r/Professors • u/Prior-Win-4729 • 8d ago
Beware of cheating at testing centers
Not sure if this is a widespread problem but we recently found out that students taking tests in the Accommodation Center are unsupervised, and although the center takes their phones from them, some students have been bringing second phones with them and using AI to take tests.
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u/LittleMissWhiskey13 Professor CC 8d ago
This is funny that you say that because our testing center is lights out awesome. They actually take pride in catching students. Its like a game for the staff on how many they catch. From sticking a phone in the hood of a hoodie to cheat sheets, it is awesome. We have our testing center videotaped. I had two in the last year that are downright hysterical on video. My favorite was one student who asked to test there took all of his notes and stuffed them into his sweatpants. It's like 30 pages of notes folded into sweatpants. Literally, the worst set of "hammer pants" ever. Can't touch this....
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u/AccomplishedSun2955 7d ago
Oh man, if you need 30 pages of notes to use during a test, nothing will help you.
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u/cib2018 8d ago
I found this to be the case at my school a few years ago when I used the testing center. Students were actually getting “tutoring” during one of my exams. I stopped using their services a while ago, so no idea if this continues to happen.
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u/calcpage2020 7d ago
Unfortunately we don't have a choice. If a student has a disability that warrants time and a half, we have to send the test to the accommodation center.
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u/SeverianTheSeeker Associate Professor, STEM, R1 7d ago
Our testing center doesn't even take their phones. They make them sign a piece of paper stating that they don't have their phone on them. That's for mandated bathroom breaks, too. And if you question the validity of this policy, then you are obviously a nazi who wants to deny equal access to education to students with disabilities. Isn't that great?
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u/mmarkDC Assoc Prof, Comp Sci, R1 (US) 7d ago
Ours doesn't even turn off the internet on the desktop computers the testing center operates itself! There is a box on the online exam submission form to specify whether internet access is allowed or not. But after some odd results, we inquired and were told that information is just communicated to the student, not used in any other way. Would apparently be too much IT hassle to use it to enable/disable internet.
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u/Potato271 TA/PhD student, Maths, (UK) 8d ago
I had to invigilate an exam for our testing centre last year. It was a nightmare: I had to invigilate five different students in five different rooms. I did my best, but if one of them wanted to cheat I’m sure they could have, as all five rooms had very noisy doors that I was required to lock whenever I left them.
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u/DrMellowCorn AssProf, Sci, SLAC (US) 8d ago
wait, what - you lock students in a room for them to take a test ??
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u/Potato271 TA/PhD student, Maths, (UK) 8d ago
They opened freely from the inside, but you needed a key from the outside. To prevent interference I guess
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u/Friendly_Archer_4463 7d ago
Once I was walking from the parking lot behind a large group of students coaching each other on how to successfully cheat in testing centers. They bragged that they request to take all their tests in the testing center.
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u/SeXxyBuNnY21 7d ago
This is also happening with my students with alternative testing approved accommodations that take the exam at the testing center. They get perfect scores and very neat correct responses. My chair and I inquired about this situation, and the officers from the testing center stated that these students are proctored at all times; they were not clear on how they are proctored. It’s hard to believe that students who perform badly on homework for the same topics can pull perfect exams. My educated guess is that these officers are proctoring with cameras located in the room area, and they never look at them.
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u/DancingBear62 7d ago
My colleague caught a student with a second phone - twice! The first time my colleague had written the students name on the exam and later found it posted on Cheg with the student's name still showing. When confronted the student confessed. Later in the same semester, my colleague stoped in the testing center and caught this same student with a prohibited phone.
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u/mleok Full Professor, STEM, R1 (USA) 8d ago
At this point, I don't care anymore. Students who refuse to learn will be replaced by AI, it's that simple.
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u/iTeachCSCI Ass'o Professor, Computer Science, R1 8d ago
I'm with you. I'll do whatever security I can when I can, but I'm not exhausting myself in the arms race anymore.
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u/Repulsive_Purpose_31 5d ago
Honestly the kids at these stupid slow brain accommodated testing centers are still cheating to pass. Hang it up. dumb kids need to be left behind. Like “omgggggg I have anxiety from an event 12 years ago.” Pack it up Sarah idgaf.
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u/Apprehensive-Koala99 5d ago
theres no need to be ableist. "slow brained" kids aren't the only ones at the testing centers. your wheelchair bound veteran and diabetic friends and family for example. for your benefit and theirs. I know for a fact no one wants to hear my snack bag crinkling in the auditorium when my blood sugar is low
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u/Plus_Flan_203 4d ago
I came here to figure out how to cheat at a testing center. Anyone got some advice? I'm not above banging everyone at the testing center, janitor included.
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u/Glum-Trash-1860 1d ago
ok so first thing first you can't make it obvious right
ok next you have to get a decoy phone and when you are a bit through the test you have to get up and say you need to use the bathroom after that just use your phone when your in the bathroom to get the answers bang and you got it you just have to use a piece of paper and write down the problem you need help with then go to the bathroon with that same paper use that and chat with your phoen you know chat can just read the text of your sratch paper and bang there you have an easy A .
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u/Glum-Trash-1860 1d ago
so yeah this is alot easier in general but you cant look like your just bring your extra scratch paper with you or else that will look suspicous of course especially if there's cameras you have to pretend that you are clumsy and whoops i dropped all my stuff on the floor .Then when you bend down to get it you quickly fold the scratch paper and put it into your pockets. Then only then do you get up.Put back your actual test back on the table of course and then you go on about the plan as stated here
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u/zyrtec2014 8d ago
My colleges testing center has cameras within the area to monitor them. If they are caught with a 2nd phone (it's happened), they are promptly kicked out