Is Using a Test Bank Cheating or Illegal: Can you be Caught?

It is a ready-made electronic testing resource that lecturers use in their teaching missions. The cool thing is that the lecturer can customize it to their preferences. The author tailored its content to a specific textbook.

The test bank provides a variety of questions in unique objective formats. The instructor should be careful when choosing the questions for an exam or quiz. The instructor also decides the points assigned to each question. 

Ideally, using a test bank is considered cheating because you get answers to exam questions from a source prohibited under the academic dishonesty rules.

However, if you are using test banks for regular revision and studying before the exam, it is not cheating. Therefore, the time and how you use them determines dishonesty or not.

This is because test banks may produce some of the questions that might appear on the exam. Students might be studying questions that are likely to appear on an exam.

Such gives an advantage to those students who encountered such questions before the exam hence making them score highly.

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Instances when using Test Banks are Cheating

There are many ways that students cheat on exams and tests in school. One of them is getting answers from some websites or a collection of answers from books.

While these sources may sometimes be used for revision purposes, they are also used for cheating when students seek and present the answers. The following are how test banks aid cheating in schools.

1. Copying the Answers

A test bank provides the user with a wide range of knowledge. Most of the multiple-choice questions that appear in this environment cover a wide area.

It can help one understand the kind of questions that could appear in the final exam and prepare adequately.

Students can specialize by finding the answers to the questions that appear in the test bank and researching for their respective answers.

Consequently, they will specialize by studying them. When some of the questions appear in the exam, we may term it as dishonesty.

2. Posting Your School Questions

Test banks work through a preferred institution’s system. Once students access them, they can post them to various educational forums and seek answers.

Such platforms could be Reddit, Quora, or Course Hero.

These platforms are resourceful in giving the correct answer to the posed question. One can master those answers and eventually use them to prepare for the final exam.

Luckily, if some of the questions appear in the exam, one gains an advantage. That is cheating.

3. Getting Answers in Exams

One can cheat by searching for the answers during exams. Students find references that they use to handle specific exam questions since they know the type of questions that could appear.

Instances when using Test Bank is Not Cheating

Sometimes, having access to a past test does not imply that you cheated. We can relate that to some legal systems where it is not a crime to access past papers for practice purposes. Any work that is under your syllabus must be studied.

The only difference is that the professor has the responsibility to alter the questions if he wants students to know them in advance. Below are the instances in which using a test bank is safe.

When using for Revision

Well, it is not cheating when you use a test bank for effective revision. Such involves accessing the questions and finding the answers in a usable and flexible way.  

One should practice how to answer exam questions appropriately. Effective revision is not reading the notes passively.

This is the same reason websites like SparkNotes or Cliffnotes are used for revision. Just like test banks, using SparkNotes does not cheat, which makes it suitable for quick revision.

Furthermore, effective revision involves thorough research and getting in-depth details that will make you confident when facing the actual exam.

To study

The test bank questions can motivate you to study and understand your course. You can review the questions and link them with other materials and notes to study and find the answers effectively.

Past quizzes give insight into how lecturers frame questions. Create a perfect study routine that will ensure that you cover all sections of your course.

Use these questions to help you identify your areas of strength and weakness. Pay more attention to topics that challenge you.  

To get Points when Writing

You can use a test bank to get points when you are writing. You can reference a textbook and gather the right facts to write in your essays.

When looking for answers in the test banks, you gather the points well and revise and write minor points about a particular problem.

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How to use Test Banks Well

Test banks are time-saving resources that professors use to develop tests for their courses. They contain a diverse selection of questions and feedback on a particular answer offered directly by students.

Currently, most test banks do not rely on questions from a chosen publisher but have genuine exams uploaded online. We should use the test bank for the following reasons:

1. Enhance Knowledge

As you use your test bank, aim to enhance your knowledge through a detailed study. You can use the content of the test bank to sharpen your knowledge and later gain good marks during your exams.

Since test banks cover a wide area, you will gain a wide range of knowledge and skills. Exhausting the contents well will increase your grip on particular topics, which gives you a significant advantage as you face the exam.

2. Motivation

We use test banks to generate ideas for questions. These banks give a hint of the type of questions that may appear on the exam. Students should use them to prepare for the exam and learn how to answer them in a real situation.

3. Feedback

Since test banks provide feedback assistance, you can access references to particular textbook pages.

As such, it becomes easy to gather information concerning a particular concept.

If one does not want to use the feedback option, turning it off is inevitable.

4. Crafted Assessment

Tutors always find it time-consuming to fabricate the assignment. Since test banks have questions and answers from every section of the syllabus, it saves time for the instructor to create assessments.

Also, the instructor has the option to modify the assignment. So, while this is one of some common college essay hacks to write papers faster, it cannot be used when teachers assign unique assignments.

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FAQs on Test Banks

Can students use test banks?

Yes, students should use the test banks as a learning and studying tool. Most test banks help students revise and study for their examinations.

There is nothing wrong with students using test banks as long as they are not using them for cheating purposes. Institutions or students should, therefore, enhance their learning activities by adopting test banks.

Can you get caught buying test banks online?

Yes. Some publishers try to restrict students’ access to the test banks, making them inaccessible. One should know the school policy about the test banks. If the school regulation prohibits their use, then keep them off to remain safe.

The good news is that many institutions do not restrict students from using test banks for education and studying purposes. Liaise with your professor to understand the policy well.

Is test banks online legit?

Yes, test banks are legit and useful learning tools for both instructors and students. It is up to students to use them to enhance their study goals. Test banks carry the right materials to assist one in learning and studying to understand some facts and pass exams.

Typically, test banks are legit programs that can uplift your educational standard if you use them responsibly. Always check their rating before you use them.

Are test banks anonymous?

Since one can access the test banks from online platforms, you can read and find out their details from their site. Also, you should read their profile well to understand what they stand for. Of course, they cannot be anonymous as long as a publisher created them based on a particular textbook.