Beating cheating

摘要

TO SAY that cheats never prosper is to elevate hope over experience. Modern technology, in the form of miniature cameras, smartphones and the internet, means stealing and sharing answers has never been easier. Indeed, the problem has got so bad that on March 1st the Japa nese government asked universities to ban mobile phones from the rooms they use to conduct their entrance exams. Nor are students the only cheats. Teachers, whose salaries often depend on the suc cess of their charges, are not above drop ping the odd hint about what is the right answer before or during a test-or even correcting test papers after the event. And the invigilators who police the actual exam are not always immune to bribery, either. At the same time, technology can detect cheats more easily than before.