical elements to give exams the best chance of remaining secure:

• DETER : Actions to deter students or candidates from considering test cheating.
• PREVENT : Actions to prevent or make it harder for students or candidates to cheat at tests and exams.
• DETECT AND RESPOND : Actions to identify if test fraud is happening and respond if it does happen

Learn more about this by watching our recent webinar recording: An Ounce of Prevention: Proctoring and Test Security in 2023

Regardless of how well-protected remotely proctored exams can be, it doesn’t stop some candidates from believing that easily cheating test proctoring methods is a simple thing to do, and below are a few common examples of outside resources used for cheating.

Examples of outside resources used for cheating

Online search engines and databases.

As mentioned above, with online proctored exams came a new method of test cheating: Google. Candidates who are committed to cheating might try to surreptitiously open a new tab and gain assistance from the web, or these days, perhaps use the ever-extraordinary ChatGPT. 

One of the most useful tools for helping manage this is using a locked-down browser, which, among other things can make it difficult to run other programs, use the print screen command, and identify if you’re using a virtual machine. In a nutshell, it renders a device (mostly) only usable for an exam while the exam is in session.

Phones 

Whether in a remotely proctored exam or snuck into an exam hall, smartphones changed the game when it comes to cheating. As with all cheating attempts, the use of phones can only be combated by employing the three safeguard elements as mentioned above, with proctoring being a useful facet of that. 

Textbooks and notes

Attempting to sneak in notes and textbooks into exams—be that physical halls or remote exams—is nothing new in the landscape of cheating, and while it might seem like a very easy method of cheating in a remote setting, the actuality is that it can still be deterred with a holistic anti-cheating approach outlined by the organization. 

Pre-written essays and assignments

It’s never possible to guarantee that any one thing can prevent test cheating, no matter the method of cheating that’s deployed. Using a pre-written or written-for-you assignment for use in an exam is a common means of attempting to cheat, but one that can be better safeguarded against with a mix of deterrents (like a clear policy on repercussions for being caught cheating), tools like proctoring solutions and continually updating exam questions. 

Preventing the fraudulent use of outside resources in exams

Methods for preventing cheating come in many forms and typically should be considered as part of a holistic approach as we’ve mentioned several times now.

For tackling the use of outside resources during an exam, a useful tool to help combat potential cheating will be in using a comprehensive proctoring tool. This can help identify a range of behaviors that might need reviewing and with automated record and review options, this also allows for an exam to be analyzed after it has taken place.

Similarly, when it comes to the ever-present risk of students simply opening up a new browser to search for answers, platforms such as Questionmark’s online assessment solution offer a locked-down browser, resisting a student from navigating away from their exam environment without altering the AI system. 

Method 2: Collaborating with Others

While collaboration is usually a human skill that’s applauded and encouraged, in the case of cheating it can be an especially troubling issue. Whether it’s sharing exam questions to give someone an unfair advantage ahead of the exam or attempting to take an exam as a unit, the ‘collaborative cheater’ is in some ways more problematic than a lone individual. Research has shown that when an environment of cheating becomes normalized , it’s also likely to propagate.

Below are some ways in which collaborative remote cheating can occur.

Sharing answers with others

Taking an exam and sharing the answers with peers has long been a method of cheating tests and that’s not changed with the dawn of digital exams. As with all cheating, tackling it takes a multi-faceted approach, but a useful tool for this particular issue is in using randomized questions so that each batch of candidates is faced with a new and random selection of questions that can’t be predicted. 

Taking the exam together

Having a second person hidden from view in order to assist with an exam is a real challenge with remote exams and requires a strong anti-cheating policy and deterrents in order to discourage a test taker long before an exam is ever sat.

Using communication tools to share information

From Whatsapp groups to exam question sharing on TikTok , the ability for messaging systems to be misused is not an unknown challenge. With properly implemented proctoring technology, along with all other deterrent tools at an organization’s disposal, however, a candidate’s willingness to share content during an exam can be greatly reduced.

Preventing collaborative cheating in exams

Test cheating is the unfortunate result of people having the opportunity, the incentive and the ability to rationalize what they’re doing as ‘not so bad’. While great technology (like online proctoring and locked-down browsers) can be a fantastic deterrent, preventing exam cheating takes much more than just tech-based approaches. From question design, communication on why test cheating is more than just flunking , and setting up test takers for success from the start, organizations need a full approach when tackling this area of learning and development.  

Method 3: Using Technology to Cheat

As with all progress, there’s a tendency to shy away from it given its potential to be misused. Technology often suffers from this and it’s true that, when related to cheating, technology can be misused. From sharing your screen to allow someone else to see questions to using software emulators, the ways and means a candidate might employ technology to cheat a remotely proctored exam are numerous, and below are some examples of that. 

Screen sharing and remote control tools

Sharing screens or otherwise employing remote tools to cheat in proctored exams is a fairly common cheating style and typically managed with locked-down browser tools. 

Virtual machines and software emulators

Using a virtual machine and accessing a student or candidate’s keyboard to help them answer questions is a big threat employed by proxy testers . It is a difficult type of test cheating to manage and requires a concentrated effort from the organization in question to make the consequences known long before an exam even occurs. For example, many of the Varsity Blues students who had tests taken for them (during an in-person exam) via proxy test takers were found out and expelled from their colleges, a stark warning to others who may be considering a similar approach.  

Mobile devices and wearable technology

Smartphones are some of the most relied-on methods for cheating and seen as an easy option for cheating test proctoring software. Candidates might share questions via messages, or ask for help from social media groups—or simply use a search engine to find an answer. This is all possible of course, but with the correct deterrents and tools, like remote proctoring solutions, the ability for it to succeed can be reduced. 

Preventing the fraudulent use of technology in exams

Having all the necessary safeguards in place including clear communication on consequences, understanding the motivations, and of course, using proctoring solutions, are all core ways organizations can better protect test integrity and prevent instances of cheating.  

Proctoring Technologies for Preventing Cheating

Remote proctoring solutions are useful in helping uphold exam integrity. Live online proctoring , sometimes known simply as ‘remote proctoring’, is a common proctoring solution adopted by organizations worldwide that allows a proctor to use the candidate’s webcam and audio functions to monitor their behavior and stop an exam should they deem it necessary. 

Another popular method is automated proctoring. Sometimes called AI proctoring, automated solutions such as our Record and Review proctoring tools are extremely helpful in aiding a human reviewer during and after an exam. The automated system observes and records the exam session on video, for potential review later.

The system also flags potential anomalies, such as a second person being on screen, for a proctor or other individual to review at a later time, rather than needing to trawl through an entire recording. This method makes the exam much more resistant to cheating than it would otherwise be. 

Of course, there’s also the traditional method of onsite proctoring for physical exams too.

Frequently Asked Questions

The truthful answer about cheating is it can only be reduced and managed, but not eliminated. It’s why it’s so essential to tackle test cheating and fraud with an entire fleet of tools and deterrents, not just rely on the one proctoring boat.

Students and candidates can be remarkably creative in their methods of cheating and it’s never more true than with the act of hiding notes for use during an exam. Hiding items just out of sight, or writing notes on arms is always a challenge no matter where an exam takes place. What’s certain however, is that if caught the exam will be over and likely more serious consequences for the candidate will follow. Articulating this long before the exam doors open is key to preventing the behavior long before it starts.

Modern proctoring solutions mean that many forms of pre-recorded content should be very easily flagged during an exam.

Yes. But the nature of these questions will be limited to technical issues directed at the proctor. A student cannot request information on the test answers and nor can they ask other remote devices without this being noticed by the proctor and the AI assistance tools.

Related resources

Ai & assessments: when the stakes are high, the role and value of scenario-based assessments, assessments just got advanced, get in touch.

‘I cheated on a school exam and I feel terrible. How can I get past this?’

Associate professor, Flinders University

Disclosure statement

Lydia Woodyatt receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Flinders University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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With so many external pressures, I yielded to cheating on an exam. I feel absolutely terrible as it is not what I stand for at all, a lot of people seem to hate me and I totally respect their opinion as what I did was wrong … but I’m so scared that now it will define me; before I had a perfect record and outstanding achievements and I don’t know how I can get past it. – Anonymous

• everyone makes mistakes, but they don’t define us
• our brains are wired to make us feel shame after making a mistake
• forgive yourself!

You’re not the only person who has done something you wish you hadn’t. By the time we reach adulthood most, if not all, of us have. People cheat, lie, hurt others , or fail. It’s part of the human condition.

Many people have cheated in exams. For example, nearly 30% of university students who responded to a 2012 UK survey agreed they had “submitted work taken wholly from an internet source” as their own.

Read more: When does getting help on an assignment turn into cheating?

These mistakes don’t have to define us. If we work through them in a healthy way, mistakes can help shape who we are, what we care about, and how we treat others.

At the time, mistakes can be painful. It can seem to be this huge thing, occupying lots of our thoughts, impacting how we see ourselves and making it feel like everyone else will be focused on this failure forever.

But think of someone you know who has made a mistake. Do you spend all your time thinking about that person’s failure – is that failure all the person is to you? Probably not. Humans spend most of their time thinking about themselves , and humans have lots of ways of reconciling, forgiving and forgetting.

So why does our brain make us feel like it’s the end of the world when we fail?

Blame our brains

Humans are a group species. Our brains have evolved to pay attention to when people might exclude or judge us for being a bad or inappropriate group member.

When we do something wrong, our feelings act like an alert signal; a red flashing yucky feeling telling us there is a problem. These guilty feelings can be especially bad if we think about our mistake in certain ways. Thoughts like:

“This is going to affect how everyone sees me!”

“People are never going to trust me again!”

Blowing up the negative consequences in your mind, predicting the future in a negative way, or rehearsing how bad a person you are, are types of thinking that can send that red alert into overdrive.

Another way we keep the red alert on is if we avoid the issue and don’t take time to work through what happened. Research shows avoiding things that make us feel shame can actually just make us feel worse.

Instead, you can learn to forgive yourself . Start by taking responsibility – rather than trying to explain it away or avoid it, own up to it and say to yourself “yep, I did that”.

Read more: If someone hurt you this year, forgiving them may improve your health (as long as you're safe, too)

Then, you need to work through what happened . Research shows reaffirming our values is one of the most effective ways of working through our wrongdoing and forgiving ourselves.

Forgive yourself. Here’s how

Reaffirm your values

Write a letter to yourself answering the following questions:

• What value have I broken in this situation? (Values are what character traits you find important. These could be generosity, fairness or authenticity. If you have trouble identifying your values, this can help .)
• Why is that value important to me?
• What is a time in the past I have acted in a way that is consistent with that value?
• What would it mean to act consistent with that value over the next day, week and month? (This may include confessing to someone, an apology or a commitment to do it right next time.)

Write three ideas of what you could do, and plan to do one of them this week. Remind yourself of these values and your commitment to them whenever you feel guilty.

Accept your emotions as feelings, not facts

Emotions are part of the way our body responds to a situation. But they are not perfect. They are like a torch in a dark room, focusing our attention on a small part of the room, but missing other things.

Write a thought diary of your feelings and thoughts. Then go back over what you have written and think :

Is this really the full picture of what is happening, or am I keeping my alert button on by practising unhelpful thinking?

Remember you’re a human

When we fail, we sometimes hold ourselves up against perfect standards. But we are human, which means we don’t always have perfect knowledge of the future, control of our own feelings, or wisdom about how to act in the moment.

Instead of beating yourself up about what you could or should have done, acknowledge you are not perfect – then choose to pursue your values moving forward.

Talk it out with others

Often we keep our failures private. But since our brain is monitoring for risk of rejection, it stays active in case others find out or are already judging us because they know.

Talking it out with others can help because we have also evolved a sense of compassion and can often be kinder to others than to ourselves.

Underlying depression or other health or mental-health issues may be making our feelings of guilt, regret, shame, fear or embarrassment worse. If your feelings don’t change (especially if they continue for two weeks or more) then it is probably a good idea to chat to a psychologist, counsellor or your doctor.

Read more: 'What is wrong with me? I'm never happy and I hate school'

You can also call Beyond Blue at any time on 1300 22 4636; or Kids Helpline , a service specifically for children and young people aged 5-25 on 1800 55 1800.

• Forgiveness
• Exam cheating
• I need to know

Head of School, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Clinical Teaching Fellow

Data Manager

Director, Social Policy

Essays About Cheating: Top 5 Examples and 9 Writing Prompts

Essays about cheating show the value of honesty, see our top picks for examples and prompts you can use in writing.

In the US, 95% of high school students admitted to participating in some form of academic cheating . This includes exams and plagiarism. However, cheating doesn’t only occur in schools. It’s also prevalent in couples. Psychologists say that 50% of divorce cases in the country are because of infidelity . Other forms of cheating exist, such as cheating on a diet, a business deal, etc.

Because cheating is an intriguing subject, many want to read about it. However, to write essays about cheating appropriately, you must first pick a subtopic you’re comfortable discussing. Therefore, we have selected five simple but exemplary pieces you can read to get inspiration for writing your paper.

See below our round-up of top example essays about cheating.

1. Long Essay On Cheating In School By Prasanna

2. the reality of cheating in college essay by writer kip, 3. why cheating is wrong by bernadette mcbride, 4. what counts as cheating in a relationship by anonymous on gradesfixer, 5. emotional cheating by anonymous on papersowl, 1. types of cheating, 2. i was cheated on, 3. is cheating a mistake or choice, 4. tax evasion and cheating , 5. when i cheated, 6. cheating in american schools and universities, 7. review a famous book or film about cheating, 8. a famous cheating quote, 9. cause and effects of cheating.

“Cheating is a false representation of the child’s ability which he may not be able to give without cheating. It is unfair to everyone involved as it deprives the true one of the chance to come on the top.”

Prasanna begins the essay by defining cheating in schools and then incorporates how this unethical behavior occurs in reality. She further delves into the argument that cheating is not learning but an addiction that can result in students losing self-confidence, sanity, and integrity. 

Apart from showing the common causes and harmful effects of cheating on students, Prasanna also adds parents’ and teachers’ critical roles in helping students in their studies to keep them from cheating.

“It’s human nature to want to win, and some of us will go against the rules to do so. It can be harmless, but in many cases, it is annoying, or even hurtful.”

Kip defines cheating as human nature and focuses his essay on individuals who are hell-bent on wanting to win in online games. Unfortunately, these players’ desire to be on top is all-consuming, and they’re willing to go against the rules and disregard their integrity.

He talks about his experiences of being cheated in a game called AoE. He also incorporates the effects of these instances on newbies. These cheaters will humiliate, dishearten, and traumatize beginners who only want to have fun.

Check out these essays about cooperation .

“A cheater is more than likely lying to themselves more than to the people around them. A person can only go so far before their lies catch up to them, begin to accumulate, and start to penalize you.”

Mcbride dedicates her essay to answering why cheating is wrong, no matter the circumstance. She points out that there will always be a definite punishment for cheaters, whether they get caught. Mcbride believes that students who cheat, copy, and have someone else do their work are lazy and irresponsible. These students will never gain knowledge.

However, she also acknowledges that some cheaters are desperate, while some don’t realize the repercussions of their behaviors. At the end of the essay, she admits to cheating but says she’s no longer part of that vicious cycle, promising she has already realized her mistakes and doesn’t want to cheat again.

“Keep in mind that relationships are not based on logic, but are influenced by our emotions.”

The author explains how it’s challenging to define cheating in a relationship. It’s because every person has varying views on the topic. What others consider an affair may be acceptable to some. This includes the partners’ interaction with others while also analyzing the individual’s personality, such as flirting, sleeping in the same bed, and spending time with folks.

The essay further explains experts’ opinions on why men and women cheat and how partners heal and rebuild their trust. Finally, examples of different forms of cheating are discussed in the piece to give the readers more information on the subject. 

“…emotional cheating can be described as a desire to engage in another relationship without physically leaving his or her primary relationship.”

There’s an ongoing debate about whether emotional cheating should be labeled as such. The essay digs into the causes of emotional cheating to answer this issue. These reasons include lack of attention to each other, shortage of affectionate gestures, and misunderstandings or absence of proper communication. 

All of these may lead to the partner comparing their relationship to others. Soon, they fall out of love and fail to maintain boundaries, leading to insensitivity and selfishness. When a person in a relationship feels any of these, it can be a reason to look for someone else who can value them and their feelings.

9 Helpful Prompts in Writing Essays About Cheating

Here are some cheating subtopics you can focus your essay on:

Some types of cheating include deception, fabrication, bribery, impersonation, sabotage, and professional misconduct. Explain their definitions and have examples to make it easier for readers to understand.

You can use this prompt even if you don’t have any personal experience of being cheated on. You can instead relay events from a close friend or relative. First, narrate what happened and why. Then add what the person did to move on from the situation and how it affected them. Finally, incorporate lessons they’ve learned.

While this topic is still discussed by many, for you, is cheating a redeemable mistake? Or is it a choice with consequences? Express your opinion on this matter. Gather reliable evidence to support your claims, such as studies and research findings, to increase your essay’s credibility.

Tax evasion is a crime with severe penalties. Explain what it is and its punishments through a famous tax evasion case your readers can immediately recognize. For example, you can use Al Capone and his 11-year imprisonment and $215,000 back taxes . Talk through why he was charged with such and add your opinion. Ensure you have adequate and reliable sources to back up your claims.

Start with a  5 paragraph essay  to better organize your points.

Some say everyone will cheat at some point in their life. Talk about the time you cheated – it can be at a school exam, during work, or while on a diet. Put the perspective that made you think cheating was reasonable. Did you feel guilt? What did you do after, and did you cheat again? Answer these questions in your essay for an engaging and thrilling piece of writing.

Since academic cheating is notorious in America, use this topic for your essay. Find out which areas have high rates of academic cheating. What are their penalties? Why is cheating widespread? Include any measures the academe put in place.

Cheating is a frequent cause of conflict on small and big screens. Watch a film or read a story and write a review. Briefly summarize the plot, critique the characters, and add your realizations after finishing the piece. 

Goodreads has a list of books related to cheating. Currently, Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens has the highest rating.

Use this as an opportunity to write a unique essay by explaining the quote based on your understanding. It can be quotes from famous personalities or something that resonates with you and your experiences.

Since cheating’s cause and effect is a standard prompt, center your essay on an area unrelated to academics or relationships. For instance, write about cheating on your diet or cheating yourself of the opportunities life presents you.

Create a top-notch essay with excellent grammar. See our list of the best grammar checkers.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Cheating on an exam: who does it, how they do it, why they do it, how they get away with it, and the consequences

Smuggling a phone into an examination hall, or writing an essay on your legs? It may be tempting, but any student who cheats on a test is jeopardising their reputation, honour and future

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Teaching excellence & educational innovation.

Identify possible reasons for the problem you have selected. To find the most effective strategies, select the reason that best describes your situation, keeping in mind there may be multiple relevant reasons.

Students cheat on assignments and exams..

Students might not understand or may have different models of what is considered appropriate help or collaboration or what comprises plagiarism.

Students might blame their cheating behavior on unfair tests and/or professors.

Some students might feel an obligation to help certain other students succeed on exams—for example, a fraternity brother, sorority sister, team- or club-mate, or a more senior student in some cultures.

Some students might cheat because they have poor study skills that prevent them from keeping up with the material.

Students are more likely to cheat or plagiarize if the assessment is very high-stakes or if they have low expectations of success due to perceived lack of ability or test anxiety.

Students might be in competition with other students for their grades.

Students might perceive a lack of consequences for cheating and plagiarizing.

Students might perceive the possibility to cheat without getting caught.

Many students are highly motivated by grades and might not see a relationship between learning and grades.

Students are more likely to cheat when they feel anonymous in class.

This site supplements our 1-on-1 teaching consultations. CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!

The Effects of Cheating on Exams

How it works

Cheating on exams has become more prevalent throughout the 21st century as the importance of learning is eliminated. It disobeys the expectations for a well-behaved Stuyvesant student, and the offense becomes a violation of the morals of society. In highly-competitive schools, such as Stuyvesant, students are prone to running after success through their academics. Everybody is so concerned over competing to be the best in the class that most students have actually forgotten that a school’s purpose is to educate.

The obsession with running after success is so intense that students try finding any way possible to get to the top and some, to extreme cases, resort to cheating. Cheating embodies the sins of incontinence, violence, and fraud to which the punishments are and aren’t appropriate; these characteristics are comparable to the different circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno.

Cheating is acting dishonestly to gain advantage in a competitive situation. Success in academic achievements is often earned through a student’s hard work and dedication. However, neglection to such means may usually lead to their tendency to cheat off of others because they do not believe in their own abilities and accomplishments. The students can only become guilty of their undeserving grade. Cheating is immoral because it consists of stealing other students’ intellect and calling it your own. It creates a sense of disrespect and injustice amongst the honest students that actually put the time and effort into studying. Furthermore, cheating stimulates a loss of truthfulness and suspicion between students or a student and a teacher.

The theme of incontinence is great significantly in students’ lack of self control and gluttony in the Third Circle of Hell. The culture of cheating has certainly developed along the years. Some students are forced into believing that they must cheat in order to be successful and get the best grades. Additionally, peer pressure and overwhelmness of workload may lead to temptation. However, when teachers fail to notice cheating, the student starts believing that they can get away with it a second time; this cycle will eventually become a habit where he/she is unable to restraint from temptation. This situation is comparable to that of gluttony, which is the overindulgence of food. In both cases, the guilty parties face a lack of restraint from their inclination. In the Third Circle, the Gluttons are submerged beneath “gross hailstones, water gray with filth, and snow come streaking down across the shadowed air” (6.13-4). By rolling around in the dirty hail for eternity, the Gluttons are symbolized as pigs. The sinners are treated like pigs because they gorge themselves in food, displaying animalistic qualities.

The violence depicted in the Circles of Hell are far more severe than the violence present when cheating in examination. Violence is usually portrayed as physically and intentionally using force to harm others. In Dante’s Inferno, most of the sinners in the Seventh Circle of Hell have committed acts of brutality. While the Circle is divided into three rings, those violent against their neighbors and property, such as Murderers and Tyrants, are sent to the first ring “near the stream of blood .. [to] boil” (12.47-8). These sinners were burned, as a punishment, in the symbolic amount of blood they spilled killing those injured violently. Those who are violent to themselves and commit suicide are sent to the second ring where the soul “rises as a sapling, a wild plant; and then the Harpies, feeding on its leaves, cause pain and for that pain provide a vent” (13.100-2). Here, the souls are turned into trees because they are ungrateful about their body. In comparison to cheating, the offenses in the Circles of Hell are far more immoral. Most cases of violence for cheating usually only relate to peer pressure from bullies and possible threats to share answers; students who are hesitant to help their “friends” are afraid of rejection. Nonetheless, the violence in cheating is unparalleled to the violence in Inferno because there is no true sign of intentions to harm students.

The school’s expected counter-penalty for cheating in examination is usually an automatic zero and a call home notifying parents of the unacceptable behavior. Punishments are certainly necessary for committing a sin as bad as cheating. If the school were to not reprimand them, students would continuously get away with such behavior and no one will learn what’s right. The appropriateness of the counter-penalty is well, but its effectiveness is low. Failing a student because they cheated on a particular assessment will encourage them to be more serious about the situation. However, further cheating cases should not be detention because it will not effectively allow them to be reflective on the situation. The purpose of cheating is because the students feel that they are lacking. Instead of detention, an effective punishment is forcing the students to handwrite the test paper several times until they have the information memorized. This will allow for better understanding of the text and removes the need for cheating. The rationale behind this counter-penalty is to suggest that if the students are interested in looking at other test examinations, they might as well rewrite and memorize every portion of the exam afterwards. Detention and forcing students to stay at home will not effectively help on their self-improvement.

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Cheating on Exams: Dishonest or Justifiable Behaviour?

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Cheating in Exams, Essay Example

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Cheating in exams can be defined as committing acts of dishonesty during an exam in order to score good grades. This is normally done by students when they fail to prepare for the exams or when they feel that the test is too hard for them and they want to score good grades.

Various acts are considered as cheating: first when a student gets access to exam papers be it part of them or all the exam papers before the exam is considered as cheating. Another way of cheating is by having materials that are not authorized in the exam room either electronic or non electronic in their reach from which the students copy or even copying answers from scripts of other candidates or allowing your script to be copied from by other candidates. Such materials include phones in which they store data; some phones have memory cards that store huge amounts of data and thus a student can even carry the whole syllabus in their phones from which they copy. Other electronic materials are calculators in which students store formulas especially for science and math exams. Science and math formulas may also be written on the desktop which they hide from their supervisors by covering with the answer sheet. Non electronic materials include small notes which the students make on something they suspect will be tested. Such writings are made on small pieces of paper, on the palm or on sole tapes which the students stick on their clothes. Another way of cheating is when a student impersonates another one and ends up doing the exam for them or even communicating with fellow candidates during an exam session. These forms don’t exhaust the many ways of cheating.

When students succeed in their first attempt of cheating they will always be tempted to repeat the act since it enables them to pass exams without struggling however this may bring serious consequences for the students. The problems may be short lived or long term. Short term consequences include being awarded a zero score by the lecturer because they believe that the candidate does not know anything. Getting a fail forces the student to repeat the unit .This means an addition on the other terms work a burden which may make the student fail other units hence causing a cycle of failing. Other lecturers punish these students by suspending them for a given period of time .Such students get it rough in explaining to their parents the reasons for being suspended. They may also become the laughing stock in the village when fellow students spread the rumours. Another short term consequence is when the lecturer forces the students to take remedial studies as others go for holiday hence denying them the opportunity to enjoy their holidays.

Long term consequences include being expelled from school. This means the student has to look for another school and hence the student delays from finishing college which consequently affects their chances in the job market because most job advertisements specify age limit. Cheating students also gain bad reputation from fellow students and lectrurers.Fellow students always see you as a liar and lecturers lose faith in you and it becomes difficulty to convince them that you didn’t cheat at times when you pass.

In the long term a student who passed her exams through cheating may have problems when it comes to delivering services in a job. This is because a student may cheat in exams, graduate from college but have difficulties when solving problems touching on their field of study in work environment since the certificates they present don’t really show their capability but what they pretend to be. When it comes to giving ideas during discussions in the office the cheaters will strain to contribute and also the manner in which they present themselves in such meetings will be affected since they fear that fellow workers will notice their dormancy. Without a question poor performance in the job will lead to job loss.

Cheating in an exam also denies a student important knowledge in their lives which they would have gained if they take their studies seriously A student may escape being caught cheating and get good grades which would sound okay   but the truth is they may lie to their teachers and parents but they cannot cheat themselves .the truth will remain that they waste their money and time in college but at the end of it they wont gain any knowledge since what they show to have gained is not theirs. In some colleges like the ones offering ACCA when a candidate is caught cheating they are discontinued from doing the other papers and this may kill the student’s dream of venturing in such a field.

The consequences of cheating in an exam are just too much to bear and so students should avoid such instances by ensuring they revise utilise their time well and revise thoroughly for their exams.

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How to Cheat On a Test

Last Updated: May 18, 2024 References

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 441 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 3,399,963 times. Learn more...

Whether you are simply unprepared, lazy, or otherwise unable to successfully pass an exam, you may feel compelled to use cheating as a strategy to get through a test. Here are some steps and tips to help you accomplish your goal and most likely get that A+ you've always wanted.

• Don't look suspicious. It's important to strike a balance between effectively getting your answers and not making it obvious. To do this, don't overly fidget. If you must look around, never hold your gaze in one place for longer than five to ten seconds. Switch it up by randomly staring in other directions — this way, your test supervisors won't get too suspicious and find out where your accomplice (or cheat sheet) is.
• Don't aim too high. It's not impossible to cheat your way into a perfect score if you really put in the effort, but if everyone else is getting an unremarkable grade on the exam, you will draw attention to yourself. This is fine if you normally get decent marks, but if you're known among teachers as one of the slower students, then there's a chance that they'll find out. Deliberately miss a few questions, though, and you'll be good to go. Try getting a B on a test and continually but slowly raising your average score until it's an A. You can even shoot for ups and downs in your scores, to make it appear more natural.
• Dispose of the evidence. As soon as the test is over, ask to go to the bathroom (if you haven't already gone) to wash off or throw away any evidence of cheating. The longer you hold on to something, then the better your chance of getting caught because one person or another will notice.

Using Cheat-Sheet Methods

• Try the "Body Part Cheat-Sheet" method. Instead of printing out the cheat sheet, try writing it on a part of your body. Good places include your forearm if you are a man or your upper thigh if you are a woman. These are both great because you can wear a dress or long sleeve shirt to cover up your cheat sheet when you aren't using it. It's important to not make it obvious that there is writing on your body. Put the words in a place that faces you only.
• Try the "Water Bottle Cheat-Sheet" method. Print out the cheat sheet on a colored piece of paper that matches that label of your water bottle. Paste it on the label and turn it so that it only faces you. Ideally, you want to mimic the writing on the label to avoid suspicion. [1] X Research source
• Try the "Binder Cheat-Sheet" method. If you have a binder that has a clear slot in the front, slide your cheat sheet into there. Move your binder from under your desk to the side of your desk to peek at your cheat sheet. Try to minimize the number of slides, especially if you don't have carpet in your classroom.
• Try the "Calculator Cheat-Sheet" method. This is common for people who are taking math tests because that's the only reasonable time to have a calculator without being suspicious. Slide formulas or information terms between the back of the calculator and the calculator's cover.
• Another Calculator Method to try: If you have a graphing calculator, save the math formulas into your calculator. Then, put the information into an archive, so you will still be able to get to it if your teacher makes you clear the RAM. Unarchive the information during the test. Clear the memory after the test. This also works if it's the school's calculator because no teacher or student is going to look in the archive. If you don't know how to archive things on a calculator, look it up. [2] X Research source
• Try the "Stashed Cheat-Sheet" method. Hide a cheat-sheet in a separate place altogether to avoid it getting connected back to you. This includes on a bulletin board in the classroom, in a bathroom stall, or on someone's chair.
• Wear a long-sleeved shirt and hide your cheat sheets under the sleeves. It is a very good method because your teacher won't look under your sleeves. And when your teacher isn't looking, you can easily take out a cheat sheet, and it's easy to put it back.

Implementing Partner-Cheating Methods

• Establish hand or foot tapping signals for A, B, C, D, E, and "wrong answer." By creating a signal for "wrong answer" you are going to improve the likelihood of you both doing well on the test by helping each other eliminate wrong answers. Also create a vocal noise for getting their attention that isn't suspicious (like a cough, or foot tap).
• Start by coughing to get their attention.
• Use your fingers to give the number of the question (flash 3 than a 2 to with your hand signal question "32").
• Wait for them to signal their answer (pulling their ear for "B").
• If you need help deciding between 2 answers: cough, give the question number, and signal for the answer you suspect it might be.
• They can nod their head if it's correct. if it's the wrong answer they can send the "wrong answer" signal (put up your hair in a ponytail).

Using Hard-to-Prove Methods

• Claim to be sick, go to the bathroom towards the end of the exam until it's over. Or pace yourself slowly. Be sure that your professor will let you come back before using this method as you could actually do worse if they don’t let you finish.

• Keep in mind that some classrooms have cameras. Avoid this if the one you are in does have a camera because if that is the case, it’s much riskier.

• If your exam paper is a question/answer type then remember to add one important point as the question and the other as the answer. You also have to include the page number and marks per question (if included).
• The next thing to do is a staple this piece of paper with the original question paper during the test without anyone noticing.

Implementing Studying Methods

• For essays , try to remember keywords and points. Usually, professors or teachers look for keywords or important points; the essay's formal "fluff" is less important. If you know the topic or possible topics of an essay question, cram four to five terms or important points you know your professor will be looking for instead of studying everything, thereby reducing the effort required. The same is true for short answers that require one or two sentences with keywords and points.
• For true-or-false exams, try studying the facts enough to pinpoint the details. Typically, there are more true statements on a test than false statements. If you find a statement where you have to change part of it to make it true, it's false.
• For multiple-choice exams , try "chunking" information you know will be on the test. Instead of memorizing a list of words, try breaking it into easier to remember smaller lists. [4] X Research source For example, if studying for a history test , instead of remembering "Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin, Washington, Grant, Lincoln, and Lee" break it up into the "4 of the founding fathers: Franklin, Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton" and the "3 civil war leaders: Lee, Lincoln, Grant." By memorizing the number of men to a specific topic, it'll be easier to narrow down who you are missing.
• For math exams , try to memorize formulas. Knowing a formula can be more powerful than spending hours doing practice problems. If you can write down a formula enough to memorize it, then you can spend the test trying to apply those to the problems.

Community Q&A

Tips from our Readers

• Try getting to class early and then write everything from the cheat sheet directly onto the desk with a pencil. At the end of the test, you can use your hand to wipe away the evidence.
• You can also try writing your answer on your arm and wearing a long sleeve shirt. Whenever you need to look, pull your sleeve down quickly and you have your answer!
• If you're someone who tends to sit cross-legged in class, you can slip a small page of notes in your shoe or boot.
• In some countries, certain methods of cheating on certain important tests is illegal and could entail jail time. [5] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Other students may suspect you cheating and inform your teacher. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• If this is a shared computer, you might consider deleting the browser history so you won't get caught by your parents. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• There is always a possibility of getting caught. If you are found to be cheating, you could receive heavy penalties, such as getting an automatic zero on the test, suspension, or even expulsion. Many schools will even mark on your transcript indicating you violated the honor code. Instead of searching for how to cheat on a test, try finding tips on studying for exams. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• In some countries e.g., those mentioned above, you must not possess any unauthorized material, or electronic equipment e.g., mobile phones in an exam room if you are taking an external exam, such as those detailed above, as this is a serious disciplinary offense. This applies even if you do not intend to use it.
• In many professions, you will need the knowledge you gain by studying instead of cheating. Remember, there is no cheating in the operating room when you're the surgeon operating on the patient or when you're in space as an astronaut flying far from Earth. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't brag about it. This may seem obvious, but it is something people do. You don't know who could tell the teacher. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Always be aware of where the teacher is looking; no method of cheating is successful if the teacher is looking right at you while you hold the notes in your hand and are frantically copying them onto the test. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you are copying off the person next to you lean over and rest on your arm while tilting your head to the side to make sure it isn't obvious. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you had to cheat because you had no time, remember that it is still worth learning the content after the test. You may have cumulative tests afterward and some of these things could really help you in the future. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Partnering is always better than cheat sheets and the hard-to-prove methods are even better. Overall, the less evidence there is - the better it is for you. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you are allowed to chew gum, write the answers in a gum wrapper, then get out a piece of gum. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• It is never a good idea to do this, because you may feel guilty afterward and get the urge to confess what you did, which most likely will land you in trouble. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Even if you do manage to cheat without getting caught while suffering the stress of doing so, it is very unlikely that the few extra marks you gain will make much difference to the score. And you risk disqualification, expulsion, or being banned. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-cheat-in-college
• ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/11/10-crazy-and-inventive-ways-students-have-cheated-in-exams/
• ↑ http://www.creativeteachingsite.com/how-to-cheat-on-a-test.html
• ↑ http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/thinking/chunking/chunking-as-a-learning-strategy/
• ↑ http://time.com/4360968/china-gaokao-examination-university-entrance-cheating-jail-prison/

About This Article

To cheat on a test, try sitting diagonally behind someone who will do well on the topic, which will let you look over their shoulder and see their answers. If you know someone who’s willing to help you, use signs to communicate the right answers during the test, such as signing the shape of a letter for a multiple choice test. You could also try buying the instructor’s edition of your textbook online, since it contains example questions that may be used in the test. If you know that your professor will let you come back later to finish the test, make up an excuse, such as that you’re feeling unwell. Then, memorize the topics in the test so you can check the answers before you come back to finish the test. For tips on how to create a cheat sheet, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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What is cheating?

How to cheat in an exam, what are the consequences of cheating in schools.

Cheating definition: 

Cheating is the act of obtaining advantages or rewards without following the rules that apply to others. Examples include cheating in a board game or in a test at school.

What causes cheating?

• The problem is related to the issue of merit and rising competition. Students have to fight for the best possible grades in order to get into the most valued courses at university. Cheating in an exam is seen as an easy solution.
• This spirit of competition usually translates into the idea that all is fair, that only the result counts. But this idea is challenged by well-known sportsmen and women who are regularly involved in doping cases, even though they are role models for the younger generation . 🚴🏼
• When a child is under family pressure and is not allowed to make mistakes , or there is no room for failure, fraud and cheating may appear to be the only way to live up to expectations.
• Finally, a student may start cheating to join a group of peers or friends who encourage this malpractice, to try and rebel or to challenge the school system. 

But seriously, do you really think I'm going to encourage your child to commit a crime? Certainly not. 

• We all know the trick of the scientific calculator on which it is possible to record formulas or even definitions (but this does not work in French  or English lessons!)
• A cheat sheet can be written behind the label on the water bottle or hidden in the bottom of a pencil case
• The mobile phone wallpaper acts as a notepad, which we pretend to use to look at the time 👀

All these tricks are well known classics that sometimes work during an assessment but are incredibly risky, and evidence of malpractice and cheating in exams.

Online tools

During school isolation periods in the past few years, even the most serious students enjoyed the thrill of cheating on online exams, which were much more difficult to monitor by teachers and schools. 

This may have been collaborative fraud via chat groups with classmates on platforms such as Snapchat or WhatsApp. Others even paid more advanced candidates to take the exams for them. Or, more simply, they took their tests online with a second computer open on the Google homepage.

But keep in mind that whether online or face-to-face, the cheating student still faces the same risk of punishment! 👮

Cases of cheating in class 

If a student hasn’t managed to revise , wants to cheat and is caught in class, it can seriously damage his or her results, as well as reputation or even place at the school. They could get a zero on their assessment, contact home or even detentions and exclusion from the school. 

Parents and guardians even make an agreement with the school before their child starts to never cheat or be involved in any malpractice, which schools are serious about throughout their time there. 

What are the penalties for exam fraud?

National qualifications such as GCSEs , A-Levels and exams at university are all official exams recognised by the government. If an exam invigilator catches your child cheating in the examination room, a verbal and written report will be drawn up and an investigation will begin.

Depending on the seriousness of the situation and the exam board or school, cheating at the exam can lead to different types of sanctions:

• Reprimand. This is a disciplinary sanction, a call to order without too serious consequences, usually reserved for internal school exams only (not National qualifications where consequences are more serious)
• Removal from the course or overall diploma, sometimes resulting in having to restart completely
• Immediate contact to the exams regulation authority, JCQ , who monitor most exam boards like AQA or Edexcel 
• No awarded mark, grade, GCSE, A-Level or points for the course at university in that subject (usually named an ‘Ungraded’ or U)
• Sometimes a ban on taking any National exams for a number of years
• Sometimes, but infrequently, a ban on enrolling into a higher education institution for 5 years

Exam malpractice is rising; in 2019 Ofqual reported an 11% rise in malpractice reports, and this includes teachers and schools helping students to cheat!

Can you pass your driving test if you cheat at your exam? 

I've always heard that a student who is caught cheating on the exam is then likely to be barred from taking any other official exam, including the assessment to get their UK driving licence. 🚗

Today, I can officially tell you that this is an urban legend. As the driving licence is not linked with our education certification system, it is not affected by the sanctions. But, cheating in an exam (and getting caught) can change your mindset to all other exams you go on to sit for the worse. 

But rather than having to ask yourself this question, the best thing to do is to book some lessons online with our tutors. They will help your child to prepare well for challenging exams like GCSEs, without the need to cheat! 

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