Is this cheating or being smart by taking advantage of your resources?

Question

For one of my classes, someone I know (let's call him Bob) bought previously released exams from College Board to study. In class, our teacher gave a released exam which happened to be the same one as Bob had purchased. As a result, Bob did really well on the exam. Was Bob really cheating? Consider this as well: Our teacher gave us a packet with information on how to purchase released exams in it; Bob never took the test from the teacher; Bob paid money for the released exams for study purposes; Our teacher's ignorance resulted in him not checking to see that College Board offered these sources; Bob was able to access released exams as a student user, not a teacher. Is it fair that our teacher didn't give him the points he scored because the teacher was too ignorant to realize these tests were on sale?

Answer 1

No I don't think that that would be cheating. I know of various university professors that release previous copies of their final exams to students for study purposes. Also my Students Union offers a website of previous finals for many courses. These tests are usually released by a professors and everyone knows that it is there and teachers have even recommended students to find out if their classes are on there. If the teacher gave you this information and did not check to see what copies were released then it is the teachers fault and not your friends.

Answer 2

If your teacher gave out a packet with info on HOW to purchase the released exams, then your teacher should give credit to the student for doing as he/she suggested--buying the exam to study from.

It could be that the teacher is concerned that "Bob" memorized that particular test and did not really learn the material being covered in class that would be on the test.

Obviously, the College Board is not going to use those tests which they are selling (they most likely have new ones that are being used, to avoid cheating). The teacher is using the released tests to "test" the students on the material. The teacher should create his/her own test (not use the released College Board versions) in order to avoid the possibility of cheating, if that is what he/she is accusing "Bob" of doing.

Answer 3

If I understood your question correctly, I would say that Bob didn't cheat. It would be foolish to walk into a significant test experience and not be familiar with the format or content. That's why they are released... so students will know what to expect. (That would be like taking the SAT without using a study guide and taking advantage of the sample tests included.) The only way I would define cheating is if the test given was the same one that Bob acquired. If that is the case, then Bob should have made the teacher aware of the situation and given him the same format test with different questions. Sounds like the teacher is acting out of jealousy.

Answer 4

Yes, it is still cheating... but yes, your teacher was really ignorant. Both of them lose. Your teacher loses because he provided an unfair learning environment. Frankly, many schools would fire him for it if they found out. Bob loses, too, however. What did he learn? How to cheat, and little else. That is not going to get him far in the real world. What Bob SHOULD have done is reported to the teacher immediately that the test was the same one, especially if the teacher is the idiot who gave you all the information that resulted in him getting that same test. What the teacher should do, then, is give Bob the chance to retake a different test. Bob and the teacher were both idiots.

Answer 5

How can it be cheating? Bob was never informed that the test he was going to take was the one he was purchasing. If he had been the case, then he made the conscious decision to buy the test, which would be cheating. In this case, it is not, should you say, the laziness of the teacher, but simply running into some good study material

Answer 6

i'm at a private college, yet definitely, i think like the workload continues to be too gentle. sure, i'm getting about 2 hours of homework each evening, besides the indisputable fact that that is not pressuring me to do something. study corridor truly ruined me, it really is for particular. (As a know advice, do not take study corridor with no interest.) In my inner most college, a number of the grades do not care about grades, like grade 7 in my college or the seniors. My grade, besides the indisputable fact that, cares very a lot about their grades. that is merely about like a silent competition. we've about 20 or so smart human beings, 10 human beings (all they do is study) that are extremely smart, and something, that are dumb, merely... You get the point. i'm part of the twenty or so smart human beings. i comprehend that I should be contained in the extremely smart human beings team, that is merely that I really have a existence. also, my college is a school prep college. The training are on the harder side, yet i'm used to it through now. I really have enormous targets for the destiny; APUSH, AP Language and Composition, Psychology H, AP authorities and Politics, Biology HH, etc. it really is why i will artwork harder; to get to those targets.

Answer 7

what are you mad about more ??
the teachers ignorance ??or Bob not getting the score??
think about it ..
from the answers you expect to get what's that you're looking for ..convition for the teacher or validation of Bob ????
Nothing in life is so black and white as it seems at your and Bob's age....there's a lotta grey you 'll come accross while growing up that might seem even more confusing than this "cheating"
All the best ...

Answer 8

I have read your question 3 times and still dont' understand it.

But if he used only resources which were legal and which everyone in the class had access to, I don't see the problem.

Answer 9

Whichever way you look at it, that's cheating. He should never have bought those papers.