Cheating during a take-home exam

Section 69 – Founded – Fraud – Cheating during a take-home exam

Authority: This investigation was conducted under section 69 of the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c.22, ss. 12 and 13.

Issue: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a candidate committed fraud in an advertised external appointment process by cheating during the take-home exam.

Conclusion: The investigation concluded that the candidate committed fraud by knowingly seeking help during the take-home exam and by not keeping the exam confidential, which were against the instructions.

Facts: An advertised external appointment process was launched to establish a pool of qualified candidates to staff regulatory compliance officer positions. The appointment process included a take-home exam.

All candidates received an email invitation to the exam that included instructions. The instructions indicated that the exam must be kept confidential and that it had to be completed by candidates only, specifying, “without the help of others”. These instructions were also found on the front page of the written exam.

During the investigation, the candidate admitted having received and having read the exam instructions. However, the evidence showed that the candidate sent an email to the organization’s general inquiry mailbox and asked a question similar to a scenario presented in the exam. In this email, they did not identify themselves as a candidate and used a different name and email address than the ones they provided in their application. The candidate also attached the written exam to this email. The organization refused to provide the requested information to the candidate, suspecting that it pertained to an exam, and immediately informed its human resources personnel. The candidate did not submit their written exam and was eliminated from the appointment process.

The evidence showed that, on the balance of probabilities, the candidate acted dishonestly by knowingly seeking assistance during the written exam under a concealed identity to increase their chances of succeeding in the appointment process and by not keeping the exam confidential, despite the exam instructions. The appointment process could have been compromised if the candidate had received this assistance and had continued participating in the appointment process.

Corrective action:

Following the conclusion of fraud in the appointment process, the Public Service Commission ordered that:

• for a period of 1 year, the individual must notify the Public Service Commission before accepting any position or work within the federal public service
• failure to do so will result in the revocation of the appointment

• if the individual accepts a position or work in the federal public service within 1 year, they must complete the Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees course offered by the Canada School of Public Service, and then have a discussion with their director
  • failure to complete the course or to participate in the discussion will lead to the revocation of the appointment

Investigation File No.: 19-20-12