Yep. I thought of the same thing long ago.
Truly, the only way to get around any of this is to stop releasing any standardized tests for circulation, period. And totally stop re-using tests.
For the SAT, old tests from PREVIOUS test dates are recycled overseas. From what I read in the news, a test taker in a very early time zone (like New Zealand) calls an accomplice in a later time zone, to report the first question on the SAT. Then it’s known which previous test it is and which answer key to bubble in (they already have the previous tests & answer keys on file).
As far as I know, all PSAT test takers this past Oct were seeing a brand new test.
Yes, I know GMT. I just don’t/didn’t understand the basis for your argument/disagreement, that’s all. It doesn’t really matter, however. Obviously, the current/previous system has been flawed for some time, so in addition to all these new measures, the way the test itself is created, administered, and recycled needs to be overhauled for cheating to be at least reduced in some measure. Otherwise, it will continue.
I believe that at least one of the reading questions from the October psat was posted on the test forum here a week or so before the test, under some heading like “help me with this test question.” And it turned out to be word for word from the PSAT that was administered the next week. So I wouldn’t assume even brand new tests can’t be cheated on.
here is a link to the start of a short discussion about that on the huge psat thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18873064/#Comment_18873064
“can’t be” or “can be,” tammy?
I guess my sentence structure was pretty awkward with a double negative there. But the bottom line is cheating is rampant, and College Board doesn’t seem to be able to prevent it even on brand new, redesigned tests.
The dilemma is that it’s in the interest of too many powerful parties to maintain the overseas cheating.
The CB has a reliable revenue stream of “happy” overseas customers. Dishonest SAT scores give financially strapped colleges a fig leaf to cover a fullpay revenue stream. Rich colleges have nothing to lose since they just outsource overseas candidate vetting to third party organizations that are paid by the candidates. The only losers are the honest overseas students.
Agree with both tammy and GMT on these points.
Me three.
I think people should be cautious when they make generalizations about a “culture”. Most of the time, what we see is certain trend or widely spread phenomenon in a country at a particular point in time. When you define it as part of the culture, you are potentially accusing not only the majority living in the country but also people living in other areas of the world who share the said cultural heritage. As a poster pointed earlier, the westerners used to “openly” and forcibly sell opium to other countries, which was considered “legitimate” by the government and mainstream businesses. Would you go as far as saying that cruelty and selfishness (as evidenced by brazenly making profit at the expense of other people’s life) is part of the western culture? Also, China is a country with 1.4 billion people. Despite the publicity of rampant fraud, is there enough evidence to prove that the majority of the Chinese people are not honest and law abiding?
I don’t think it is just China for academic cheating. My SIL is a professor at a 3rd to 4th tier LAC. She has a number of students from Saudi Arabia and other affluent Arabic countries who seem to cheat and plagiarize regularly. They are a big revenue stream, and there seemed to be a lot of forgiveness when she tried reporting them.
This is also a big part of the problems. Too many colleges which are finally strapped are drooling over the big revenue stream. Also agree with GMT on the post #55. CB could be a part of the marketing/recruiting arm of these colleges, or the collaborator or “business partner” which helps screen their customers/students/paying parents, depending on how we look at this.
They aren’t a revenue stream if they flunk out or get kicked out for cheating.
They are a revenue stream if they don’t get flunked or kicked out despite cheating.
There are plenty of available domestic full pay non cheaters.
Nah, it’s just the mainland chinese that are the issue. I listen to ethnic chinese in other parts of the world complain about them. All over Asia, mainland chinese tourists are universally despised. Ethnic chinese tourists from HK, Singapore, Taiwan, US, other places are welcomed w open arms.
http://app.scmp.com/scmp/mobile/index.html#/article/1251239/desktop
The CollegeBoard just cancelled a LOT of SAT tests in China.
https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-test-center-closings?affiliateId=newsmodule&bannerId=sattestcenterclosings
(Side issue: the CB blithely decided that the make up date for centers closed due to weather would be at the end of February… complicating the life of many applicants, and likely, many, many colleges with 1/1; 1/15, and 2/1 deadlines. Why not decide on the next Saturday?)
Mailing new booklets in a week to places digging out from a snowstorm is probably somewhat unreliable.
The SAT rescheduling date for power outages and the like was 2 weeks out when that happened to us. But, two weeks out–Feb. 6 is an ACT date. Feb. 13 might work, but that weekend is a 4-day holiday weekend for many schools, so there would be a lot of vacation conflicts for students and proctors.
CB needs to stop using recycled tests and move testing to secure centers on US soil that will verify identity.
So… students would have to travel to the US to test?