Cheating on University Entrance Exams with Smart Technology a Challenge Worth Taking Up

Cheating has again surfaced, despite authorities' efforts to prevent it. This time, a male student taking the Waseda University general entrance exam was suspected of illegally leaking exam questions. The exam-taker in question allegedly used smart glasses to capture the exam questions. He then shared them externally and obtained answers. 

This incident adds to a series of similar occurrences involving smartphones and microcameras in earlier university entrance exams. However, despite the recurrent nature of these incidents, fundamental measures to prevent such cheating remain elusive.

Smart Tech Hiding Under Their Coat Sleeves

Instances of cheating also marred the January 2022 Common Test for University Admissions. A female examinee disrupted the exam process by engaging in suspected fraudulent behavior by using a smartphone during the exam. Allegedly, she took pictures of World History B exam questions, sharing the captured images with students from Tokyo University through a private website introducing tutors. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department subsequently pursued legal action against her.

There was a similar incident in the same month during the entrance exam for international students at Hitotsubashi University. A Chinese male student, who passed the exam, was prosecuted for the same offense and subsequently found guilty. The investigation revealed that he had used a microcamera to record math test questions and shared them externally.

While students were allowed to bring smartphones into the examination venue as of 2022, they were instructed to power off their devices and store them in their bags. However, in the following 2023 Common Test, exam supervisors directed students to place their smartphones on their desks before the exam began. This procedural change aimed to ensure proper verification from powering off devices to storing them.

However, the female examinee admitted to her own method of hiding her smartphone in the sleeve of her jacket to capture exam questions. Since ventilation measures included opening windows for COVID-19 prevention, wearing jackets was permitted in the examination venue, with students encouraged to bring them for warmth.

The High Cost of Barriers

After the incident, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology considered using radio wave-blocking devices to combat smartphone-related cheating. However, this proposal was eventually shelved due to the significant expenses involved.

There have been similar cases of electronic cheating in Japan. For example, an incident came to light during Kyoto University's second-stage exam in 2011. That case involved a male preparatory student from Sendai. He used his smartphone to post exam questions on an internet bulletin board and request answers. As a result, the Kyoto Prefectural Police arrested him on suspicion of obstructing business through fraudulent means.

It is also an international issue. Instances of electronic cheating in exams have also raised concerns in South Korea, for example. There was a widespread cheating incident during the 2004 College Scholastic Ability Test, similar to Japan's Common Test. It involved students using mobile phones to communicate with external sources for answers. Subsequently, South Korea implemented a comprehensive ban on bringing electronic devices into exam venues starting in 2005.

Nevertheless, even with regulations on smartphones, various electronic devices like pen-shaped cameras, smart glasses, and other devices can discreetly capture images. Meanwhile, solutions like installing radio wave-blocking devices to deter cheating raise concerns of unintended consequences on surrounding facilities. At the same time, students should think seriously about their future. That means considering their reputational integrity and the damage that they cause themselves by cheating.

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(Read the report in Japanese.)

Author: The Sankei Shimbun