Cheating on the NCIDQ Exam

By Kathleen Butler, Deputy Director

  

Kathleen Butler is NCIDQ’s Deputy Director and resident policy wonk. She jokes that she sleeps with her policy manual under her pillow, and frankly, we think she might not be joking. She also oversees NCIDQ’s intellectual property and guards our rights closely in that area. In this blog post, she explains what NOT to do as part of your ethical obligation as a  professional.

 

NCIDQ and its member boards take their commitment to public protection seriously. Our Certificate holders, who have worked so hard to earn the NCIDQ Certificate, take the credential seriously. That’s why we work hard to uphold the integrity of the credential through strict controls of our examination content and our intellectual property (such as our publications, Web content, logo, etc.).

 

We recognize that preparing for the NCIDQ Exam is stressful and candidates will want to have every advantage in the process. But… it’s important to know when having (or providing) the advantage crosses the line into cheating or unethical, or even illegal, behavior.

 

Testing Irregularities (aka “Cheating”)

I’m sure you have an understanding of what it means to cheat on the NCIDQ Exam--giving or receiving assistance, for example. But NCIDQ has a much broader view of what cheating includes. If you access any unauthorized device or material during the exam, such as a cell phone or a notebook, we will presume you are accessing it for the purposes of assistance on the exam—even if you tell us you are not. These testing irregularities come with consequences ranging from cancelling your scores to suspending your exam privileges. Depending on where you live, it could affect your ability to receive a license to practice.

 

You can read NCIDQ’s examination policies here.

 

What surprises most people is that discussing the content of the examination may be considered cheating, depending on what you say and where you say it. We see instances of people posting exam comments on forums after the examination, and we know that’s to be expected. Discussing your experiences in the exam is allowed; however, recounting specific information is considered cheating in the world of testing and licensure examinations. We do take action when we find this. For instance, we took legal action against an educator in Arizona who took the exam and then posted as many questions and answers as she could remember afterward. This compromises the security of the examination and undermines the integrity of the credential you are working so hard to attain.

 

Exam applicants are required to submit a signed copy of NCIDQ’s Candidate Authorization and Consent Form. This, in effect, becomes your “contract” with the NCIDQ. You will also be asked to accept NCIDQ’s Confidentiality Agreement and Statement of Responsibility each time you register for the examination. You should read these items carefully so that you understand your responsibilities as an exam candidate and the implications of breaching them.

 

Other professions are taking a much harder stand. For instance, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) added $40 per section to all its exam fees to offset the cost of developing new questions that were compromised by candidates. The eight candidates who were identified were sanctioned severely by NCARB, including cancellation of exam scores and suspension of testing privileges for various amounts of time. You can read more about NCARB’s actions here.

  

The engineers have gone even further. The National Council of Examiners of Engineering and Surveying won a million-dollar judgment last year against a candidate who was caught cheating on the NCEES exam. You can read about this case here.

 

Kathleen has more to say about the ethical obligations of professional interior designers. Read what she says about copying NCIDQ study materials.