November 23rd, 2011
Anyone who had planned on cheating their way to a high Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score should know that it won’t be an easy task. The company that administers the exam, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) uses palm scans to confirm test takers’ identities and avoid foul play at testing centers.
What’s This All About?
With the high amount of cheating occurring on the GMAT, the GMAC deemed it necessary to increase security to prevent future incidents. Instead of the fingerprint scan used previously, students now get their palms scanned to take infrared pictures of the blood flowing through their veins. Since everyone has a unique palm print, it will be easy to match the scans and confirm that those who show up to the testing site are indeed the registered test takers.
Sound like an extreme measure? Maybe, but apparently, it’s called for. In an article by John Hechinger for The Wall Street Journal, it was reported that federal authorities had broken up a ring five years ago of six fraudsters who had taken over 590 exams for customers who had paid them at least $3,000 to take it for them.
Businessweek reported that in 2008, more than 6,000 students were in danger of having their GMAT scores canceled. The controversy began when a site by the name of Scoretop was discovered to have been releasing questions from recent exams. Users of this site could have their applications rejected or be expelled from school.
The GMAT is the first standardized test to use this security measure. The palm scanner devices cost $1,000 or less to install. So what kind of effect will the installation of this new security device cost test takers? Nothing–the cost of the test will not be raised as a result of the palm scans.
What are your thoughts? Good security measure or blatant invasion of privacy?
Privacy rights advocates are concerned that the scans will be used for other reasons besides just identifying the test taker and matching them to the scan at the test site. Some also feel that the scans should be discarded of within a certain period of time. But the GMAC stated that these would not be discarded and would be made part of the students’ permanent record.
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