The PIE has published an article on the ongoing TOEIC cheating scandal in Japan, placing it in the context of what’s going on in testing at large. I was quoted a few times. As regards this topic, I think a few things are worth mentioning:
- Some traditional test makers insist that in-person testing is more secure than remote testing. That may be true. But if those test makers desire to influence the choices of score users, it is a claim which needs to be supported with evidence that goes beyond vagaries about over reliance on technology. In-person testing is fantastic, but it hasn’t exactly been covered in glory over the past 30 years.
- An enterprising journalist should look into what’s happening with the paper-based IELTS. All of the policy changes and service suspensions of the past couple years suggest that something is up. Maybe that relates to test security. I can’t be the one who looks into it, because I only pretend to be a journalist.
Note that the current scandal in Japan involves 800+ people who cheated on an in-person test over a period of several years.