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anon
22.06.11, 05:21
I.e. taken the scope of this forum to a somewhat different real life situation?

Me, I know I have. But only on subjects I really didn't like or didn't think all the content would serve me later on. For example, I had Geography and Philosophy in my last year of school, when I had chosen a computing career, which I think made no sense at all. So when exams for those subjects were close, I summarized my notes into a text file, dropped them into my phone and/or MP3 player (which can display text in its tiny screen), and used them as reference during the exam, when all conditions were fine. (This was a matter of lighting the screen up, glance at it, write some lines down, refill my mental buffer, write, rinse and repeat. Using my music player didn't require the light-up phase, which drew less attention, but this was at the cost of having to deal with SMS-language notes on a screen the size of a Windows taskbar button.)

I've been through a few close calls, but never actually got caught doing it. We knew which teachers were more alert and likely to constantly sweep the room looking for signs of dishonesty, which ones didn't care so much, and which couldn't possibly be foolish enough to believe we were "just checking the time" with our mobiles, or that the cheatsheets were "a draft for question 2", which isn't unheard of. Yes, we had a ranklist of sorts, and except for a couple of teachers which looked like the What.cd of their domain (and thus theoretically cheatable with very tight restrictions, something not deemed the effort by us), it was always possible to get away with it, with the right doses of stealth and speed.

These days, we're on the age of information, which makes this stuff easier. My already-mentioned phone and music player were of great help. My friends used similar tactics with their respective gadgets. Cameras and image viewing were a blessing when we had to work with maps, diagrams, or copy formulas that were hardly intelligible in text form. Some guys went the extra mile and even kept HQ copies of their class notes and exercises, taken with their cameras, in case they proved necessary. In the case of an emergency, tapping my phone's home button would close everything and go to the main menu - a sort of panic key. That is not to say the more basic methods, such as tiny cheatsheets or scribbling the tables with useful information (hard to spot among the "graffiti" other students tend to leave over time) were never used, however.

Some particularly tough tests required coordinated teamwork, from simple things like writing questions to your classmate on the side of your table and waiting a reply made in the same fashion, to swapping sheets and checking the other's work, or even the outsider technique, where someone who usually finished quickly or didn't care about passing kept a copy of the questions, answered them outside of the classroom (you're asked to leave when you're done with the test), then came back for "something he wanted/forgot" and swiftly passed us the answers.

I'm not bragging here. And obviously, not everything about cheating is fine and dandy. I reckon I've heard most of the usual reasons not to do it - cheaters never prosper, you won't learn anything, you'll need X knowledge later in life even if you think you won't, it's just not right/not fair for those who don't cheat, it's better to fail honestly than to succeed like that, etcetera, etcetera. Allow me to dissect each one of those and let me transmit my personal point of view.

"Cheaters never prosper" - see the third paragraph of this post. I encourage you to read this (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ruin_world), too.
"You won't learn anything that way" - that's the whole idea. I don't care about this subject, but I have to pass it. I don't want to spend time and energy studying things I don't give a fuck about just so that I can fill a little paper with that, get it back with a number written on it, and then forget that stuff forever. I am aware of that you do need to know at least some geography, some history, some math, a small bit of everything, because if you don't know where the hell you're standing, how your country came to be, or can't add fractions together, you're going to have a hard time, but that's to a certain extent. Which leads us to the following point...
"You'll need to know this in real life, even if you think otherwise" - is that so? Well, I think you're wrong. I don't think my job will require me to pinpoint the location of all hydroelectrical power plants my country has in a map, retell what we think we know about stuff that happened 1500 years ago from memory, or solve a quadratic equation. If you ask anyone who isn't a teacher about that stuff, it's likely that they'll remember little if not nothing about that. And if I'm wrong, let me find out myself.
"It's not right" or "It's not fair" - it's not right, huh. Killing people is not right because you irreversibly take their life away. Stealing isn't right because you physically deprive someone else from their property. And this wouldn't be right because... at the very most, and assuming the reasons not to cheat pinpointed above are correct (and I don't think so), you damage no one but yourself. "It's not fair"... life isn't fair. If I cheat and get a good mark while you study and do not, then well, tough luck? In this ethical scheme of yours, you've chosen to do things well, shouldn't that be its own reward? My actions have done you no damage, for if I had cheated and got a bad mark, or got caught and failed the exam, you'd still have failed as well. I don't see all the fuss about "being fair" towards others or not. I take a risk and do something I may or may not succeed at, and doesn't even actually guarantee a good mark per se.
"It's better to fail honestly than to succeed by cheating" - this gibberish doesn't even merit a response. I don't know who the hell came up with this, or what he was thinking, other than raising self-esteem a bit?



So, title. Discuss. If you have, tell us when, where, how and why. If not, then just why, I guess. And what you think about it. Let the community as a whole enrich from your post, whatever the experience and outcome.

piratemeister
22.06.11, 10:44
Yes I cheated. I tried to learn, only the things I like, other unsless things, I cheated.

yoco
22.06.11, 11:55
Every chance I could get! :D

C3PO
22.06.11, 13:15
Yes i have :) and anyone who says that he hasnt, is lying ;)

ErRor
22.06.11, 14:15
i cheated in every exam i can remember :)

takomania
22.06.11, 14:35
sometimes cheating is the only way. sad, but true.

GymTanAndLaundry
22.06.11, 16:09
In England if you're even caught with a phone on your person you're kicked out of the exam room..... they have a clock for looking at the time :)

I don't think I've actually ever cheated at anything... not that I haven't thought about it though. Oh wait scratch that, I've lied on my CV. Not strictly cheating, but certainly similar.

SBfreak
22.06.11, 17:36
My marks wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't cheated in the past.Seriously.Who the hell studies religion ? I had to choose between math and reading the bible and like any other heretic I think I made the right choise.
I mostly cheated this last year because I had to concentrate on the primary 3 subjects for my exams.The most annoying part is when teachers say this: Uhmm I may or may not give you a test next week so I think you should study. I'm like: Bitch I have exams in 2 months and I didn't study a damn thing. Usually when I think like that I can't learn because of my stubbornness and I have to cheat.
I'm not good at cheating but I guess that's a plus because I've always been alert.
I DO NOT cheat on important exams.I'm afraid of the consequences in case I get caught. Better a 5 or a 6 than a cya SBfreak.

WTF
22.06.11, 19:57
It's summer vacation now and you've finish the semester, right ? :lol:
I'm now studying at university so i don't need to cheat. But few years ago, when i'm a high-school student, i cheated on some subjects like you because i have many subjects to study and i must passed all. I hate History, Literature, and some others because the teaching method is actually bad, i must learn by heart all the lesson OMG, not because i don't like history or novel (i'm really love it in other side, read some novel or history event is so great :D)
I have no idea about cheating is bad or no but i think how you become in the future is the main thing :top:

anon
22.06.11, 20:09
Yes I cheated. I tried to learn, only the things I like, other unsless things, I cheated.


Every chance I could get! :D


Yes i have :) and anyone who says that he hasnt, is lying ;)


i cheated in every exam i can remember :)


sometimes cheating is the only way. sad, but true.

Come on, guys. I bet you can elaborate a bit more. :wtongue:


In England if you're even caught with a phone on your person you're kicked out of the exam room..... they have a clock for looking at the time :)

There were no clocks here, so that excuse worked quite well. This year they installed wireless routers and air conditioners in every classroom, but still nothing as basic as a clock.


My marks wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't cheated in the past.Seriously.

Ditto.


Who the hell studies religion ? I had to choose between math and reading the bible and like any other heretic I think I made the right choise.

Was that your parents' choice or is religious education compulsory there? I think I read it was like that in Romania. Here most state schools don't have that, but you can choose to go to a religious school if you want, which I think is the way it should be - letting everyone make their own choice.


I mostly cheated this last year because I had to concentrate on the primary 3 subjects for my exams. ...
I DO NOT cheat on important exams.I'm afraid of the consequences in case I get caught. Better a 5 or a 6 than a cya SBfreak.

Same and same. When it came to subjects I found relevant to my career, I didn't cheat. And studying wasn't very hard because I liked the contents.

anon
22.06.11, 20:11
It's summer vacation now and you've finish the semester, right ? :lol:

I live in the southern hemisphere, yo :wtongue:

WTF
22.06.11, 20:25
So what season in your country now? :unsure:

SBfreak
22.06.11, 20:32
Was that your parents' choice or is religious education compulsory there?

Well it's compulsory.Usually it's not that bad but our teacher is an asshole and makes us cram prayers and shit.
If I was a christian maybe I would have studied 3 or 4 but the way I feel is a big NOPE.jpg

GymTanAndLaundry
22.06.11, 20:39
So what season in your country now? :unsure:

Opposite of northen hemisphere, Winter.

WTF
22.06.11, 20:44
Thanks for ur reply, but i think Noel is on 24/12 so his country is at summer that time ? :lol:

SBfreak
22.06.11, 21:14
Opposite of northen hemisphere, Winter.

My first facepalm post.

GymTanAndLaundry
23.06.11, 04:16
My first facepalm post.

Hahahaha. I know when the sun is exposing itself more in the northern hemisphere it's because of tilt to the sun meaning the southern hemisphere is getting less sun, regardless of temperatures the amount of daylight hours in a day usually determines the season. We just had the longest day of the year (June 21st, Summer Solstice) However in some countries they just go by wet/dry season if it's a really arid climate eg: 8 months of dry, 4 months of rain. Really does depend on location. I think some tropical areas only have 3 seasons. Safe assumption that if it's summer for me in the very high north (england) and somebody is very south (like argentina), it's probably logical to assume it's winter for them or at least late autumn. Our coldest months are November/December/Janurary/Feburary so I will assume for most guys in the south those are the hottest months.

Or as they say in England... "while we're wrapped in coats the aussies are having barbeques at christmas"

anon
23.06.11, 04:30
Safe assumption that if it's summer for me in the very high north (england) and somebody is very south (like argentina), it's probably logical to assume it's winter for them or at least late autumn. Our coldest months are November/December/Janurary/Feburary so I will assume for most guys in the south those are the hottest months.

Safe indeed. It's usually not colder than 30°C during summer.

Instab
23.06.11, 04:45
i did, too :P
especially in those courses where i knew i wouldn't need the stuff ever again

Imacheater
23.06.11, 05:13
In England if you're even caught with a phone on your person you're kicked out of the exam room..... they have a clock for looking at the time :)

I don't think I've actually ever cheated at anything... not that I haven't thought about it though. Oh wait scratch that, I've lied on my CV. Not strictly cheating, but certainly similar.
Same with my school, if you cheated on a exam, u will be kicked out of the exam, your exam paper will be cut immediately and u will get a 0 mark. Also, many shitty thing will come.
But I still cheat in exams, a hell lot. Just like ratio cheating, exam cheating requires knowledge, for example: which teacher is strict during exams, which not ? My fav technique is cut a paragraph in the book and hide it in my coat. Sometimes, for Chemistry test where I can't remember complex reactions, I write down to paper, put some water in there to make it wet and use duck tape to stick it into my calculator. The result is great: that piece of paper becomes nearly invisible
And luckily, we don't have cameras in exam rooms, make it whole lot easier to cheat. I really fell bad for students in other schools :lol:

i did, too :P
especially in those courses where i knew i wouldn't need the stuff ever again
Same thing for me, I think I only need english and computer science for my future job. Learning chemistry, literature .... is a waste of time

GymTanAndLaundry
23.06.11, 05:32
Giving a rounded education is pointless other than for the sake of learning because you only get to specialize in one field. People employ the best of each field, not somebody who's amazing at Maths/Computing but vaguely average at English/Languages. Likewise if that person lost their job as a programmer, they probably wouldn't be getting a job as a journalist or translator to replace it. They would look for another programming job. Education is generally crap unless you pay for it. Even if you pay for it you learn a lot of pointless crap, I think the only useful stuff they teach in private school is "how to be a leader" aka leadership and foreign languages. Good trips/facilities (gym, computers) too. Lot of kids you wouldnt want to be friends with at private school though... shallow, unintelligent superficial cunts whose only positive traits come in the form of taught skills which were paid for using exacerbant sums of cash. EG: said person is 15 years old but a black belt in kung fu, knows 4 languages and is very good at piano. Most people drowned in money from birth have no character at all, and generally piss off everyone - only tolerated at times by "decent people" because they have a fat wallet and they're paying to be at whatever place they're at and everybody else loves them as they too are superficial and drawn to the projection of popularity said person exhibits using their vast material wealth. Let me give you an example, Paris Hilton. She is nobody, a typical lazy american girl who simply had everything done for her so she could lead her idea of "the good life".

In a world of inequality you cannot build a sufficient character without experiencing poverty, hardship or heartache. They're all shit but they help to define a person. In such a negative world, a never ending plethora of positive events, holidays and presents creates a person who's not truly in touch with shit, and therefore very naive, generally very ignorant and also quite annoying. If they know they're lucky and draw ego off it, you'll find them to be quite obnoxious too. Another case in point, the show that airs on MTV "sweet 16". I fucking despise that show. I would gladly put every kid I see on that show into Hospital. They think they are the apex of existence, and everything else is there to just suit their needs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90HhZ-pyC2Y

Nobody
23.06.11, 05:36
Yes. But it wasn't ever a common occurrence.

There are a few things that I've tried multiple times to learn, and failed multiple times. One of those things is foreign languages. My memory is horrendous. I just can't soak up an entire page of verbs, adverbs, and conjugates and regurgitate them on queue. For the first half of the semester I really tried. But after mid-terms it became apparent this wasn't going to happen. I ended up writing down the words/definitions of the items I was having a hard time remembering. In another case I brought in a rough outline of an essay question we were given before the test.

In most other cases, my cheating was relatively minor. Glancing at someone nearby if I don't know the answer to a particular question for the most part. No "coordinated efforts" with other students or anything.

C3PO
23.06.11, 18:54
Cheating is like a hmmm.. hobby to me, I like the thrill of it, I guess. I cheated even if I studied and could do it by myself....should I speak to psychiatrist?

ErRor
23.06.11, 19:43
Cheating is like a hmmm.. hobby to me, I like the thrill of it, I guess. I cheated even if I studied and could do it by myself....should I speak to psychiatrist?

idont think so cuz its the same situation here ;)

C3PO
23.06.11, 20:12
idont think so cuz its the same situation here ;)

Or maybe we both should :)

drill
27.06.11, 13:04
sometimes cheating is the only way,I do not like this but sometimes the only option.

ParamouR
07.07.11, 08:06
My policy is if teacher is being lenient and others are vigorously copying then I shall not be a saint, sticking with not copying, otherwise nope :wsmile:

madchen69
08.07.11, 19:04
i did in high school haha. i'm just bad at physics, i cant help it!

Master Razor
29.09.12, 23:45
I always cheat on everything. Whenever I have important test to attend, I always study for it but I always end up cheating. Why? Simple: I do the opposite. If the teacher let us cheat, I won't.

gu5t3r
03.10.12, 01:53
I could make a book "The Art of Cheating"