The rise in COVID-19 cases has accelerated this trend. Exam centres and health centers are also closing. The university's reputation as a learning center is directly related to how many applicants are competing for admission. Universities and organizations often consider ways to prevent applicants from cheating when they conduct high-scoring online exams, especially if they are trying to take the exam from a remote location.
It is not difficult to believe that cheating on online invigilated exams is one of the most popular internet searches in the education sector. Online exam fraud is on the rise. Students will continue to invent new ways of beating proctoring technology.
This blog lists 10 ways students can cheat online exams. We also evaluate smart technologies that could help to prevent this from happening.
- Screen Sharing / Reflection
Candidates can use multiple monitors to simultaneously approach the exam question of a friend and give answers when taking it from faraway locations. Screen sharing is a common method of cheating in exams.
- Use High Tech Equipment
Many students will find ways to cheat an online exam that involves cameras. Recent reports have highlighted companies that conduct high-tech online exams like CAT, MAT, and other competitive exams. Test-takers use smaller, virtually undetectable Bluetooth devices.
Calculators that store formulas or other data can be used by candidates to increase their marks on exams. To address concerns about cheating in online exams, test takers have agreed that they will use high-tech devices. They said that some students cheat online by using traditional methods like handwriting notes or writing on their palms and bodies.
- Mobile phones
Fraudulent use of smartphones in online exams is on the rise. The connected devices allow candidates to store answers and share them with other test-takers.
- Auto Coding Software
Auto coding software is often used by candidates to pass exams during school/university exams and during recruitment programming tests. These software can create these programs without the candidate having to write any code.
- Navigation offers
Students used their internet access and social media to commit fraud during online exams. They log in to untrusted websites and paste questions into URLs to find the best way to steal the solution.
- Impersonation
It is not uncommon to take the test for someone else. This trick is also a well-known one. Online exams make it very easy for candidates to pretend to be someone else to take the exams. You don't need to use fraudulent methods or devices. Ask a highly-achieving student to take your test. For years, many testers have used impersonators to take down so-called "high-integrity" tests.
- External Devices
Fraud masterminds use external smart devices such as hard drives, USBs and microSDs to conceal their identities and make it difficult to spot. Students insert the cards before or after the exam to create a duplicate of online exams that they can share online or sell to other students.
- Their family and friends are in the room
Cheating on multiple-choice quizzes or online tests is easy. This can be done by helping a friend or family member get closer to the people taking the test. These assistants can be parked behind the screen or away from the camera.
They may write the answer in a block chain, or whisper softly. These students are often uncooperative and hide their faces or look around the room when they contact assistants to get the answer.
- Copy-pasting and other keyboard shortcuts
Copying and pasting answers is one of the most common ways to cheat in online exams. Many students can copy and paste answers from notepads or documents. These will be saved in separate windows before the test starts. These are easy ways to fool remote proctoring software that doesn't know what's happening on the screen. IRIS Invigilation software records screen activity, so the student could be caught cheating.
- Exiting the test deliberately
Many students who are interested in cheating online exams try to do so by intentionally excluding themselves from the exam. To quickly find answers to exam questions, they use excuses like a power outage or poor internet connection to get around the system. They log in again to continue their assessment. Some students lie to say they can't access the software, but in reality they are trying to hide their inability to do so.
Related article from EuropeanBusinessReview:
https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/the-easy-way-to-get-the-best-online-exam-help/
Related Resources:
Preparing Online Exams
Preparing for Online Exams
Preparing to Take Online Exams
10 Unique Ways Students Cheat in Online Exams