Use of old exams..wrong?

[AugustWinterMan]

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Well, your B is better than their A in the long run, and eventually that mentality will bite them in the ass.

I was in an Analytical Chemistry class and the five year worth of old exams found their way throughout the class. Some students discovered that the professor used the 2001 tests for the first two tests. The people who didn't want to learn studied only how to get the answers to the 2001 exam and subsequently tanked the third exam.

When I see those students, I ask them how the class is going their second time around the bases.

 

[BTC]

The ones being gunners are the people hoarding the old exams. Gunners try to get an unfair advantage over classmates. The OP is right not wanting to be on the losing end of this. All he wants is for everyone to take an exam they haven't seen before.

Since presumably these people are doing nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong with letting the professor know that people are using exams. Right? Or do you admit that using exams which only you have access to and which are identical to the current exams is pretty shady?

I agree. If this is such a small problem, then telling the prof shouldn't be an issue. Ask him exactly what you asked SDN.

 

[thegetupkid]

Call me pessimistic, but life isn't fair. When you grow up, the playing field won't be level even when you are a doctor. Someone will have connections, and get a leg up there. Life isn't always about merit, medicine inclusive. Because snitching often doesn't end up well, I would advise you to try to socialize with the people, make friends, and review the tests, and study with them. It may be perpetuating the "game", but I think its the only realistic thing you can do.

 

[BTC]

Life isn't fair. But there are a few things in life you actually have control over. Identifying cheaters is one of them.

 

[thegetupkid]

Life isn't fair. But there are a few things in life you actually have control over. Identifying cheaters is one of them.

As I said, you DO in fact have the power to snitch, it just often doesn't end up well.

1) The prof often has better things to do and won't care that his/her tests are circulating around.

2) The prof could increase the difficulty of the tests.

I understand that people always say they don't want cheaters to be doctors because that means they will be incompetent. But, there are plenty of other things that should and will weed this out. First, the MCAT helps address this. Secondly, you can't really "cheat" at research. You can't cheat at the USMLE Step 1.

This is in no way condoning cheating, I just think the OPs time and effort could be spent more usefully.

 

[DEdm]

I am on my school's Honor Council and I can tell you that if a professor gives tests back, then you can use them all you want. I don't think it is fair that they are hoarding the exams and not letting anyone else get the chance the use them as well. Here is what I would do:

(1) Go find some friends who are in Fraternities/Sororities or who are athletes and ask them to see if the professors old tests are on file in their test banks.

(2) Go to the professor and ask if you can get an old copy of his exams because many of your classmates have copies but you have been unable to get one. (If nothing else the guy would be more aware of it and change the questions a bit).

I don't care for calling your concern "tattling." An A or B+ could make or break someone's application and if someone/something is harming my grade (and I can do something about it) then I would do everything I could to get back to an even playing field.

Good luck and when you get an A on the next exam make sure you show it to the other couple of people who hoarded the exams.

 

[Blesbok]

The ones being gunners are the people hoarding the old exams. Gunners try to get an unfair advantage over classmates. The OP is right not wanting to be on the losing end of this. All he wants is for everyone to take an exam they haven't seen before.

Since presumably these people are doing nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong with letting the professor know that people are using exams. Right? Or do you admit that using exams which only you have access to and which are identical to the current exams is pretty shady?

It isn't shady at all, unless it is strictly against policy. It is just another way to use the tools available to get ahead in life. The only reason that the OP is bitching is because he doesn't have those tools. If he did, he would be using them just like they are and this thread would not be here. And tattling on your classmates is much more gunnerish than not sharing. I am sure that there is a reason that they are not sharing the tests, maybe the OP should find out that reason and resolve it.

 

[cpants]

So if it's not shady, and none of the students are doing anything wrong, why is talking to the prof about the old exams "tattling" or being "gunnerish"? What if the OP just said: "I know some of the students are using old exams to prepare for the test, and I was wondering if you knew where I could get some old exams for my own preparation?" Nothing wrong with that. No one should get in trouble, and the OP is just trying to get some tools to get ahead, right?

You are trying to have it both ways. If using the old exams is perfectly legitimate, than it shouldn't matter who the OP discusses it with, including the prof.

 

[Blesbok]

So if it's not shady, and none of the students are doing anything wrong, why is talking to the prof about the old exams "tattling" or being "gunnerish"? What if the OP just said: "I know some of the students are using old exams to prepare for the test, and I was wondering if you knew where I could get some old exams for my own preparation?" Nothing wrong with that. No one should get in trouble, and the OP is just trying to get some tools to get ahead, right?

You are trying to have it both ways. If using the old exams is perfectly legitimate, than it shouldn't matter who the OP discusses it with, including the prof.

I don't think that is wrong. But that is also not what he is talking about doing. He is talking about tattling on them. I don't think he is wrong for wanting to get up to their level, but I think he is wrong for wanting to bring them down to his. Like I said earlier, those guys are just using a tool to get ahead in life, which is the basis to succeeding.

Honestly, do you think any good is going to come from him tattling? It isn't going to make the tests any easier, if anything it is going to make them tougher. And then every person in that class who is using the old tests is going to have it in for him. The much easier option would be to go talk those people into giving him the old tests.

 

[tncekm]

Unfortunately old exams are how many people get their grades. When they keep the exams from you and you still do better than they did, well.... that's just all the better. Keep your head up and don't worry about it 🙂

 

[Narmerguy]

Taddle.

Despite any type of shaming people try to put you through for not letting random classmates screw you over you should definately bring the tests to light. If he makes an even harder test, so what? If you were being destroyed by the curve they were setting it shouldn't have mattered.

No one cares about cheating so long as it doesn't screw up your own ability to succeed and that's just the way it is. You gotta make sure you're not being played for a sucker. Good luck either way 🙁

 

[ami1983]

i always have seen it spelled tattle

 

[kevinmw5]

i always have seen it spelled tattle

That's not what this is about 😡