We've been there, we get it – college is a stressful time, especially when exams start to crowd your end-of-term calendar. On top of having to remember a semester's worth of material for each course, you're expected to show your professors what you've learned during exam periods that may never seem to be quite long enough.
The temptation can be real: why not pay someone to take that test for you?
Aside from the challenge of finding someone who will do this for you, there are a number of serious downsides to hiring someone else to take your exams.
Honor Codes
Virtually all schools have an honor code, the gist of which is that students are expected to act honestly when involved in school activities. Purdue University, for example, has a one-sentence honor pledge that includes the promise, “I pledge to be honest and true in all that I do.” A list of examples of academic dishonesty at Purdue includes “Taking an Exam for Someone Else.” The University of California Berkeley has a similarly short honor code that states, in part, “I act with honesty, integrity, and respect for others.” Academic misconduct at Berkeley includes “failing to identify oneself honestly” and “providing false or misleading information to an instructor,” both of which are broad enough to cover having a stand-in take an exam for you.
Lurking behind these fairly simple honor codes are often a tangle of complicated rules and procedures that describe how the school will investigate and respond to alleged honor code violations. In Berkeley's case, for example, the Code of Conduct runs nearly 26 pages, covers 27 different “Grounds for Discipline,” and includes more than 14 potential sanctions. Purdue's student conduct regulations are similarly complex.
The Consequences of a Violation
It can be difficult enough to deal with the stress of an academic misconduct investigation that ends in an acquittal. But when the school finds the allegations have merit, the resulting penalties can range from an off-the-transcript warning, to outright expulsion from the school, to something in-between. In some cases, for example, the school will give you an “F” for the class in question, forcing you to retake it if it's required for your major. In other cases, the school may add a symbol to the “F,” such as “xF,” which denotes that the poor grade is the product of an honor code violation. Even the most minor of penalties that appear on your academic record can affect your future for decades to come.
You Need an Advocate
If you have been accused of an academic honor code violation, such as paying someone to take a test for you, don't face the process alone. You need someone with experience to help you fight back.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm can help. Joseph D. Lento and his team have helped hundreds of college students fight allegations of academic misconduct. Call Attorney Lento and the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or reach out through our contact form to discuss the details of your case.
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