Why'd my answers get marked wrong when I have the same answers?
Students copy answers from one another during examinations, which ruins the grading curve for everyone else and can even implicate innocent students who are caught in group chats. This dishonesty allows students to get high scores undeservedly while penalizing those who did not cheat.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from September 2026.
- This comes up 17.8× more often in r/Accounting than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using multiple scrambled test versions
- 2Faking additional test versions to induce panic
- 3Placing an incorrect answer key nearby to trap cheaters
- 4Reporting the cheaters to the professor or academic department
- 5Sending a generic email recommending a second camera or mirror for remote exams
- 6Leaving the student group chat to avoid being implicated
- 7Ignoring the cheating and minding one's own business
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I had a kid say, “Why’d my answers get marked wrong when I have the same answers as [kid sitting next to him]?””source ↗
“I've always minded my own business since it hasn't affected me.”source ↗
“will likely ruin any curve we might've originally gotten (especially since Corp. Tax is known to be a very difficult class and many people who didn't cheat got around a 60).”source ↗
“See the problem with not reporting is you could be implicated/punished for cheating just because you’re in the chat. At least that would be my fear”source ↗
“They are actively cheating you and the other students in class out of points if their high scores hold up the curve”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Students cheating and filming with smart glasses
- 2How to help kids understand what test questions are asking
- 3How to teach students how to fill out Scantron forms
- 12How to stop classroom interruptions from photo and video documentation
- 2Why do students just copy worksheet text instead of answering?
- 4Why does IT send fake phishing emails that stress us out?