Episodes of cheating that you have known and loved

[HadEnuff]

When I was in high school, sophomore year I think, (whatever year we studied World History in those days), the teacher had us sit in assigned seats for all tests, and he'd move all of the desks away from each other, as far as he could given the limitation of the size of the room.

For the final exam I found myself right in front of him, with my desk touching his desk. I liked history, and didn't need to cheat, but if I'd needed to, when I looked up I was staring right at the test key he had out so he could grade the tests as we finished them.

 

[Beststash]

You may consider it "helping". But you submitted work that was not your own. Everybody in academia would consider it cheating. At least be honest with yourself about what you were doing.

I wouldn't have posted this in the "cheating" topic if I didn't know it was cheating. For me it was definitely a big help. I got the MBA mostly because I enjoyed going to school but I bit off a little more than I could chew for a couple of semesters when I was having to do a lot of travel.

 

[JoeWras]

For the final exam I found myself right in front of him, with my desk touching his desk. I liked history, and didn't need to cheat, but if I'd needed to, when I looked up I was staring right at the test key he had out so he could grade the tests as we finished them.

Reminds me a bit of my language class in high school. Our poor teacher was not too good, and he was too trusting. The star student took advantage of him. The star student sat right next to a bulletin board. This guy had the audacity to post a list of vocabulary on the bulletin board! It blended in with the other stuff. So, he'd sit there and refer to the vocabulary -- during a vocabulary test.

I shamefully admit I sat across him one time and took a glance or two.

After he did this a few times, the teacher was just lazily walking through class during a test. He came up to the board and stared. Suddenly, his eyes grew giant and he yelped and asked who did it. Surprisingly, our star student gave some excuse right there: something about helping everyone for the week's vocabulary. Star student just got a wrist slap, but he nearly peed his pants and didn't pull another stunt like that again. He still got A's. Didn't need to cheat.

 

[EarlyBirdly]

"So … anyone else directly witnessed cheating?"



Witnessed ?


Uh, no.... Never "witnessed".

 

[Stormy Kromer]

In high school shop class we were doing basic welding. The teacher did a sample for an example to study.


At the end of class one of my buddies took the teacher's sample, put his name on it and turned it in as his project.


He got a C.

 

[JoeWras]

In high school shop class we were doing basic welding. The teacher did a sample for an example to study.


At the end of class one of my buddies took the teacher's sample, put his name on it and turned it in as his project.


He got a C.

 

[donheff]

I always did pretty good on tests even though I was ADD (un-diagnosed way back then) and didn't study. But I was unorganized and lazy so one year in community college summer school I paid a buddy who loved to write $20 to do a philosophy essay that was to be submitted near the end of term. My father suggested (to me) that I write a review of some book on "vegetative soul" by Aquinas or somebody. My buddy skimmed it and wrote the essay. At the final exam (which I aced) the teacher stopped me after class to congratulate me on such a well written essay and asked me how I settled on such an arcane topic, one that he was fascinated by. I almost, dropped a brick in my drawers since I barely read the essay. The truth always helps so I told him my father suggested the topic and then expressed my regret that I had to run to another exam but maybe we could talk later.

And, yes, I recognize that was cheating. I also shoplifted a time or two and recognize that was wrong. On the other hand, I stood up a few times for weird kids who others often tormented -- a little balance in life.

 

[Aerides]

In my HS Physics class, I had blown off the 2nd half off the semester, resulting in a B (1q) and D(2q) going into the Final. The way things were weighted in my school, an A on the final would mean a B for the semester.

I sat in the back row with some jock types who were not going to be of help. Wasn't ever something I'd so, and I was the type that could cram and test well. So I crammed for about 40 mins the night before.

I got the A.

My teacher was annoyed, but, smirking, said "I was going to accuse you of cheating, but no one sitting anywhere near you got anything close to your score."

 

[donheff]

In my HS Physics class, I had blown off the 2nd half off the semester, resulting in a B (1q) and D(2q) going into the Final. The way things were weighted in my school, an A on the final would mean a B for the semester.

I sat in the back row with some jock types who were not going to be of help. Wasn't ever something I'd so, and I was the type that could cram and test well. So I crammed for about 40 mins the night before.

I got the A.

My teacher was annoyed, but, smirking, said "I was going to accuse you of cheating, but no one sitting anywhere near you got anything close to your score."

That reminded me of a non-cheating anecdote, also from physics. In junior year of HS I failed physics 1 because of cutting class and not doing the pretty graphs and other homework the teacher demanded. In those years physics 2 was a separate class that didn't build on physics 1 ( so kids in the B class who had started school in the spring semester could start physics in the spring and finish in the fall). In any event, I moved on to physics 2 with the class I had failed. The new teacher decided to give us all a mini-final to see what we had learned in the previous class. I asked if I should take the test since I failed the class and he said, "yes, lets see how much you picked up." You can guess where this is going - I got the highest score in the room.

 

[mountainsoft]

I skipped my senior year of high school to go directly to community college to study electronics. So in my junior year of high school I had to take an Algebra class to qualify. The only class available was a class for sophomores, so I felt really out of place as a junior. I was a total nerd, with no experience with the ladies whatsoever. So when the two cutest girls in glass sat next to me every day and flirted so they could copy my answers, I was more than happy to comply.

 

[Bestwifeever]

When I was in college another girl stole my friend’s final biology research senior paper from her desk in the dorm—pre-computers, of course the only copy. Not to use it as her own work, just to screw my A-student friend, who had worked on it the entire semester. My friend was given an extension and not penalized, the other girl never caught although everyone knew who did it.

 

[Rianne]

Best way to avoid cheating

A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you.

The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

 

[JoeWras]

A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you.

The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

This!

Most of my college tests were like this. It also reflects the real world better.

 

[frayne]

It appears cheating is a skill set developed at an early age and carries through with the person the rest of their lives. I can honestly say I never did it or saw any value to it. Cheaters are like thieves except they are robbing themselves.

 

[MRG]

A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you.

The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

We were allowed to out notes in our S/370 yellow card for tests. I did the same, filling with notes forced the information in.my brain. Never used the information but I did get 100% on every test.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I taught composition for many years, so I ran into plagiarism from time to time.

The most imaginative student took an essay from another source, one with which I was familiar, and went through the essay changing words here and there, using a thesaurus to help him.

I recall reading through the essay thinking it sounded familiar, but I wasn’t quite sure why it was ringing bells. It also just sounded off, somehow.

I finally twigged his method when I ran across the word “necromancy,” in a phrase something like “the necromancy of summer,” which he’d changed from “the spirits of spring.”



Once I broke his “code,” he and I had a talk, and he ended up dropping my class.

I was recently reminded of this incident while watching”Lark Rise to Candleford,” in an episode where a character did the same thing with an Andrew Marvell poem for a poetry contest.

 

[sengsational]

Not cheating, exactly, but I had lot of contacts with people who were ahead of me in my degree programs and I made a big effort to get old tests. At Georgia tech, they called it "word", as in, "have you got word on professor X's physics class?" I always knew the material, but often there was a tricky question or two. I'd study and understand the intricacies then wouldn't get caught out on those. I felt a little guilty if the prof re-used an old test that was exactly the same. Rarely happened, but sometimes I'd get a 4 year pile of old tests. And to add to the guilty, I paid it forward or backward to the students who followed me. But typically, for me, the difference with and without the old tests was no more than upgrade from a B+ to an A.

 

[Philliefan33]

In college, I exchanged free rides home (4 hour drive) for a 3-page paper for someone in "rocks for jocks". It took me less than half a day to research and write the paper, and the guy got probably his only "A" on that paper.

I had a bit of an ulterior motive...that guy and I later ended up dating for about three years.

 

[frayne]

I beg to differ, gaming the system, not cheating exactly is like being a little pregnant. Anyone can rationalize their behavior anyway they like but cheating is cheating and only you know that you didn't complete the tests fairly.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Tough crowd, is all I'm going to say!

 

[SnowBound]

When I was in high school, sophomore year I think, (whatever year we studied World History in those days), the teacher had us sit in assigned seats for all tests, and he'd move all of the desks away from each other, as far as he could given the limitation of the size of the room.

For the final exam I found myself right in front of him, with my desk touching his desk. I liked history, and didn't need to cheat, but if I'd needed to, when I looked up I was staring right at the test key he had out so he could grade the tests as we finished them.

Or he thought very highly of you not to cheat even if you had answers right there!

 

[Scrapr]

I beg to differ, gaming the system, not cheating exactly is like being a little pregnant. Anyone can rationalize their behavior anyway they like but cheating is cheating and only you know that you didn't complete the tests fairly.

I'm going to say the Prof/TA was lazy and repeated questions

We had much the same at our Fraternity. Test files. If there were files on a course I would cover the questions. Same in the CPA prep courses. Besides the material covered there was a ton of previous questions. I covered those extensively

Rocks for Jocks...LOL...that was Space & Stars. Known easy class you could pair with a heavier load term

 

[Lsbcal]

In high school I handed a paper into one class that I had already used for another class. It was cheating but not copying from another. I don't think I have thought of that incident in years. Is there a statute of limitations on this?

I'm sure I will burn in hell for this one.

 

[Texas Proud]

Not cheating, exactly, but I had lot of contacts with people who were ahead of me in my degree programs and I made a big effort to get old tests. At Georgia tech, they called it "word", as in, "have you got word on professor X's physics class?" I always knew the material, but often there was a tricky question or two. I'd study and understand the intricacies then wouldn't get caught out on those. I felt a little guilty if the prof re-used an old test that was exactly the same. Rarely happened, but sometimes I'd get a 4 year pile of old tests. And to add to the guilty, I paid it forward or backward to the students who followed me. But typically, for me, the difference with and without the old tests was no more than upgrade from a B+ to an A.

That is not cheating at all.. but it can come back to bite the person doing it...


I was taking a summer course which is really short... the first day the prof said we would have a test each Fri... and that there were examples of his tests in the library (come to find out a number of profs had them there... I never knew)...



SOOO, first test I get a 93 and I am in the lower half of the class!!! Second test I do better 96 or so IIRC... but still at the mid point... I was thinking that there were a lot of smart people in the class..


Come the third test and I am in the upper 90s on my grade... the only person in the 90s.... nobody was in the 80s.... nobody was in the 70s... a few high 60s and then a bunch much worse than that...



Well, the first two test were exactly the same... all questions the same and in the same order... as you can guess, the third was not... some people noticed and tried to remember what was discussed in class, but not that well... others never did notice and got in the 20s...

 

[Nick12]

Scholarship athletes getting " extra help" in remaining academically eligible so they can still play on the team. What is in the news lately,wealthy parents in bribing and paying huge sums of $$$ to get their kid into prestigious schools to be set up for success.