How Students Try To Bamboozle Online Proctors

The use of "cheat sheets" is the most common way students try to cheat on their online tests. The second most common tactic is to use Google Search and Translate, followed by copying test questions for distribution, hiding flashcards underneath the keyboard and hanging answers on walls.

That's what online proctor Examity found when it analyzed 62,534 final exams taken online and scrutinized the six percent of those tests in which students tried to violate the rules. The company performs online proctoring for the University of Cincinnati, U Arizona and Temple U's School of Business, among many other institutions.

The proctoring process uses a student's own webcam and microphone to keep an eye on what's occurring as the student takes a test. Proctors watch test-takers and look for possible violations as they're monitoring students, a process that's recorded. When something occurs, they make comments and issue flags to inform instructors, who can review the video after the test has been given. Yellow flags are issued when the proctor observes a minor violation; red flags are issued when the student shows "clear cheating behavior."

In the case of somebody hanging answers on the wall, for example, the Examity proctor checks the room prior to the test and then watches for eye/head movement during the exam to determine if the student is looking for possible answers posted on the walls.

While the company insists that the "vast majority of students" are honest in their test-taking, it acknowledges that some get a little extreme in their tactics. Examity discovered in one case that a mom had tucked herself under the desk of the test-taker to communicate answers. In another situation, somebody was positioned just outside the room and coughing answers in Morse code. One test-taker hid a cheat sheet in her baby's bassinet. Another faked a coughing fit to remove a cheat sheet tucked into the back of his throat. And one student hired a professional "ringer" to take the exam.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop with digital productivity and calendar symbols

    September 2025 Tech Tactics in Education Conference Agenda Announced

    Registration is free for this fully virtual Sept. 25 event, focused on "Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation" in K-12 and higher education.

  • server racks, a human head with a microchip, data pipes, cloud storage, and analytical symbols

    OpenAI, Oracle Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    OpenAI and Oracle have announced they will develop an additional 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity, expanding their artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership as part of the Stargate Project, a joint venture among OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan's SoftBank Group that aims to deploy 10 gigawatts of computing capacity over four years.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    OpenAI Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.