DETECTING ANSWER COPYING ON HIGH-STAKES TESTS

C heating is a potentially serious problem on high-stakes tests, such as the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), because it can result in under-qualified individuals receiving their Board’s certification to practice, thereby undermining the certification process. Because cheating on exams has such serious ramifications, it is important for test administrators to minimize cheating opportunities and detect it when it occurs. Statistical indices such as the index can be a useful tool in determining whether an applicant copied answers.