# Almost 100% Foolproof way to Cheat in Exams? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894 "2015-11-29T00:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/1 "2015-11-29T00:21:01Z")
Every once in a while, a student will feel the urge to cheat in a written exam because s/he did not study hard enough. Imagine this: the day before the exam, you have no time to cram everything in. Therefore, you print out a cheat sheet, and tuck this into your underwear. During the exam, you look at all the questions and see which ones you can’t remember. Then you go to the toilet, JUST ONCE, and inside the cubicle you take out your cheat sheet and look at the relevant portions. How would the examiners ever catch such a cheater? Perhaps multiple people have survived their exams like this? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/2 "2015-11-29T00:25:24Z")
Ironically I knew someone who got caught doing just this. So, no it’s not foolproof. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/3 "2015-11-29T00:26:41Z")
If we’re not supposed to help you with your homework, I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to help you cheat, either. ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/4 "2015-11-29T00:31:15Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If we’re not supposed to help you with your homework, I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to help you cheat, either. Who says I’m going to cheat? 😉 I’m not even taking an exam anytime soon. Sometimes, your mind wanders and you wanna hear others’ opinions. This is a real problem. Examiners also want a solution to this problem. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/5 "2015-11-29T00:32:11Z")
Except maybe the instructor doesn’t let you go to the toilet during an exam. Ever. Now you’re screwed. better start studying! ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/6 "2015-11-29T00:32:53Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Ironically I knew someone who got caught doing just this. > > So, no it’s not foolproof. How did s/he get caught? Cheat sheet fell out of the pants? ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/7 "2015-11-29T00:34:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Except maybe the instructor doesn’t let you go to the toilet during an exam. Ever. Now you’re screwed. better start studying! Haha that’s impossible. Then you’d soil your pants. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/8 "2015-11-29T00:37:39Z")
I knew a girl in college who used a similar ploy. She wrote her cheat sheet on her thigh, just above the knee. If she saw the monitor come walking around, she would, with a show of indignation, pull her skirt hem down over her notes. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/9 "2015-11-29T00:39:51Z")
Best way to combat - make the test extra hard and open book / notes I had many testes which were open computers (Electrical Engineering - we had to do SPICE runs and such) Brian ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/10 "2015-11-29T00:43:34Z")
> [@hakunamatatee](#): > > How did s/he get caught? Cheat sheet fell out of the pants? They went to the bathroom and the instructor was suspicious. Thats all it took. Of course back then the rules of evidence were probably a bit more loosey goosey. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/11 "2015-11-29T00:43:43Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I had many testes Like more than 2? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/12 "2015-11-29T00:46:16Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > She wrote her cheat sheet on her thigh, just above the knee. If she saw the monitor come walking around, she would, with a show of indignation, pull her skirt hem down over her notes. But now examiners have an excuse to look up skirts 😛 > [@N9IWP](#): > > Best way to combat - make the test extra hard and open book / notes I guess that’s the only way. Maybe that’s why so many tests are open book. ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/13 "2015-11-29T00:47:36Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > They went to the bathroom and the instructor was suspicious. > > Thats all it took. > > Of course back then the rules of evidence were probably a bit more loosey goosey. More than one person? Maybe they went multiple times? Still, they need something before they can peek into your undies. :o ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/14 "2015-11-29T00:56:45Z")
The bathroom trick has been around for decades if not longer. That’s assuming the teacher will let you go to the bathroom. I had a prof at university who had a rule that if you left the test room for any reason, then your test was finished. She really took cheating seriously, didn’t give a flying rat’s ass about the honor code, and usually caught someone taking the test for someone else at least once a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/15 "2015-11-29T00:56:56Z")
I had a take-home Calculus final exam once. It was given out just before the winter break and collected just after, so we had a whole week to do it. And it took all week too! The rules were simple: We had to sign a statement promising that we had not received any outside help with the test. But it was entirely open-book. (I found one of the problems, verbatim, solved and worked out in full, in my Calculus book from the previous semester.) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/16 "2015-11-29T00:59:36Z")
Moved from General Questions to IMHO. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/17 "2015-11-29T01:03:12Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > The bathroom trick has been around for decades if not longer. That’s assuming the teacher will let you go to the bathroom. > > I had a prof at university who had a rule that if you left the test room for any reason, then your test was finished. What if you suddenly have diarrhoea in the middle of the exam? ---
**Author:** ![hakunamatatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@hakunamatatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hakunamatatee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/18 "2015-11-29T01:04:39Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I had a take-home Calculus final exam once. It was given out just before the winter break and collected just after, so we had a whole week to do it. And it took all week too! > > The rules were simple: We had to sign a statement promising that we had not received any outside help with the test. But it was entirely open-book. > > (I found one of the problems, verbatim, solved and worked out in full, in my Calculus book from the previous semester.) That sounds more like homework than a test. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/19 "2015-11-29T01:06:26Z")
> [@hakunamatatee](#): > > What if you suddenly have diarrhoea in the middle of the exam? They refund you on your college bookstore spell checker… ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894/20 "2015-11-29T01:20:40Z")
Get with the times, people! Your ring contains a camera and transmitter. You have an implant in your jaw which is a receiver and speaker. Pass your hand over the test and get the answers in minutes from a cohort with google and/or real knowledge. I think I just invented a new business… Remember - you saw it here first! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-100-foolproof-way-to-cheat-in-exams/738894.md?page=2)