As I looked at my computer screen I could see the one question I had left blank: number 5. I began to sweat. I was taking the most important test of the semester virtually, and I could feel my phone glaring at me. Glancing at my phone, I asked myself, is it worth cheating? 

I decided against it.

With online instruction in place due to the pandemic, students may feel more inclined to cheat, especially since most teachers aren’t able to see students using their phone during class. As a result,  there would be little-to-no evidence of a student cheating on a test at home. The question remains – is cheating okay when taking a test remotely?

Yes, it is considered morally wrong to cheat regardless of your location. The expectation is to know the information and be prepared for the test or quiz. Cheating shouldn’t be necessary. 

However, with the stress of doing schoolwork virtually, many students have begun to struggle with their workloads. Procrastination and other distractions can pull students away from their classwork. Come the day of the test, if a student had barely studied, it could lead to unnecessary cheating. 

Personally, remote school has made it much harder for me to focus in class. Netflix and food tend to be far more interesting than a class full of notetaking. It is really easy to get distracted during class, which could cause a student to miss crucial information for a test. For students who have trouble focusing during in-person class, virtual classes can make this even more of a challenge. 

Unfortunately, distractions are a leading cause of cheating. 

According to Perspectives in Assistive Technology – Academic Cheating Fact Sheet, 86% of high school students admitted to cheating at least once in their academic career. The level in which high school students cheat is alarming. 

Many teachers have insisted that students attend Google Meets and leave their cameras on while taking a test to combat the possibility of cheating, yet students are still able to find ways around it. Some teachers even use Lockdown Browser, an application that blocks all tabs other than Canvas. If a student tries to leave the Lockdown Browser they will not be able to complete the assessment on Canvas.

I think I can speak for the majority of students when I say that virtual school has made our lives significantly more stressful. 

While I do understand why students may be more inclined to cheat, I don’t believe there are any circumstances where it would be okay to cheat in any capacity. 

Cheating may be easier for many students during virtual class, but it doesn’t justify it. Many highschoolers work and study very hard to get good grades. With hardwork and studying any student can successfully take a test without cheating.