by Rin Yeo
Exams are over, and it’s time for the holidays! Didn’t it just seem like yesterday that you took your papers? Well, whatever your results may be, be thankful that at least you didn’t have to go through anti-cheating precautions during your exams such as these!
Rampant cheating in Thailand’s University exams had often caused the invigilators to frown as there’s no way they could catch the culprits red-handed, as any movement of the student’s head to the left or right could be disputed as just exercising their neck. Thus, to counter the straying eyes, students were made to wear “anti-cheating helmets”, which ranged from being boxes, to papers clipped to the side of their heads! This prevented them from looking left or right, as their sight would only be limited to what’s in front of them. However, while this seemed to have work for a few years, apparently it might not be foolproof.
Which bring us to the next precaution that they have devised – Introducing the circular MCQ paper!
Any student hoping to cheat by copying someone’s work would have to have really good eyesight to determine the corresponding answer to the question number, because quite honestly, it’s hard to tell where 1 starts from at a distance. Prolong staring would therefore be the clearest indication that one is cheating, and hence we have to congratulate whoever who came up with this circular MCQ really!
As absurd as these two above methods from Thailand may sound, some countries do view cheating very seriously, such as China and South Korea, where university seats are limited and nationwide examinations are serious business, which results in not only metal detectors being deployed to check the students, but also security cameras and flying drones. We can’t blame them either, as students have had tried to modify even their spectacles with wireless radio transmitter all in the hope of getting some extra outside help should they manage to go undetected!
Whatever the case might be, we hope you enjoy your holidays, as you prepare for the new school year ahead. Perhaps too, count your blessings that you don’t have to come face to face to any of the above methods too, ever.
