ACT-ing out

The room was 10 degrees below comfortable, the test was much harder than I was used to and I realized I was bubbling my answers for the wrong questions about half-way through the math section. I am allowed to be worried about that. I should not, however, be worried about people taking a picture of my scantron or blatantly cheating off my test.

After the most recent ACT, I walked out of University High School mostly grateful that it was over, but also very stressed and concerned after hearing numerous stories of cheating. I couldn’t care less if you copied a couple of problems from the previous night’s history homework, but cheating on the ACT or SAT is on a completely different level of disrespect, denoting a complete lack of honesty and morality.

The ACT and SAT are tests that, while I hate to say it, play a large role in determining our academic futures. The fact that someone who cheated on this test could take a spot at my dream school is simply unfair, selfish and unethical.

While cheating is primarily the fault of the cheater (and cheatee if he or she willingly participates), I found it shocking that ACT Incorporated — the company that develops the ACT — has only employed limited measures to prevent it. Firstly, it’s somewhat idiotic to think that it is a good idea to put a test out without multiple versions. Secondly, I have never sat through an official test where the proctor wasn’t on his or her phone the entire time or wasn’t otherwise distracted. That isn’t really a recipe for success and it definitely doesn’t promote honesty.

While standing in line at the test, I heard people whispering about how they came to the test prepared to cheat.  Many were relying on the capabilities of others from the start, with no intent to try at all. They hadn’t taken a single practice test to improve their score, instead spending time perfecting their cheating methods — they would get away with it, in the end.

People need to understand the repercussions and effects that their actions create. Cheating shows people the amount of integrity you have — very little — and puts every single person in that testing facility at risk of getting his or her scores canceled. Furthermore, it creates a false representation of who you are. I want to be accepted into college for my own capabilities, not the person’s next to me.

And, given recent events, ACT Inc. obviously agrees with me. Developers of the ACT decided to investigate University High School’s testing center, slightly delaying all of the center’s scores. This delayed these students’ entire college application process and made it much more stressful than necessary.

Once the scores eventually came out, my frustration grew as I heard accounts of unbelievably good scores that everyone knew were results of cheating. My worst fear had come true; these immoral students would be favored by colleges and it was out of my control.

All over the ACT testing center there are signs that say, “Do the right thing” and “Report cheating.” People are often very reluctant to report cheaters, given the possible greater ordeal that it could create. Yes, I understand this reluctance, because I know that if someone cheated off my test I wouldn’t want my score to be canceled. But, at the same time, the ACT and SAT have many ways to anonymously report cheating, which should eliminate any reluctance to do so.

Don’t let someone get away with something that can significantly affect so many other students. I support those who are honest and make sure that everyone’s score is an accurate representation of his or her intelligence.

Every day I am told that I will end up at the school that is right for me.  However, it is hard to accept this fate when people will be admitted to schools that they don’t deserve to attend. If a person who cheats on his or her ACT gets into the school of my dreams instead of me, the entire college admissions process is suspect and in essence, supports such dishonesty.

The college process is 100 percent competition. The reality is that our admissions decision is based purely on comparing one person’s application to another’s. That is just the nature of the process, but cheating messes up the balance of this. There is always the possibility that I am being compared to someone whose application is fake.

Cheating and lack of integrity might provide benefits in the short term but harms the entire system in the long term. For those honest people out there who don’t cheat, don’t allow people to cheat off of you and don’t give them any reason to think that it is okay to cheat — it isn’t.

Please, be aware of what cheating causes and help stop it. I can assure you that getting a 32 on the ACT or a 2100 on the SAT is much more of an accomplishment when you received the score honestly.

To get that score, study up, take practice tests and pray to whatever deity you do or don’t affiliate with — but don’t cheat.