The Student Room Group

Would you cheat on your uni exams to get a 1st, if you knew you wouldn't get caught?

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Reply 20
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
Let's say you find a magic genie who whispers you the answers and there's no way for anyone to find out.

Would you give in to the temptation?


These stats are horrifying. More of you would cheat than you would do it honestly?

The lack of integrity and general waywardness of people on this site is so disapointing.
What about proving yourself?
What about being the best version of yourself?
What about learning for the sake of knowledge?

I am apalled.
(edited 7 years ago)
it depends on how your like. if you know you can get a first without cheating, dont cheat.
Reply 22
I would have said no to this, probably, at the beginning of my course at Uni. Towards the end though, I'd gotten much more pragmatic.

I was fed up of studying in my last year of uni. Years of doing it = bored. Solving problems had lost it's fun. Partly because they were so much harder.

As a result, I tracked my grades and performance very closely. I knew what I needed to get in every exam to get what I wanted (a first) and worked just as much as I needed. I started making strategic decisions, such as what I needed to learn to answer questions satisfactory, rather than previously I'd learn all I could to understand the subject.

Our exams were structured with a question you could drop, so I'd study past papers and learn only what I felt I needed to pass (often this worked, gap in knowledge could be worked around).

Basically, Uni became less about learning and more about passing. My focus was on what came after, I wanted to be working in a years time. Feeding into my decision is that I quickly decided I didn't want to work in Physics (my degree). The only real option was academia, which clearly I didn't want to do.

So I would be using my degree to get a job doing something other than Physics, so an in depth knowledge of the subject only served me one purpose - getting a tick in the "degree" box so I could go do engineering or software development.

Ultimately, I managed things very well and got a comfortable few percentages over a first - slap bang on my target grade. No point getting 90% when I can get 72% and it's all the same in the end.

Am I glad I did this? Sure am. Never touched any of my knowledge of physics, even as a job as a data analysis. My first job out of Uni was in software (then did some engineering, now back to software) so I owe my career to what I did in my spare time during my degree. I was completely self taught. So yeah, glad I didn't put more effort in and less into that!

I've mostly forgotten the stuff I learned at Uni. It's pretty useless to me.

That said, there are more nuanced skills I learned that I wouldn't have had I not had the experience, and personal development that I wouldn't want to have missed out on. I don't think I would have done so well later if I had not had to put that work in.

Would I cheat to get a first? Yes. But I'd somehow do it without myself knowing so I'd still have to do the work, but if I did fail I'd not have to deal with that (and magically find out I'd cheated). In reality I'm too risk averse to cheat. But magic?

So who knows, maybe I did meet a jinni and he granted my wish and made me forget!
I'm not sure.
Yes. Respect to the ones who genuinely wouldn't, lol to the ones who say no just to attract attention and praise from others :u:
Original post by JPO92
These stats are horrifying. More of you would cheat than you would do it honestly?

The lack of integrity and general waywardness of people on this site is so disapointing.
What about proving yourself?
What about being the best version of yourself?
What about learning for the sake of knowledge?

I am apalled.


Calm down, it's not that deep. There's a difference between cheating in reality and answering a question involving a ****ing magical genie, if I had a genie who gave the answers, of course I'd abuse it.
Of course I would.

Who cares about 'integrity'? Integrity gets you nowhere, and changes nothing. No one will give you an award for having 'integrity'.
Yeah ofc. My future is too important to not.

Also, I know that intellectually i can get a first my i struggle to work hard, so it wouldn't hurt my pride much.
Original post by JPO92
These stats are horrifying. More of you would cheat than you would do it honestly?

The lack of integrity and general waywardness of people on this site is so disapointing.
What about proving yourself?
What about being the best version of yourself?
What about learning for the sake of knowledge?

I am apalled.


Hard work can only get you so far in life. Plus honesty is the best policy
Original post by claireestelle
Hell no, part of my happiness in getting firsts was the sense of achievement from it.

sense of achievement means nothing in the real world
Reply 30
Original post by Dinasaurus
Calm down, it's not that deep. There's a difference between cheating in reality and answering a question involving a ****ing magical genie, if I had a genie who gave the answers, of course I'd abuse it.


What your reply means is that you are willing to cast aside your integrity for an easy life. I would happily condemn anyone willing to answer that question by saying they would cheat.

Where is this genie then?

Maybe you should ask it for a stronger set of moral principles, yours are clearly lacking...
Reply 31
Original post by TheFarmerLad
Hard work can only get you so far in life. Plus honesty is the best policy


Did you say 'honesty is the best policy' in an intentionally satirical way?

If not, I'd like to point out the absurdity of that paradox given the subject being dealt with.
Original post by JPO92
What your reply means is that you are willing to cast aside your integrity for an easy life. I would happily condemn anyone willing to answer that question by saying they would cheat.

Where is this genie then?

Maybe you should ask it for a stronger set of moral principles, yours are clearly lacking...


Morality is purely a subjective, construct.

There is no genie?
Original post by JPO92
Did you say 'honesty is the best policy' in an intentionally satirical way?

If not, I'd like to point out the absurdity of that paradox given the subject being dealt with.


Chill, is something wrong with you?
Reply 34
What does @Puddles the Monkey think? :wink:
I just see graduating as a pointless obstacle, rather than an achievement.

So yes.
Reply 36
Original post by Dinasaurus
Morality is purely a subjective, construct.

There is no genie?


Morality is indeed a subjective construct. You are lacking in substance.

Ultimately, your cheating is only cheating yourself.

I take offence to people selling themselves short for any reason, including their education.
Reply 37
Original post by Dinasaurus
Chill, is something wrong with you?


Whatever do you mean?

Why would there be anything wrong with me for taking a strong stance on something?
Original post by JPO92
Did you say 'honesty is the best policy' in an intentionally satirical way?

If not, I'd like to point out the absurdity of that paradox given the subject being dealt with.


No, I mean that I am being honest in saying yes, I would cheat given the circumstances above. Sounds bad I know but that's what I'd do, and I think several of the those saying 'no' would change their mind if they were fortunate enough to be in such a situation. To the ones that don't, respect :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 39
Original post by TheFarmerLad
No, I mean that I am being honest in saying yes, I would cheat given the circumstances above. Sounds bad I know but that's what I'd do, and I think several of the those saying 'no' would change if they were fortunate enough to be in such a situation. To the ones that don't, respect :smile:


Fair enough. I think that you would do better to have a bit more self respect for your own ability.

There is no reason why you cannot attain those grades authentically through your own hard work.

You will, more than likely feel more fulfillment through achieving anything in life with your own effort, rather than cheating to reach those means.

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