# To cheat or not to cheat? Hmmm...let me consult my notes. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211 "2013-10-25T14:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/21 "2013-10-25T16:50:35Z")
> [@Snerky\_Snerk](#): > > I have a math exam in a few days. We have been advised that we can take in one sheet of A4 paper. That paper can have anything on it - formulas, step by step notes for using the chain rule or the law of sines, a letter from gran, whatever. The only screening is to check that we only have one piece of paper, not the content. > > Now, I’m a little confused by this; to me it feels like cheating. It’s been over 20 years since I was in high school, but I’m fairly sure we never had cheat sheets back then - we actually had to store everything in our heads. I have this exact policy on the final exams in some of the college-level math classes I teach. At the risk of repeating what others have said, this is because the goal of the class is not for the students to cram their heads with information which they can then regurgitate verbatim, but to make sure they know, understand, and can apply the concepts and techniques. Also, that (as **boozilu** noted) the process of creating the “cheat sheet” has educational value. That’s why I insist that it be the student’s own work, not a photocopy or computer printout. On other tests, they’re closed-book and I don’t allow any use of notes. This is because having notes available will sometimes work to the students’ disadvantage, making students think that they don’t need to be prepared, and they can walk in with blank minds and look up everything they need to know in their notes. Also because, sometimes, there are some things that you really do have to _know_, and not just know where to look up. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/22 "2013-10-25T16:55:53Z")
> [@Lunar\_Eclipse](#): > > I had occasional classes in college that allowed this. > > I actually noticed a few benefits to this approach: > > [ul] > [li]You have to decide what to put on the piece of paper, and there might not be room for everything. The process of making this decision was a form of studying.[/li][li]It is real world. If you actually needed to do math at work/in real life you would be able to look up an equation. It’s knowing the equation exists and how to use it that is the takeaway.[/li][/ul] This was my experience also, particularly in organic Chemistry. Like **Lunar Eclipse** says, the important task was knowing which formula or equation to apply and the test was definitely written that way. I really liked the process and I discovered one of my “cheatsheets” in a box with other old papers just the other day. Actually brought back some good memories. I think I need to get out more. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/23 "2013-10-25T16:57:13Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Most of my college courses from the last decade were open book exams. Instructors usually worked it into the test plan by either: > Having you write essay style answers where being able to confirm that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 was a small part of explaining the significance of the journey. > -or- > Having multiple choice/fill in the blank exams but having so many questions that looking up each answer was impractical. If you knew most of it, you’d sail through but if you needed to look up every question, you’d be luck to have a 75% completed exam when time was up. > > Mind you, I haven’t taken much math lately so I can’t speak for exams in that area. It’s not so long since my Open University degree. There was a set “Handbook” for each course that you could take into the exam, with as many annotations as you cared to put in as long as you didn’t add extra pages or Post-It notes. Just as in the other subjects mentioned, the point was (1) if you didn’t know the course material well enough, you would not be able to find or apply the relevant notes and (2) even for material you were able to look up, there was only a certain amount you would be able to use in the time available. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/24 "2013-10-25T17:22:26Z")
My Physics 1&2 prof at uni allowed a “cheat card” - we were allowed to bring a 3"x5" index card that could have front and back filled with _whatever_ you wanted. You could have things like: [ul] [li] A sketched [diagram (torque, in this instance)](http://zonalandeducation.com/mstm/physics/mechanics/forces/torque/torque2.gif)[/li][li] [Written formulae](http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/images/torque_2.png) (torque again)[/li][li] A list of [electrical circuit symbols](http://ibphysicsstuff.wdfiles.com/local--files/electric-circuits/CircuitSymbols.jpg)[/li][li] Hell, even SOHCAHTOA or a [unit circle](http://theopenacademy.com/sites/default/files/oadb/Mathematics/Topology%20and%20Geometry/Trigonometry%20-%20Khan%20Academy%20-%20Salman%20Khan%20-%20BYNCND/Thumbnails/Lecture%206%20-%20The%20unit%20circle%20definition%20of%20trigonometric%20function.jpg)[/li][/ul] It’s not cheating if it’s allowed, by definition. 😛 A well-designed test _should_ test a student’s actual understanding and comprehension of the topics, not test if a student was able to memorize formulae. My Physics Prof was glad to explain why he allowed cards: [ul] [li] It’s a way to “force” students to do at least a cursory review before a test. [/li][li] It helps students feel calmer at the start of a test instead of freaking out that omgi’mblankingoneverything![/li][li] Like I said above, he tests _comprehension_ - all the equations and diagrams in the world aren’t gonna help you if you have no clue what to do with them. [/li][li] Everyone has some basic bit of info that just doesn’t 100% stick in memory for some reason (like SOHCAHTOA or the unit circle above), but they’re perfectly able to _use_ the info correctly. [/li][/ul] [sub]He’s an awesome professor. You learn your stuff but still have fun. He always includes STORY problems featuring things like Buffy, the Simpsons, or random things. This is an actual question from an old test: _1) The fish are starting to fight back – they are arming themselves with poison dart guns with laser sights. A fish is 1 meter below the surface of the water (nw=1.33), and is 2 meters horizontally from shore. The fish aims the laser at an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the vertical direction – and the beam lands right between the eyes of a fisherman standing at the water’s edge. a) Calculate how high off the ground the fisherman’s eyes are. b) Should the fish shoot the dart gun at that initial 30 degree angle – or should there be a different aiming angle (if so, calculate it)?_[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/25 "2013-10-25T18:10:12Z")
My high school trigonometry teacher allowed us to bring in a 3 by 5 card with whatever we wanted written on it. He said, “For some of you, nothing you write is going to help.” I suggested, “How about a prayer to St. Jude, the Patron Saint of hopeless causes?” “Good idea!” he said. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/26 "2013-10-25T18:26:30Z")
As a computer instructor, I told the students that they could bring their reference manuals, use their computers, the built in manual pages, or whatever on the test. “Anything but your neighbor”, I’d say. I told them that, as a Unix professional, I had all these available to me at my job so they could have them on the test. I also wrote the tests knowing they’d have these resources and gauged its difficulty accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/27 "2013-10-25T18:31:06Z")
If the prof says it’s OK, it’s not cheating. Also, having the formulas is one thing. Knowing which ones to use and how to use them is the skill. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/28 "2013-10-25T18:40:01Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’d take full advantage of the professor’s offer. It’s not cheating; you won’t have the answers to the math problems on your sheet of paper. You will be able to write formulas or whatever to help you, but solving the specific problems on the test will still be up to you. I do this in many of my classes. Many of the comments are spot on. Focus on application, de-emphasize rote memorization etc. One other reasonI use it is that creating the cheat sheet is a form of studying. Students will work very hard writing and re-writing their cheat sheets to make them perfect, memorizing the material along the way. I also firmly believe that everyone is allowed one “senior moment” now and again and a cheat sheet, like this, will help those students who really know the material but just blank on something for a minute demonstrate their true mastery of the material. I give lots of problem-solving take home exams for the same purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/29 "2013-10-25T18:57:41Z")
We were allowed a cheat sheet in my high school AP Physics class - one side only. I loved high school physics, and making those cheat sheets was one of the reasons. I took a lot of time determining how to lay it out, where to put the formulas, where to put the examples, where to put the definitions. I also remember my teacher giving me extra credit one time for having the best cheat sheet she’d ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/30 "2013-10-25T19:17:33Z")
I majored in Math at college, and we had lots of ‘open book, open notes’ tests. If you have no grasp of the material to begin with, then having the book available isn’t going to help much…but if all you just can’t seem to recall whether a particular formula uses “2x” or “x[sup]2[/sup]”, then you’ve already demonstrated your knowledge by knowing which formula you need to use in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/31 "2013-10-25T19:19:19Z")
Make notes on the card in light blue ink, then make more notes ovr those in red ink, THEN get a pair of those old time 3-D glasses. ;)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/32 "2013-10-25T20:02:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > In engineering school, we called these crib sheets, and they were commonly allowed in exams. The idea is that you’re learning something by preparing the crib sheet itself (i.e., what to put on the paper). And of course in the real world, you’re going to have access to books and technical reference materials. Lots of students tried micro-printing, either by hand or by printer. And in the April Fool’s issue of the college newspaper, they ran an advertisement for three-dimensional crib sheet paper. This was the norm when I was in graduate engineering school 20 years ago. So in answer to the OP, it’s not something new. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/33 "2013-10-25T20:45:08Z")
I remember one class I had that had this rule. For the final exam, one piece of paper, with whatever you wanted on it. I found the smallest font I could read with my naked eyes, reduced margins to the minimum, etc, etc, and typed up essentially my entire semester’s notes on one page, front and back. And then didn’t glance at it once in the test. The act of making that page was a much more thorough review and study session than I would have done if the “cheat” wasn’t available. As it was, I went into the test with every fact from the class fresh in my mind, and was able to reel them off as needed. We were allocated three hours. I finished in about 20 minutes. Oh, and I aced the class. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/34 "2013-10-25T21:00:09Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > The act of making that page was a much more thorough review and study session than I would have done if the “cheat” wasn’t available. As it was, I went into the test with every fact from the class fresh in my mind, and was able to reel them off as needed. I agree. Back in 1979 or so, when I was in junior high, I had a test in English history in which we were allowed to have a single sheet of notes with us. Summarizing the Tudor and Stuart dynasties and the religious conflicts related to them was a very helpful study practice. I don’t think I looked at the sheet at all as I answered the essay questions on the test. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/35 "2013-10-25T21:14:16Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > This is NOT the kind of cheating I came in here for. 🙂 It’s too bad: someone consulting their notes to decide whether to cheat or not makes an entertaining mental image. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snerky\_Snerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/36 "2013-10-26T11:25:30Z")
Too many responses to thank y’all one by one, so a group thank you to all for taking the time to share your experiences. As it seems that the use of notes in exams is both wide spread and acceptable, I now don’t feel so bad about making use of them myself. Though my uni is small and fairly new, it has a decent international reputation. However, I have heard locals suggest that it is a bit of a Mickey Mouse institution with regard to how easy the uni makes it to graduate. It’s good to know that it’s not uncommon to be allowed notes in exams at the tertiary level. So, I best get to work on my [del]cheat sheet[/del] crib notes. Thanks for all your input. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/37 "2013-10-26T11:43:36Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > However you should be warned that if you expect to rely too much on a whole lot of information crammed onto a small piece of paper you may find that you don’t have time to finish the exam. This is what one of my profs told us. In some ways, a cheat sheet cheated you in that you might not trust what you know, and you’d waste time double-checking it. ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/38 "2013-10-26T16:17:38Z")
Just to add my 2 cents: Back in the early 80s, taking a Calc IV final—it was “Open Book/Open Note,” i.e., you could bring in as much of whatever resource you thought would help. There were four questions, and we had three hours to complete the test. The average grade was 70%. As others have mentioned, it was all about knowing which formula to apply, and working through the derivation rather than “looking up” an answer. If you had not learned the relevant material, you were screwed no matter what you brought in with you. If you had, on the other hand, learned the course, the test was, not trivial, but eminently doable. ---
**Author:** ![Karrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71c47a/32.png) [@Karrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karrius)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/39 "2013-10-26T18:05:17Z")
My chemical engineering Themodynamics (a semester 4 class) teacher allowed open books and notes, and had full access to slides from all the lectures, and students were prepared to solve stuff like [this](http://www.pmf.ukim.edu.mk/PMF/Chemistry/Pictures/WMC-VDW1.GIF) ontheir graphing calculators. Instead, he tested for knowledge of applying the material. Instead of very complicated problems like the forces between two molecules, he asked basic questions that showed people knew how to work through problems. Simple stuff like “Given this information on balloons and helium, how many helium balloons do you need to lift a 100kg man up?”. And yet… people complained it was too hard, despite some of the questions being things I could solve in highschool. Knowing the formulas isn’t going to do shit if you don’t know how to apply them and think critically. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211/40 "2013-10-26T18:17:52Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > When I took statistics 25 years ago, every test was open book/open note. I can’t imagine they’ve tightened things in this more pampered age. I’ve taught stats and I’ve only ever done open book and notes. Put it this way: a student who has never cracked the book, and never studies, will not do any better with the material in front of them. It might help if they have several hours, but usually they will run out of time if they spend it all searching for terms. The other option would be to put all the formulas on the overhead, or print them in the back of the test. The latter is a waste of paper and more work. For the former, I’d rather keep the overhead off so I can check my email and such, thank you very much. Cheat sheets also seemed kind of condescending to me. They reward efficiency and anticipating what will be on the test\* and not so much knowing things. Open/open encourages knowing where things are in the book, which isn’t ideal, but oh well. Also: as most math and stats grades on both the steps taken as well as the final answer, cheating isn’t as big a deal in these classes. \*“Will this be on the test?” or “Do we have to know this?” or “Can you make a study guide?” are phrases no instructor wants to hear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-hmmm-let-me-consult-my-notes/672211.md?page=3)