An AI-Supervised Remote Exam Went So Badly That 58,000 Students Must Retake It
- Reference: 0184835004
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/03/233245/an-ai-supervised-remote-exam-went-so-badly-that-58000-students-must-retake-it
- Source link:
> Earlier this summer, nearly 160,000 applicants took the entrance exam for UNAM, Mexico's largest university. For the first time, they did it completely remotely, using a "lockdown" browser and AI-powered webcam proctoring software, over several weeks from late May through early June. It was a disaster. When exam results came in, they bore little resemblance to past results, especially at the top. Between 2021 and 2025, 3.5 percent of test takers scored 100 or more on the 120-question UNAM test. This year, 16.3 percent did so. The story was even worse at the highest of the high end. Between 2021 and 2025, 0.9 percent of test takers scored 110 or more; this year, 5.5 percent did so.
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> The surge in top scores led to accusations of [1]widespread cheating , and UNAM appointed a commission of experts to investigate the situation. The group was given the unwieldy name "la Comision Tecnica de Personas Expertas para la Revision del Proceso de Seleccion de Ingreso a Licenciatura para el Circlo Escolar 2026-2027/1," and it has just submitted its recommendations. The commission believes that the best path forward, given all the concerns, is to administer a "control exam" -- that is, [2]applicants will have to sit for another test , and they will do so in person.
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> This control exam will apply not only to those who secured a spot at UNAM based on this year's test but also to everyone who would have been admitted based on minimum successful scores in their program of study since 2021. About 58,000 people could be affected, and places at UNAM will now depend on the results of the new test. (Details on the control exam should appear soon; classes are currently scheduled to begin on August 10, so everything will have to move quickly unless the school decides to delay classes.) According to Gaceta UNAM, the [3]school's official news publication , the university rector has apologized to honest applicants, since they will now have to prepare for and take the test again despite doing nothing wrong. Still, the control exam is "necessary to give certainty and guarantee equity in access," the rector added.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/02/americas/mexican-university-unam-ai-cheating-scandal-intl-latam
[2] https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/08/an-ai-supervised-remote-exam-went-so-badly-that-58000-students-must-retake-it/
[3] https://www.gaceta.unam.mx/recibe-el-rector-lomeli-las-recomendaciones-de-la-comision-tecnica-para-revisar-el-proceso-de-ingreso-a-la-licenciatura-2026-2027-1-de-la-unam/
Hahahaha, "locked down browser", hahahaha! (Score:3)
I had some discussion about the "locked down exam browser" in the software used here with my IT Security students. Apparently it is a complete joke and you can just set some OS variables and then run it in a window or a VM without any problem or any detection by it.
Who didn't see THAT coming (Score:1)
Not surprised. Sadly, attention span for both adults & students is decreasing as both become addicted to screens.
India exam leak (Score:3)
India recently had a leak of the NEET exam, and invalidated the results. There have been suicides as a consequence: [1]NEET exam leak (BBC) [bbc.com]
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl7jl1d95eo
Any info about actual process? (Score:2)
How exactly did the AI do that? What was the setup? Any students using large head avatars? What was the task of the AI at all? How did it fail on the task? Kind of important for such a story in a tech nerd news site.
If you've been falsely accused of cheating (Score:2)
on this exam, get an attorney (fast) and go after the school. 58,000 cheaters isn't something believable.
Re: (Score:2)
This is Mexico, you cannot sue everyone for anything like in the US. Anyway, they are not all being accused of cheating. Many of them are being told they may have been cheated. If 10% of the participants cheated (which unfortunately seems possible), the other 90% are victims, but since no one can tell which is which, basically they have to do it all over again.
Re: (Score:2)
They didn't say 58,000 people are accused of cheating.
They said enough people cheated that the results of the first test are just useless, so anyone who still wants a shot at getting in (about 58,000 people) will have to retake the test.
"According to Gaceta UNAM, the school's official news publication, the university rector has apologized to honest applicants, since they will now have to prepare for and take the test again despite doing nothing wrong. Still, the control exam is "necessary to give certainty
Re: If you've been falsely accused of cheating (Score:2)
This is 2026 slashdot you can't expect us to read the summary.
Re: (Score:2)
No, all we can be expected to do is read the AI summary of the summary.
Re: (Score:2)
Shit, I can't even bother to read the ai summary of the article summary. I just start at porn my computer generates.
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. There is also a second aspect: This is not a lottery win or the like. It is important that the students actually have the skills or they may just fail their exams later. There is no sanity in trying to litigate your way in.
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No? Remember those 32 of 35 Students being provably caught just a few days ago?
Here is a link: [1]https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
So 58'000 cheaters is quite plausible. Also note that these 58'000 students are only asked to prove their competence a 2nd time in person, they are not expelled or denied.
[1] https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/07/25/2114259/32-of-35-students-caught-using-hilariously-wrong-ai-generated-answers-for-professors-midterm
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> Also note that these 58'000 students are only asked to prove their competence a 2nd time in person, they are not expelled or denied.
Not even denied for inability to afford last-minute travel to a city where the exam is held?
Re: If you've been falsely accused of cheating (Score:2)
The summary says classes start in a week and they haven't scheduled the retest yet. I think we can assume everyone who wanted to go to this school will be able to get there.
Re: If you've been falsely accused of cheating (Score:2)
Yes, who would expect people to be prepared to travel to the school they are about to start classes at?
Re: If you've been falsely accused of cheating (Score:2)
Ah yes they clearly took the test for fun and didn't plan to attend.
Re: (Score:2)
You have a very naive view of human nature!
There is a reason every single school for decades, has given tests with a teacher or proctor present. They knew that when no one is watching, children (and all humans) are inclined to cheat. AI apparently made us all forget this basic principle.