From Chits to Chips: Copying Goes Tech-Savvy

I think the very existence of copying during exams must have started the moment formal examinations were introduced in the education system. The urge to adopt this unethical practice appears deeply rooted—especially among those who fear failure and also among those few who wish to excel at any cost. Those afraid of failing resort to cheating to avoid parental anger, while high performers too may succumb due to pressure to maintain their excellence.

Over the years, I have witnessed as a teacher various shades of malpractices in examinations. Earlier, students relied on handwritten chits or torn book pages cleverly hidden inside socks, shoes, collars, belts, etc. They would silently use them and even pass them on to someone in the next row or column—or throw them like a crumpled ball to a desperate friend. Even simply tilting the answer sheet to show answer became a lifeline for someone “about to drown.” Here, outsmarting the invigilator was the real challenge and full of risks.

During exams, friendships magically strengthened immediately after Board Roll Numbers were announced. The bright ones were suddenly the most sought after! In rare cases, I have also seen invigilators helping selective examinees with ready-made answers.

Once, I noticed a student frequently visiting the toilet. Thinking he may be unwell, I ignored it at first. But the invigilator inside me got suspicious. I followed him—only to find solved answers and guide pages hidden over the flush tanks! He wasn’t the only one benefitting; soon, curious candidates from other rooms also found the “nectar of ready-made answers.” My intervention landed them all in trouble.

In another case, I caught a student using extremely tiny chits—font so small that a magnifying glass would have been required to read them! He had hidden 5–6 chits at various places on his body. The funniest part was one chit that had no answers—just a “guide map”! It read: Trigonometry in socks, Number System in collar, etc.

And then came the era of MCQs—cheating adopted a modern upgrade. One raised finger meant Option A, two fingers meant Option B. This “sign language model” still exists! Technology has further boosted this malpractice. A small WhatsApp message containing answers quickly goes viral and reaches multiple exam centres within minutes. In rural school this leads to mass copying.

Recently, I heard another version of cheating from a friend working in a hilly state—where teachers themselves help students, especially girls likely to marry after Class X/XII or boys aspiring to join armed forces. The help is limited—they are only made to “pass.” An ethical face of cheating, perhaps?

In a computer-based recruitment exam for teachers, one invigilator noticed that the cursor on a candidate’s screen was moving automatically while the examinee sat idle. His timely action unearthed a racket where the computers of “selected” candidates were being remotely controlled!

Mass copying in some schools, where school administration and parents work hand in hand, is also not unheard of.

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Is There a Remedy?

Maybe yes. Introduce open-book examinations and ask questions that demand critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation—not just memory. When students can’t simply copy answers, cheating automatically loses its power.