From Cheating 2.0 to Security 3.0

  By Dave Meissner —

Migrating from Cheating 2.0 to Security 3.0

A Boston Globe article last year reported that among 200,000 test attempts, there were 1,000 confirmed incidences of cheating. The article made quite a big deal about the number, blowing the reality way out of proportion. In fact, this is a rate of only 0.5 percent. This same story could have reported the findings differently by saying that 99.5 percent of tests are valid and reliable measures of individual skills and abilities.

Despite IT advances that could help candidates cheat on standardized certification exams, testing security has only grown stronger as technology progresses, due in part to the rise of large-scale test administrators and the CBT model. Digital video recording systems, biometrics and dynamic exams all work together to ensure that while cheaters may be using cheating 2.0, test centers are already using security 3.0. In doing so, the very certifications that employees pursue to maintain marketability challenge them to demonstrate ethical behavior as well as knowledge and skill sets. 

You may think: Who cares if people cheat on exams? Aren’t they only hurting themselves? Well, consider this: Would you want someone who cheated on his or her nursing exam standing over your child in an operating room? How about someone who didn’t really understand accounting fudging your taxes? Or someone who smuggled cheat sheets into a test about construction safety codes building the house your life savings is going into? Would you be willing to risk it? Didn’t think so. 

David Meissner is vice president of solution services at Prometric, a leading provider of comprehensive testing and assessment services. He can be reached at editor@certmag.com.