Cheating in online quizzes: what actually helps
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Teachers worry that students will share answers during an online quiz. A tool cannot make a quiz cheat-proof, and any claim that it does should be treated with caution. What you can do is make cheating less useful, less tempting and easier to spot, and decide what the quiz is for. Here are measures that help, and some that do not.
Decide what the quiz is for
For a low-stakes revision quiz, the aim is learning, and a few copied answers matter little. For a quiz that counts, you need more care, or you should use a supervised test. The more a quiz counts, the more the format matters.
What helps
These measures raise the effort of cheating and lower its reward.
- Shuffle the order of questions for each student, so a neighbour's screen shows a different question.
- Keep a limited time per question, so searching for answers is hard.
- Write questions about your own examples and material, which are not easy to look up.
- Check the answer on the server, so the answers are never in the student's browser to read.
- Use many questions and give some marks to harder application questions.
- Keep stakes low and explain why honesty matters.
What does not help much
A single fixed order of questions invites sharing. A very long time per question gives time to look things up. Making a quiz anonymous removes accountability. Believing that detection tools catch everything leads to false confidence and unfair accusations.
Supervision matters more than software
A quiz in a classroom, where you can see the room, is easier to trust than one taken at home. If a quiz must be taken at home, use it for learning, not for a high-stakes grade.
What a quiz tool should not claim
A class quiz with a link is not an invigilated exam: it has no camera or screen monitoring, and a student can still ask a friend. Be honest with students and with yourself about that, and design the quiz accordingly.
If you suspect copying
Do not accuse a student because of a score. Look at the pattern, talk to the student and, if it matters, ask them to explain an answer in person, as in a short viva. A conversation shows understanding better than software can.
Talk to students about why it matters
Many students copy because they are afraid of a low mark, not because they want to deceive. Say what the quiz is for, that low-stakes mistakes help you teach, and that honest answers give you the information you need. A calm, clear conversation before the quiz reduces cheating more than a long list of rules.
Turn your own slides into a quiz
Upload your slides, book pages or notes and the AI writes multiple-choice questions from them. You edit, set the marks and time, and share one link. No student accounts.
See the quiz gameFrequently asked questions
- Can any online quiz be cheat-proof?
- No. You can reduce cheating with shuffling, timing and original questions, but not remove it. Use supervised assessment for high-stakes grades.
- Do time limits stop cheating?
- They make searching harder but also add pressure. Use enough time to read and think, with extra time for calculations.
- What about the oral option?
- A short conversation about the answers is a reliable check. That is the idea behind AI-assisted vivas for projects.