Is this considered "cheating"?

Question

I've been out of school for awhile. But I've always wondered about this situation that happened to me in college:

I was studying for a midterm, and someone who had this professor before gave me a midterm from 2-3 years earlier. I studied my notes and looked at the old midterm to see what type of questions the test would contain, and what the structure of the test was like.

Is this cheating?

"If you have to ask, it's because of a guilty conscience?" Uhhh....no. I think the different answers prove that.

It's either cheating or not...I ask because I don't know, and because I want to know...

Answer 1

If the professor was known for giving the same test year after year and you knew that, yes, it was cheating. Not only that, but the professor needs to be counseled to begin to mix up the tests a little!

If the professor was not known for that then it was studying.

Answer 2

i would say no...mainly because of the fact that is an old test, and if the professor decides to give the same test than thats his fault for not monitoring where the test ends up. Here in Florida the teachers hand out models of the FCAT (standardized testing that is completely rediculous) with similar if not harder questions for use of studying. so no because you are simply studying, now if you use it DURING the test thats another story.

Answer 3

If you have to ask, it's probably due to a guilty conscience. I'd say yes it's cheating. Midterms don't change much, if at all, over a couple of years.

Answer 4

If it was a midterm from 2-3 years earlier..then NO it's not cheating. but.......if the principal or another teacher saw that you had that..they may classify it as cheating as you're not playing fair..knowing what questions would be on the mid-term whereas everyone else doesn't.

Answer 5

No, I think you just need to calm down about it. If you just wanted to see what it was like and studied other things like your notes and books then no. But if you hacked his computer and got his test that way and brought it to class with all the answers on it that would be cheating.

Answer 6

Well, you're asking about it, which implies a bit of guilt, which means that, yes, it was cheating.

Face it. You had inside knowledge that other students didn't. You weren't playing on a level field.

That's one way of looking at it anyway.

Why do you even care is the real question?

Answer 7

i think its just preparing...im in AP calc, and we're gonna start using previous tests questions...so i would call it preparing..

Answer 8

absolutely not