Each year approximately two million students take the SAT. Out of the two million students each year, only about 2,000 students get caught cheating on the standardized test each year. The major consequence for this cheating on the SAT is the test scores being thrown out.

With the lack of consequences, it seems that more kids would be cheating on this test. Then again, just because about 2,000 students get caught cheating that does not mean that more students have not cheated. Also, each year approximately 1,000 students get their test scores cancelled on suspicious of cheating. (All according to: campusexplorer)

So, how does one cheat on the SAT? Well, there are a number of ways to cheat on this test.

One of the most common ways of cheating is simply looking at someone else’s test. When the SAT test makers realized this was a problem, they came up with the brilliant idea to create different tests. All the tests contain the same basic math, writing, and reading questions, but the sections of the tests are in a different order. By arranging the sections in different orders test makers hoped to limit the number of students cheating this way.

Others way of cheating include using cell phones to look up answers, or previously writing down answers and looking at that sheet during the exam. Even if the proctor does not catch a student cheating on the SAT or ACT, both tests offer anonymous hotlines for other students in the testing room to call if they suspect that another student is cheating.

There are two extremely risks ways that students, even today, cheat on the SAT or ACT. The first way includes exchanging papers with someone else who is in the classroom. Let’s say one student is very good at math and the other excels in reading, the two students will switch their papers in order to get high scores in both sections.

In 2010, there was a case of cheating on the SAT in Connecticut. Two students from Korea were taking the SAT test in Connecticut. A lecturer in Korea had taken the test just hours before, and sent the test questions to the students in Connecticut. Since there is a time difference, the students were able to research the answers to the questions and both received significantly higher scores than the previous times they had taken the test.

One of the biggest scandals involving the SAT took place in Long Island, New York in 2011. Here six students paid 19 year-old Samuel Eshaghoff to take the SAT test for them. The only reason the students got caught was because their SAT scores were so much higher than their usual school grades. All of the students, including Eshaghoff, were arrested. However, because the students were underage their names could not be released to the public.

Since the investigation took months the students had already used these SAT scores to get into college. Due to the fact that their names could not be released to the public none of the students could be denied to the college because of this scandal. This is true in all cases where students cheat on the SAT. If a student has been accepted to college the college will never find out about the cheating.

According to newyork.cbslocal, no case of cheating or alleged cheating on any exam has ever gone to criminal court. When he spoke about his conviction Eshaghoff mainly focused on the fact that he had helped these students, and that he did not feel bad about what he did. He also mentioned that if he wanted to, he could easily cheat on the exam again.

Due to the fact that there are so many problems with the standardized testing and so many ways for students to cheat many colleges are slowly beginning to fade out these tests. A number of colleges now have SAT optional applications where students are not required to take the test. Instead their acceptance is based on things like school grades, letters of recommendation, and interviews.

While it is not recommended that students cheat on the SAT, ACT, or any other form of standardized testing it is a risk many are willing to take. Because even if these students do get caught, it is unlikely that the college they will be attending is ever going to find out.

WHAT DO YOU THINK: Should the consequences for cheating on standardized testing be more strict? Should standardized testing in general be eliminated?