11 Best Ways to Cheat in College: Earn Better Grades

Anyone who has gone through college might agree that college life is one of the most interesting chapters in their education journey. However, it is also one of the most challenging. Remember, college is a mixture of a huge amount of freedom and serious responsibilities too.

As such, students must balance social life, academics, and extra-curricular activities.

A vast number of students in college find themselves being unable to keep up with all these demanding activities. However, one area that the majority find most challenging is academics.

Therefore, most of them have to rely on cheating to avoid failing the exams, and therefore, keep off stress and depression. This article shares with you the best ways to cheat in college, and techniques that students use to avoid mental health issues related to failing college exams. Therefore, please read on.

Best Ways to Cheat in College

Students have become innovative in coming up with numerous ways to cheat on exams, essays, assignments, and even college applications, especially with the advancement of technology.

Also see: Is paying someone to write your essay cheating?

What drives learners to cheat, though? What methods do they employ?

Below are the most popular ways that college students employ when cheating;

1. Use of Written Materials

Perhaps one of the most old-school and most efficient cheating techniques, college students still employ the method today. This cheating method involves students bringing along written pieces of notes, formulas, answer sheets, and any other information they may need for an exam.

Some of the most common written materials that college students use include textbooks, writing on water bottles, calculators, geometrical sets, rulers, or on top of their desks. Remember, some of these materials are allowed in the exam room. Therefore, they are easy to use in the exam room. Furthermore, there are very low probabilities of invigilators suspecting them.

However, one of the most popular ways of cheating in this category is the use of cheat sheets. A cheat sheet is a condensed version of the information on any subject. It highlights the key details and information that applies to each possible question in the exam. The cheat sheet is a specific response plan recorded on a particular medium and carefully prepared.

Most college students prefer cheat sheets because of their efficiency. Although preparation may take a lot of time, it is one of the most incredible ways to pass the tests. The student must attend the other group exam before writing one, listen to the questions, note any pertinent information, and then prepare accurate answers.

Additionally, it is pretty convenient for college students to sneak cheat sheets into the exam room. Some hide them under their belt buckles, under calculators, or under shirt sleeves. Therefore, an invigilator will hardly find them when freaking the students.

2. Sneak a Peek Method

Sneaking a peek is one of the most old-school cheating methods worldwide. It is pretty popular and efficient in colleges. This method involves peeking at a neighbor’s exam sheet and copying answers from them.

Peeking at another student’s paper is only possible when the invigilator is not looking in your direction. However, the neighbor must be cooperative too to allow you to copy from their answer sheet. The sneak peek cheating technique is pretty popular because there is no evidence to show you were cheating once caught.

However, the downside of this cheating method is copying the wrong answers from your neighbor. Most college students have been caught by their lecturers this way- they copy wrong answers from other students and write them as they are without editing anything.

3. Bathroom Breaks

College professors are usually suspicious of students asking for bathroom breaks in the middle of an examination. Therefore, they are usually reluctant to give their students breaks.

However, the lecturers cannot help it when the exam duration is long. In such scenarios, they have to allow students to go to the restroom to relieve themselves.

College students have the ideal opportunity to receive assistance from others when they get the chance to use the restroom during a test. This is a perfect time to get help from outside. During a bathroom break, a student can look for answers in various ways;

You can ask a buddy who has access to the Internet or your course materials to text you the answers to any queries you may have. However, make sure you have some form of shorthand ready so you can quickly send messages and avoid getting detected.

In addition, you can use the chance to access some pre-written material you may have on you and look up answers. Similarly, students hide textbooks and other learning materials in the restrooms to access them during such breaks. 

One advantage of using this cheating technique is that it is hardly detectable once you get the break. This is because it would be extremely hard, almost impossible, for the exam invigilator to follow you and see what you do in the bathroom.

4. Split the Load Technique

This is a common cheating technique in colleges. Split the load method involves the collaboration of a pair of students, usually study partners or simply friends. Here, the students share responsibilities by splitting the material that each will cover. For example, if one student studies the first three chapters of a book, the other studies the rest.

They then craft special signals to communicate and pass answers during the exam. For instance, in a multiple-choice test, students can touch the left ear if the response is A. If the response is B, they can touch their nose and so on. All students are aware that chatting is not permitted during an exam. However, they can secretly whisper to another student to obtain a needed response.

5. Writing Answers to One’s Body

Writing answers with colored pens on a student’s left or right hand or arm, hiding them between fingers, or on another body part is one of the oldest forms of cheating. Similarly, it is one of the most efficient because it is hardly detectable.

Students, especially females, can write short notes on their thighs, especially in hot weather. Then, they’ll dress in a skirt of a specific length that conceals the writing. However, they will raise the skirt to show the notes. Before handing in their exams to the examiner, many students frequently use alcohol wipes to clean off the ink from their skin.

6. Stealing the Test

Many lecturers keep a copy of a forthcoming test in a file folder or on their desk. Most of the time, their desks are usually unlocked. Some college students resort to taking photos of the test using tiny cameras or their smartphones while no one is watching. Doing so, they leave the test to appear uncompromised.

In the past, students would take the test sheet and photocopy it. However, the teacher would typically create a new test if they found out that a student intentionally stole a test.

7. Faking Scores

Faking test scores is most used when students are applying for colleges. Therefore, they try to falsify various details in their recommendation letters, essays, financial aid statements, high school grades, and awards. The students usually use this technique during the college application process.

It is worth noting that the reason for using this cheating technique is to give the students an upper hand in the college application process. The false information is meant to impress the application officers so as to consider the student for admission.

The downside of faking scores, however, is detection by the application officers. Once caught, you may not only lose the admission but you may be taken to court for forgery.

8. The use of Technological Devices

Today, the use of technological devices is the most employed cheating technique by college students in both in-class and online examinations. There are multiple gadgets that are at their disposal, gadgets that old-school professors cannot detect because of their small sizes or their sophistication.

At the top of these technological devices is the smartphone. A smartphone is applicable in multiple situations, as both a storage and a communication device. Students use smartphones to keep their notes in form of PDFs and access them during the exam. Furthermore, they use their phones to ask for answers by communicating with friends and family members through SMS and WhatsApp. Last but not least, they use their smartphones to surf the internet and look up exam answers.

Earpiece devices such as Bluetooth gadgets are also pretty commonly used by college students. Since earpieces are so small, they can be easily hidden in the ear while being used to watch a teacher administer a test. Therefore, students use them to record the questions’ answers and listen to them during the examination.

Other common technological gadgets that college students use include smart watches, scientific calculators, camera glasses, and high-tech pens. These devices are crucial in storing essential data such as formulas and notes. 

9. Hiring Professionals

This technique is most applicable in proctored online exams. Students carry it out successfully through impersonation. Impersonation is possible both before and during the assessments, which are the two stages of the examination delivery procedure.

Students provide the professional (imposter) login information before the tests. The login information varies according to the software being used. However, some online proctoring software readily makes this impossible by utilizing cutting-edge identifying features like biometrics or facial recognition systems.

On the other hand, during the exam process, impersonation can happen in various ways. Students’ use of virtual computers and other tools to grant their imposters remote access is one trick.

10. The Screen Sharing Technique

One of the most efficient ways for students to cheat on online college exams is through screen sharing. The likelihood of being discovered is very low. Using this method, a friend or a family member lends a hand and assists the student in responding to the exam questions. 

This cheating technique is made possible by the availability of an HDMI cable and a second external screen. Using an HDMI cable, students share their computers’ screens with an additional external display. They then position the second screen away from the webcam’s field of view; ideally, this is usually in a different room.

The individual in the opposite room can access the student’s computer monitor and observe their test because their screen is mirror imaged. The third party will then look up the exam answers online and send them covertly to the student without arousing suspicion.

11. Use of the Keyboard Shortcuts

The use of keyboard shortcuts is applicable in remote examinations that college students undertake online. Copying and pasting is the most popular keyboard shortcut. Often, students prepare notes or conduct research in a different window from the one the test is on. They then copy possible answers from such a window and paste them on their exam sheet in a separate window.

Keyboard shortcuts are effective in deceiving various proctoring software and most of the times students get away with cheating.

Remember, even when using the best cheating method, you can still get caught. However, for you to successfully execute the cheating techniques, there are several factors to keep in mind to prevent you from getting busted. They include;

• After the start of your exams, avoid bringing out secret notes.
• Even though you almost feel like you’re getting busted, remain calm.
• Spend a little more time ahead of time creating cheat sheets
• Don’t appear suspicious if you are wearing practical clothing to deceive.
• Think about plan “B”; having two possibilities is always preferable.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you are better positioned to understand the best ways to cheat in College. However, this article does not advise college students to utilize any of these strategies to cheat. Even if cheating is possible, getting caught is always possible. You could get punished with, among other things, the loss of your scholarship, a suspension from school, expulsion, and complete humiliation.