Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
March 14, 2019 by Mike Bergin

How to Cheat On the SAT, Part 2

Unless you were raised by dishonorable wolves, you know all too well what all of us learn when we’re young: cheating is wrong. That cold, hard truth applies in every situation, no matter how important the moment may seem. In fact, the most critical inflection points in our lives require the highest levels of integrity, as even minor failings of character can have long-lasting and profound implications.

Given all of this, you might be surprised at the depths to which some people will sink to attain advantage in college admissions. News of a college admissions cheating scandal–complete with celebrities, social media stars, and a catchy FBI codename–has rendered most Americans aghast at the excesses of parental ambition and educational malfeasance. Others may be analyzing this sordid story for different reasons, namely for insight on how to cheat your way into the college of your dreams. Cheating on the SAT and ACT isn’t nearly as easy as it used to be, although test takers willing to travel to Asia have often uncovered unethical advantages on test day. Even that cheating strategy has been losing its luster as College Board and ACT stand ready to cancel a country’s tests at even the hint of a security breach. Cheating on the tests in the United States can certainly be more convenient, but certain very specific steps are required:

Step 1. Find a bad operator known for cheating.
In over 25 years in the test prep industry, I don’t recall ever meeting a professional willing to take a test or write an admissions essay for a student. Most test prep tutors and college counselors hold themselves to an extremely high ethical standard and seek to support the integrity of the admissions process. Every once in a while, though, you may uncover an operator who knows all the strings to pull and has no problem pulling them for a price. A true college admissions criminal understands the intricacies of how proctors are bribed, medical records are falsified, test answers are altered, and admissions decisions are unfairly influenced.

Step 2. Spend a STUPID amount of money.
Money definitely has the potential to influence admissions decisions, but usually only in gaudy amounts. But what recourse is available to cheaters who can’t afford to donate millions of dollars to elite universities? If test scores are the only weakness in a student’s application, you may be able to pay a shady operator (see Step 1) to either test in place of your teen or modify the multiple-choice grid after the fact to achieve a desired score. A professional cheater implicated in the current scandal earned anywhere from $10,000 to $75,000 per student. Not everyone gets off that cheap, though. One celebrity couple allegedly paid $500,000 to fraudulently get their two daughters into USC!

Step 3. Ruin your child’s life.
You’ve probably heard the old chestnut about how cheaters really only cheat themselves. But what about the kids who don’t even know until after the fact that their successes were secured dishonestly? The ringleader of this particular admissions scandal estimates that he personally helped approximately 750 families. Some of those families colluded with him without their children’s knowledge. These teens, whether witting or unwitting accomplices, learned highly caustic lessons:

The teens who knew their parents cheated to improve their admissions prospects learned that cheating is acceptable, especially if you can afford it.

The teens who did not know their parents cheated to improve their admissions prospects learned that they could not be trusted to realize their parents’ dreams for them.

It’s hard to imagine which lesson is more corrosive to a child’s character and self-image. I personally encounter thousands of high schoolers a year who work extremely hard in the pursuit of their undergraduate dreams. These teens often combine the commitment of professional athletes with the productivity skills of CEOs. Every one of them enters the competitive college admissions process knowing that they not only earned every acceptance but that they are well-prepared to succeed at the school they choose to attend. These are the lessons parents should want their children to learn. Buying entrance to a college where a student will most likely struggle sends an entirely different message.

Clearly, cheating on the big entrance exams or in the college admissions process in general is possible. However, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t right. Entrance into some magical dream school does not, contrary to some marketing campaigns, secure a future of success and happiness. Cheating your way into a school, on the other hand, almost always makes success and happiness that much harder to attain. Families with sufficient resources to contemplate highly expensive and unethical efforts to subvert the admissions process should instead invest a fraction of that money into quality preparation and coaching. Spend some of the rest on counseling to understand why you’d want to hurt your child by even considering cheating, and you’ll still have enough left over to cover a big chunk of tuition at whichever school your kid gets into on his or her own merits.

admissions cheating standardized tests

Previous articleThe Right Mindset for TestsNext article What to Know About SAT Subject Tests in 2019
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Can You Accept Criticism?
  • Happy Pi Day!
  • College Admissions Testing for the HS Classes of 2024 and 2025
  • A Scholarship for Word Nerds
  • Foundational Math on the SAT & ACT

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Testimonials

Overall, Ryan definitely improved his scores thru the help of Kaeti and thank you very much. We highly recommend Chariot Learning and will defintely use this resource for our youngest.

Donna, Pittsford mom

Read more testimonials...

PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is the ultimate college admissions industry podcast. Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley every Tuesday and Friday as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
© 2023 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.