Scenario: You catch your best friend blatantly cheating on a written exam...

[jozn]

What (if anything) do you do?

 

I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this. In real life, I'd probably take it up with them personally and advise them against it in the future (for their own sake as well as for fairness sake). Although talking to the professor about it would seem appropriate in theory, I don't think I would actually do this in real life. After all, you risk losing years of friendship over one single mistake.

[future_doc]

I caught someone cheating on exams, i.e., I saw him cheating in a sophisticated manner and getting away with it. He was not a friend and did it repeatedly for several exams. I was angry but did nothing. He failed every one of these exams. I don't know if there is a moral here. When you report someone, you need to have some evidence, otherwise it is he said, she said.

[jk.rofling]

Taking it up personally is the best thing. I guarantee if you say that you'd rat him out because you think that's what the interviewer wants to say you'll be challenged much harder. Possible follow up questions of "do you value friendship" and things.

 

That being said, if you honestly would rat out a friend and throw away a friendship and can defend doing so, then that should be your answer.

[skp1187]

I would do the following:

 

1) Talk to him after the exam and let him know that you saw him cheating. Ask him why he cheated? (stress, didn't study, or maybe some external factor aside from school is affecting him such as depression, substance abuse, family conflicts). Tell him you thought that cheating was wrong and completely inappropriate.

 

2) Also educate him on the consequences of academic dishonesty

 

In the end, I would give him a second chance but affirm him that if he did do it again, I would feel like I would need to let the professor know.

[Guest viscous]

I would do the following:

 

1) Talk to him after the exam and let him know that you saw him cheating. Ask him why he cheated? (stress, didn't study, or maybe some external factor aside from school is affecting him such as depression, substance abuse, family conflicts). Tell him you thought that cheating was wrong and completely inappropriate.

 

2) Also educate him on the consequences of academic dishonesty

 

In the end, I would give him a second chance but affirm him that if he did do it again, I would feel like I would need to let the professor know.

 

That means you have let your friendship win over moral values. Friendship is valuable within the context of one's values. And one's values should not be immoral.

 

I'd personally report that friend but I'd let him know, for friendship's sake, before reporting that I am going to report this. Of course I'll ask him why did he cheat? If he had some death in his family or something and did not study, i would sympathize and might reconsider my decision based on his previous attitudes. If I know he has never cheated before, I probably would not report in such case.

 

But there is also an issue of anecdotal evidence. Would my testimony be any worth if I report AFTER the exam? The professor would not give a jack about what I have say about someone cheating. Unless there is visual evidence.

[mattg]

lol I can't see anyone actually reporting someone they saw cheating in real life, let alone a friend... I've seen tons of people cheating in university... regardless, if you report them after wards to the prof, it means nothing because there's no evidence, and you look like a complete douche, and ruin your friendship... at most, in real life (and this is what I'd say too), I would likely just tell him after wards I saw him cheating, remind him of the consequences if caught, offer to help him out in the class if he needs it, and not to cheat in the future for his own sake

 

if someone wants to cheat, let them cheat... you personally are not breaking your moral code, and you're in no place to report them... people who cheat will get caught eventually if they make a habit of it... and if they need to cheat, they probably won't be going far anyways... no need to personally report them, essentially in an effort to get them expelled - let alone a friend... you want to ruin their life (potentially) because they did something wrong?

 

and with regards to putting friendship over moral values... so what? he is doing something that is not against his moral code (and it's not like it's harming anyone other than himself)... your moral code is in tact - a moral code is something you live by, not something you necessarily impose on others... what if smoking is something you would never indulge in, and you think it is stupid (ie. you do not value it)... doesn't mean you can't be friends with a smoker... what if you see someone jaywalking, are you going to call the police? or if you knew someone was carrying >3grams of weed, would you call the police on them?.... being unwaveringly constricted by always doing what is *technically* right is not always a good thing...

 

That means you have let your friendship win over moral values. Friendship is valuable within the context of one's values. And one's values should not be immoral.

 

I'd personally report that friend but I'd let him know, for friendship's sake, before reporting that I am going to report this. Of course I'll ask him why did he cheat? If he had some death in his family or something and did not study, i would sympathize and might reconsider my decision based on his previous attitudes. If I know he has never cheated before, I probably would not report in such case.

 

But there is also an issue of anecdotal evidence. Would my testimony be any worth if I report AFTER the exam? The professor would not give a jack about what I have say about someone cheating. Unless there is visual evidence.

[skp1187]

lol I can't see anyone actually reporting someone they saw cheating in real life, let alone a friend... I've seen tons of people cheating in university... regardless, if you report them after wards to the prof, it means nothing because there's no evidence, and you look like a complete douche, and ruin your friendship... at most, in real life (and this is what I'd say too), I would likely just tell him after wards I saw him cheating, remind him of the consequences if caught, offer to help him out in the class if he needs it, and not to cheat in the future for his own sake

 

if someone wants to cheat, let them cheat... you personally are not breaking your moral code, and you're in no place to report them... people who cheat will get caught eventually if they make a habit of it... and if they need to cheat, they probably won't be going far anyways... no need to personally report them, essentially in an effort to get them expelled - let alone a friend... you want to ruin their life (potentially) because they did something wrong?

 

and with regards to putting friendship over moral values... so what? he is doing something that is not against his moral code (and it's not like it's harming anyone other than himself)... your moral code is in tact - a moral code is something you live by, not something you necessarily impose on others... what if smoking is something you would never indulge in, and you think it is stupid (ie. you do not value it)... doesn't mean you can't be friends with a smoker... what if you see someone jaywalking, are you going to call the police? or if you knew someone was carrying >3grams of weed, would you call the police on them?.... being unwaveringly constricted by always doing what is *technically* right is not always a good thing...

 

Yah I totally agree. I mean the question says your BEST friend. Are you really going to report him/her lol? I doubt it. It would be wise to let them know where you stand on the issue and what you think is right and offer any help but really what else can you do

[aKGDH]

It is not immoral not to report your friend. If he were cheating on an exam and this directly jepordized the safety of other people, you must report this. I agree with everyone who said to have a serious conversation with the friend and perhaps find out the root of the problem.

[future_doc]

What if your best friend was cheating in a med school exam? (which has implications for the safety of others)

[skp1187]

What if your best friend was cheating in a med school exam? (which has implications for the safety of others)

 

wow thats tough but realistically I probably wouldn't report him (consequences could be devastating such as compromised friendship and possible expulsion? I would not want to destroy his career). I really think though it depends on your friend. Has he committed academic dishonesty before? If he has multiple times, I would feel like he hasn't learned his lesson and I would def be more prone to reporting him. I would let him know of course first that what he did was totally inappropriate.

 

Problem is how are you going to prove he cheated? Unless there were witnesses (and I don't even think that would be enough), its just going to be your word against his and that wouldn't lead anywhere and just ruin your friendship

[future_doc]

Yes, the issue is one of proof. As a practical matter, one can only really report one's 'suspicions' with the recommendation that the powers that be keep a watchful eye on this individual writing exams in the future.

[Cyradis]

What if the question was changed to: You find out your friend lied to gain entry into medical school, what would you do?

 

Would your answer still be the same?

[mattg]

Yea.

 

By the way, a ton of people lie on their applications lol. You're going to report your friend? Call the universities as deep throat - "call the verifier for bowling league champion on Bob Smith's application... he didn't really win the championship -it's a lie"

[future_doc]

What if the question was changed to: You find out your friend lied to gain entry into medical school, what would you do?

 

Would your answer still be the same?

 

Anybody who lies to gain entry into med school is a complete fool - he/she is subject to expulsion at any time prior to obtaining the MD, and it is extremely unlikely that any other med school would ever accept this person.

 

Let me change the question slightly: On the assumption that you too have been accepted at the same med school, if your friend is found out and it is discovered that you were aware of his deciet, might they then consider you complicit in what is a fraudulent scheme for your friend's acceptance and take some form of action against you? And is it worth it for the possibility, however slight, of your own future being on the line b/c you go along with the lie? Often, we don't understand the consequences of our acts (e.g., Michael Jackson's doctor as an extreme example)

[mattg]

Anybody who lies to gain entry into med school is a complete fool - he/she is subject to expulsion at any time prior to obtaining the MD, and it is extremely unlikely that any other med school would ever accept this person.

 

Let me change the question slightly: On the assumption that you too have been accepted at the same med school, if your friend is found out and it is discovered that you were aware of his deciet, might they then consider you complicit in what is a fraudulent scheme for your friend's acceptance and take some form of action against you? And is it worth it for the possibility, however slight, of your own future being on the line b/c you go along with the lie? Often, we don't understand the consequences of our acts (e.g., Michael Jackson's doctor as an extreme example)

 

I highly doubt that scenario... first of all, how would they prove it - your friend would have to take you down with him, and even still, I don't see how he would have legit proof... secondly, I highly doubt a med school would expel you for that, even though they would likely say that they would

[future_doc]

matt, on a practical level, yes, you are correct. Of course, the ethical issue remains. Let's say one of Dr Murray's medical buddies was aware of precisely what he was doing with Michael Jackson. Assuming there is proff of the o ther doctors's knowledge and acquiescence b y not reporting him to the medical authorities, I think his medical buddy would be in trouble with the medical licencing authorities.

[mattg]

cheating isn't the same as illegally administering drugs though... yes, he is cheating en route to becoming a doctor, wherein he will have other people's lives in his hands... however, he must be clinically competent to actually become a doctor - cheating on a written exam isn't going to harm anyone per se... like i said, i would definitely talk to the person, about the ethical and practical consequences, but I still doubt that I, or many other people, would report this friend for expulsion in reality

[future_doc]

moving on: if you were Dr. Murray's medical buddy with provable knowledge of his medical wrongdoings (that could cause death), what to do?

[DddMmm]

I got this question at my MMI and answered I wouldn't report (for some of the reasons others have posted already), and the interviewer seemed to accept my answer. I was accepted so I guess it wasn't so bad after all. I think they want you to be honest. They really don't want you to say what you think they want to hear. They just want to see how you back up your position when put on the spot.

[mattg]

I agree... I think the large majority of people (>99%) would not report a friend for cheating on a test... only those who are morally extremely constrained by ethical technicalities would... so I think they would know you are telling them what you think they'd like to hear, rather than the truth, if you said you would report him/her for expulsion... unless you seemed really really genuine about it - which I personally don't think would be a good think... doctors who unwaveringly conform to ethical technicalities will likely be hard to work with in reality... in the real world of medicine, you will likely have to sometimes break rules to do what is best

[mattg]

moving on: if you were Dr. Murray's medical buddy with provable knowledge of his medical wrongdoings (that could cause death), what to do?

 

well in that case, you would have to report him, being that he is directly putting people's lives in danger... i believe since he is a friend, some people would give him the option of retiring from medicine, and saving his dignity in the medical community... however, in this case he would still be able to just move, practice elsewhere (ie. cut contact with you), and do the same thing... so i think the only option is to report him... otherwise, you would be complicit in any patients' harm or or deaths due to the doc's malfeasance

[future_doc]

good call in my opinion

 

hmm, I wonder how many of his med buddies knew (unprovable) and said nothing, were perhaps even jealous at his monthly pay check (that he never received)

[bloh]

If you're going to answer this scenario as a black-white question, with no grey area, you're doing it wrong in my opinion. Turn it into multiple scenarios and talk about how and when your response would change.

[Delusionofreality]

What (if anything) do you do?

 

I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this. In real life, I'd probably take it up with them personally and advise them against it in the future (for their own sake as well as for fairness sake). Although talking to the professor about it would seem appropriate in theory, I don't think I would actually do this in real life. After all, you risk losing years of friendship over one single mistake.

 

my mmi answer (my real answer is i probably wouldn't do anything. at the end of the day it isn't my job to be the moral arbiter in every single aspect of my life. I may talk to him personally but wouldn't take it beyond that. I am not responsible for everything that goes wrong in the world and this isn't something I want to stick my hand into):

 

first i'd consider my friend and what caused him to do this. for example, was the test written unfairly, was he sick/seriously hampered before the exam and his request to defer it unfairly denied?, was he framed for cheating? I'd also think about how he was feeling at the moment of cheating and how he is feeling right now. Is he feeling guilty? Is he feeling satisfied that he cheated?

 

I think there are a variety of ways you could approach the situation and each has its own merits and downsides. You could first of all ignore the situation and not say anything. This is a valid response and I think it shows that you are really invested in the friendship and you think that the harms done to you and him and the relationship is not worth fixing the cheating. You could say that real friends wouldn't break up over you reporting him, but that's idealistic bull****, if you ratted him out, something would happen, whether you liked it or not. I think that your own morals would be harmed in the scenario but at least you would keep that friendship intact.

 

The other option I see you doing is ratting him out. I think with this path the benefits is that you retain your morality and you are doing the 'right' or just thing. It is unfair to other studnets that this person cheated and is getting rewarded on his exams for it. especially in a curved class. however, harm may come to your friendship if he finds out you ratted him out. I believe that there are two approaches to telling on him, you could firstly talk to him first and tell him that you will give him the chance to turn himself over and negotiate with the professor himself, which gives him the autonomy and respects his right to deal with the situation himself. However in this way, you clearly show him that it was you that caught him and either you force him to tell or if he refuses to, you have to tell on him. However, you could also go behind his back and rat him out, the benefit being that you could perhaps do so anonymously, but the downside being that you aren't showing him the proper respect that he should be afforded in dealing with his mistakes on his own terms.

 

my final conclusion would be to guage it based on the situation. for example I think that one important factor to decide if this is the option to take or not is how big was the amount of cheating he did? what was the circumstances? for example, If it was a Chemistry exam in university that was testing stoichiometry and he cheated by looking up the molar mass of sodium on his iphone when people were not allowed to use periodic tables. And he was also very sick and was denied a request to defer his examination, in what could be interpreted as an unfair judgement, and thus was not able to fully review his periodic table, I think that the situation was minor enough not to ruin your entire friendship and perhaps his academic career over. I would however approach him and talk to him about his cheating but tell him that i don't want to see it happen again and that I would not rat him out this time. It is a minor offense and there is no sense in blowing it up way out of proportion. I do recognize that the ethics of the situation do not change with the severity of the cheating, but I am applying a real world and a practical analysis to the situation, a standard used time and time again in the real world. No person in their right mind would throw a starving man who stole a chocolate bar from a convenience store into jail for a few years. However if a random guy came and stole your car, you would probably throw this guy in jail. I believe that by talking to him personally and telling him to change his future behaviour I have at least fulfilled part of my ethical responsibility and perserved the friendship. If he feels the need to he could go and turn himself in although I would not force him to. However if he brought up the full answer key to the final examination and copied the entire exam out of the answer key, then the situation is obviously different and the severity of the cheating merits me telling on him. Due to a personal belief that going behind a friend's back and not allowing him to deal with issues on his own terms is wrong, I would first talk to him and allow him to turn himself in. If he does not, I would proceed to talk to the teacher.