Deter TOEIC Cheating with Severe Penalties

このページを日本語で読む

Flagrant cheating on the TOEIC English proficiency test has become a major problem recently. A Chinese graduate student was recently arrested for hiding a small microphone inside a surgical mask he was wearing during the exam. He is believed to have been telling his friends the answers to exam questions.

That incident prompted an investigation by the TOEIC administration, which revealed that approximately 800 test takers had been involved in the massive fraud over a two-year period. Organized fraud on the part of Chinese nationals living in Japan is suspected.

The details of this scandal need to be clarified, and comprehensive measures implemented, to prevent any recurrence.

This May, a Chinese male graduate student at Kyoto University was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of trespassing. He had entered a TOEIC exam venue using an assumed identity. The man was later indicted on charges of forging a private document bearing a personal seal and then using it.

Catching the Cheaters

TOEIC administrators had noticed a problem and consulted the police. Reportedly, they told the police, "There are test takers taking the test who are using the same photo but with different names."

The man in question is believed to have repeatedly taken the exam and informed others of the answers to test questions. Earphones the size of a grain of rice, and other cheating assistance devices, were seized from other fraudulent test takers.

Up to now, TOEIC venues have been assigned according to the address of each individual taking the test. Taking advantage of this feature, fraudulent test takers applied using the same addresses as the arrested man.

An investigation by the Institute for International Business Communication, the organization which administers the TOEIC test, found that a total of 803 test takers were suspected of being involved in fraud between May 2023 and June 2025. The IIBC subsequently notified them that their test results would be invalidated and that they would be stripped of their eligibility to take the test for five years. IIBC is also reviewing the assignment of exam venues and other aspects of the examination process.

'Rewards' for Promoting Cheating

What cannot be overlooked is that, among other things, the indicted man told police that he had received a message in Chinese saying, "If you pass the exam, I will reward you." It would appear that he applied for a job with an "exam fraud business" through the so-called illegal part-time job route.

High TOEIC scores are given considerable weight when an individual is applying for higher education or employment opportunities. Rampant organized fraud will destroy trust in the exams for all who take them.

Police also seized a pendant-style repeater and miniature earphones from a female test-taker. The items were photographed during her questioning at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters on July 22. (©Sankei by Saki Maejima)

There are many posts on Chinese social media from operators who claim they can provide "substitutes" or "cheaters" within Japan. Furthermore, the problem is not TOEIC-specific. As has been pointed out, administration of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has also sometimes been lax, including test-taker confirmation and exam monitoring.

Countermeasures to deal with fraud in the TOEIC are urgently needed. Just as urgently, they are also needed for JLPT and other certification exams and practical ability tests.

In the digital age, exam cheating methods are becoming more sophisticated. They include the use of cutting-edge electronic devices. Japan needs to make it known that severe penalties will be imposed on anyone caught cheating on an exam, including criminal charges.

Would-be cheaters must realize that it's just not worth it.