Cheating Cheats
Dovetailing (and I have no idea where that expression came from) on my last blog regarding the lack of conscience in society today, I would like to discuss the obvious prevalence of "cheating" in our society today. Last week I took a test as a supplemental part of completing my teacher's State Certification. When I arrived at the testing facility, I was basically frisked to make sure that I had no wires, electronic devices, writings on my body, or electronic implants in my glasses, in my sponge earplugs, or in my pencils. All personal items were deposited in an individual locker which I was not allowed to visit until the completion of the exam. I was not allowed to wear a sweater over my turtleneck in the testing room, in case I had hidden answers in the weave. Needless to say, though it was a five hour test, one could have no water bottles in case there was coded language on the label or underneath the lid. Since I have to change reading glasses as the testing progresses, I had three pairs in a plastic sandwich bag that I had intended to take into the test with me. No! no! no! I went through a 30 minute debate regarding the plastic see through baggie, which could possibly have invisible ink answers written on it. The only reason I had put the glasses in the baggie was to prevent my fingerprints smudging the lenses and making them blurry. Why? Because you are not allowed to have a Kleenex or handkerchief in the test room.
My earplugs were them examined by two different people and pictures taken, before I could position the multi-touched pieces of sponge in my ear canals. Then, if I happened to need to go to the bathroom during the test, I had to be escorted from my seat at the computer, sign out with I.D., and accompanied to the restroom to make sure I was not cheating. Then when we returned, I had to re-sign my name to prove the same person was returning to continue with the test and have my picture taken. There were cameras everywhere and the monitoring was super intense. No one is allowed to use their own pencils anymore, due to previous problems.
Now, I believe in taking sensible precautions against test cheating, but what this tells me is that there are so many people attempting to cheat today, that this type security is absolutely necessary. When talking to the test administrators and monitors, it became clear that people from all walks of life were attempting to cheat any way they could in order to increase their scores. The test center administers all sorts of tests -- CPA exams, physical therapist certification exams, Series 7 exams, Certified Financial Planners, and other State licensing and certification testings. The staff showed me a list (so they know what to be on the lookout for) of all the ways some of these educated folks have attempted to cheat. It was mind boggling, yet intriguing.
All I could think about was the amount of time and energy that went into devising these intricate and clever cheating maneuvers. If they were smart enough to figure out how to cheat so well, weren't they smart enough to put the same time and energy into studying for the test and passing on their own merit? What is the reward from cheating except that one has gotten away with it? The person may leave the test with a passing Certification, but don't they ever wonder if they ever met the criteria for functioning in that capacity? Once again, it has become obvious by these testing environments that the administrators are now expecting everyone to be a cheater. Does the end justify the means today? Seems so!
My earplugs were them examined by two different people and pictures taken, before I could position the multi-touched pieces of sponge in my ear canals. Then, if I happened to need to go to the bathroom during the test, I had to be escorted from my seat at the computer, sign out with I.D., and accompanied to the restroom to make sure I was not cheating. Then when we returned, I had to re-sign my name to prove the same person was returning to continue with the test and have my picture taken. There were cameras everywhere and the monitoring was super intense. No one is allowed to use their own pencils anymore, due to previous problems.
Now, I believe in taking sensible precautions against test cheating, but what this tells me is that there are so many people attempting to cheat today, that this type security is absolutely necessary. When talking to the test administrators and monitors, it became clear that people from all walks of life were attempting to cheat any way they could in order to increase their scores. The test center administers all sorts of tests -- CPA exams, physical therapist certification exams, Series 7 exams, Certified Financial Planners, and other State licensing and certification testings. The staff showed me a list (so they know what to be on the lookout for) of all the ways some of these educated folks have attempted to cheat. It was mind boggling, yet intriguing.
All I could think about was the amount of time and energy that went into devising these intricate and clever cheating maneuvers. If they were smart enough to figure out how to cheat so well, weren't they smart enough to put the same time and energy into studying for the test and passing on their own merit? What is the reward from cheating except that one has gotten away with it? The person may leave the test with a passing Certification, but don't they ever wonder if they ever met the criteria for functioning in that capacity? Once again, it has become obvious by these testing environments that the administrators are now expecting everyone to be a cheater. Does the end justify the means today? Seems so!
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