How to Cheat on an Online Proctored Exam

Introduction

So, you're facing an online exam with a proctor watching through your webcam? Feeling the pressure? Maybe you've even thought, "Is there really any way around this?" Well, let's look at some of the working ways people might try to cheat on a proctored exam.

Hold up, though! These methods are purely for educational purposes. Actually trying these methods is academic suicide, towing a whole load of trouble behind it, and that responsibility is 100% on you.

1. Invisible Ink Keyboard: Answers Only You Can See During a Proctored Exam

Imagine having secret notes right on your keyboard, yet it's totally invisible to the proctoring software. Sounds like spy stuff, but UV-reactive ink makes this possible. This ink is clear in normal light but glows brightly under UV light.

How Someone Might Try This:

1. Get the Ink: First, grab some UV-sensitive ink (easily found online for cheap, maybe $5-$10) and a fine-tipped pen or brush.
2. Carefully write tiny formulas, keywords, or single-letter prompts onto the sides or tops of less-used keyboard keys. Let it dry completely.
3. Get a small UV torch (blacklight). Tape it securely under your desk, pointing up at the keyboard. Put it where you can switch it on secretly with your knee or foot to quickly see your notes.

2. The Coffee Mug Second Screen Helps You to Cheat

Your coffee mug – looks innocent, right?

The Concept:

1. Find a mug you can’t see through. A double-walled one might have space inside, or you could try to carefully make a hidden spot for your smartphone.
2. Before the test, put all your notes or pictures onto your phone. A simple notes app works fine. Set the screen brightness so you can see it, but it’s dim enough not to alert anyone.
3. Slot the phone inside the mug, with the screen facing up at the opening.
4. Now, angle the mug on your desk just right. The phone screen should reflect onto the inside curve of the mug. When you look down into the mug (like you’re about to sip), you can see the reflection. The webcam just sees a normal mug from the outside.

To scroll through notes without touching the phone, a tiny, hidden Bluetooth ring controller on your finger could work with small movements.
Act natural! Take fake sips sometimes. Glance briefly into the mug. Make it look like you’re just thinking or thirsty. Proctors almost never check inside mugs.

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3. Morse Code Smartwatch: Fool the Procters

Smartwatches are everywhere. Could they secretly tap out answers using vibrations? This method uses buzzes and some simple Morse code.

The Plan:

1. Use temporary ink (like henna, or even a pen, but it might smudge) to put tiny Morse code dots/dashes on your wrist or arm. Make it look like a random doodle. This is your secret key.
2. You need a friend helping from outside. Set up your smartwatch (using certain apps) to buzz in custom ways. Agree on a code: maybe three short buzzes (•••) means ‘C’, and a long then short buzz (–•) means ‘B’. Your friend sends these signals.
3. Rest your arm naturally, maybe under the desk edge or on your lap. When your friend sends the code, the watch vibrates silently against your skin.
4. Feel the buzzes, glance at your ‘doodle’ key if needed, and figure out the answers. This takes a lot of focus while looking completely normal on camera.

4. The "Lag Switch" Gamble: Having Bad Wi-Fi During a Proctored Exam

Annoying internet lag could actually help you cheat! This method relies on the idea that video feed freezes create unmonitored moments.

Exploiting the Freeze:

1. Before the test, record a short video loop of yourself sitting at the desk, looking like you’re thinking hard. Make it look real.
2. Make your Wi-Fi unstable during the exam on purpose. Maybe use a VPN to slow it down, or run big downloads on another device. The goal is short, intermittent freezes, not a total disconnect.
3. When your connection freezes up, the proctor might briefly see your recorded ‘thinking face’ loop instead of you live.
4. In that very short frozen moment, quickly use a hidden phone or another device to look up an answer. You have to be incredibly fast.
5. Get back to looking like you’re taking the test immediately, before the live video catches up.

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5. Reverse Mirror Sticky Notes Designed for Proctored Exams

Webcams see what’s in front, but not right behind your monitor. This method uses that blind spot with backward writing and a mirror.
Setting the Stage:

1. Write your key notes (formulas, dates) backwards on sticky notes.
2. Stick these backward notes on the wall or the back of your monitor, where the webcam can’t see them at all.
3. Get a small mirror (like one for makeup or in a pencil case). Place this ‘pencil case’ on your desk like it belongs there.
4. Angle the mirror subtly inside the case so it reflects the backward notes. In the mirror, the writing looks normal! Steal quick glances into your ‘pencil case’.

6. Your Silent Partner in A Proctored Exam

If you can’t use standard earphones, bone conduction headphones might be an option. They send sound through vibrations in your bones, not your ear canal.

The Setup:

1. Find thin bone conduction headphones.
2. Tuck them under a headband, sweatband, or under your hair if it’s long enough. They need to be invisible on camera.
3. You need a friend to help. Set up a voice call on Discord. Your friend stays muted so the proctor’s mic doesn’t hear them. Your mic should also be muted or turned way down.
4. Your friend whispers answers or hints. You ‘hear’ them inside your head from the vibrations. The proctor only sees silence.

7. Notes Hiding as Chapters in a Proctored Exam

If textbooks or notes are allowed, could you change them to hide answers? This means altering them.
The Craft Project:

1. Carefully cut out relevant textbook pages (or print your own notes formatted to look like textbook pages).
2. Get binder tabs or index cards. Label them like real chapter headings ("Chapter 3", "Formulas").
3. Glue your chosen pages (or cheat sheets) onto these tabs.
4. During the exam, casually flip through your ‘tabbed notes’ like you’re just checking something allowed. You’re actually finding your planted answers.

8. AI Partner in a Proctored Exam

Could your smart speaker be a secret helper? By setting up coded questions, it’s possible.

Programming Your Assistant:

1. Use the Alexa/Google Home/Shortcuts app to create special commands. Link a normal question (“What’s the weather?”) to a special reply that includes the info you need (“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”).
2. Make several harmless-sounding trigger questions linked to different answers
3. Your phone needs to be connected and listening, but totally muted. Place the speaker nearby but out of the webcam view.
4. During the test, ask a coded question quietly.

9 Hydration is Important in a Proctored Exam

Drinking water is normal during exams. But could the bottle’s label be hiding secrets?

The Refreshing Ruse:

1. Buy waterproof printer paper (£8-£10 online). Print tiny notes onto it.
2. Carefully peel back the bottle's label without tearing it. Slip your printed notes underneath, flat against the bottle. Smooth the label back down perfectly.
3. Take sips often. As you lift the bottle, rotate it casually so the hidden notes face you. Look quickly!

Act natural! Don’t stare at the label. Practice rotating it smoothly. A messy label is a dead giveaway. Being nervous could make your hands shake, which looks suspicious.

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10. Deepfake Face Swap Answers the Exam for You

Using AI to create a fake video of you taking the test while the real you cheats off-camera.

The Plan:

1. Create a realistic video feed of you 'taking the exam'.
2. Route this fake video through your webcam software. The proctor sees the fake you.
3. The real you is off-camera, looking up answers.

Conclusion

Dont Cheat, instead:

• Study Smarter, Not Harder: Find techniques that genuinely help you learn and remember. Active recall, spaced repetition, practice questions – they work!
• Know Your Enemy (The Exam, Not the Proctor!): Get familiar with the exam format. Use past papers. Understand what's expected. This really helps lower anxiety.
• Sleep is Your Superpower: Your brain needs rest to function. Cramming all night is less effective than a good night's sleep.

That clever thinking it takes to come up with cheating methods? Imagine using that same energy to actually learn the subject. You’ll feel way better about yourself, and the results will be truly yours.