Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business is investigating a potential breach of academic integrity after a class of second-year students all received 100 per cent on their midterm exam last month.
After it was brought to the professors’ attention that the test was repeated from 2013, all of the students in the class were given a grade of 100 per cent, according to the Queen’s Journal.
One of the students in the class told the Journal that he prepared for the midterm by finding copies of previous tests from upper year students and professors.
“When I got the exam, I flipped to the first page and saw it was the exact same question as the 2013 midterm, and then the same happened for the second and third question on the exam,” he said.
Queen’s University provides an “exam bank” to its students, which stores past exams for students to practice.
A third-year Carleton electrical engineering student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there was more than one instance where he obtained an exam for practice purposes that was very similar to previous exams.
The student said that it might not be fair to other students or students from previous years who didn’t have as many resources as he did, but that the practice exam serves as mental preparation for what might appear on the test.
He said that sometimes it might be laziness from the professors when situations like these occur, but it could also be a calculated give-away to help the students.
“I love those type of [professors.] They make my life easier,” he said.
Queen’s communication office said the professor is not under investigation, but rather any students who are found to have breached the Smith Academic Integrity Policy may face sanctions impacting their grade.
