11 - Cheating on Tests: Prevalence, Detection, and Implications for Online Testing

Abstract

This chapter discusses the detection and prevention of cheating on tests. Studies dating back to the 1960s indicate that cheating on tests is fairly common, being admitted to by some 15–45 % of college students surveyed. As numerous forms of cheating on tests have been documented, numerous observers have noted that the problem of cheating on tests is addressed far less commonly than it occurs. This is unfortunate because the existence of statistical methods for detecting copying appears to be little known among instructors using multiple choice tests and examinations. It is found that students adapt to unproctored online testing over time by collaborating. While various forms of collaboration in online tests are used, the easiest and the most common way is for students to take the test together. In addition, it is helpful to employ a variety of indices available for monitoring answer concordance in tests. Time-based correlations, such as plots of unusual answer similarity versus an index of unusual temporal similarity, may be useful in detecting collaboration in online testing and can potentially detect collaboration when students have few incorrect responses.