tech
An AI-supervised remote exam went so badly that 58,000 students must retake it
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.
TL;DR
- UNAM's first remote entrance exam, conducted using lockdown browsers and AI proctoring, led to a dramatic increase in top scores, with 16.3% scoring 100 or more, compared to 3.5% in previous years.
- Accusations of widespread cheating prompted UNAM to appoint an expert commission, which recommended a new, in-person "control exam" for applicants.
- This control exam will apply to all students who secured a spot based on this year's results and those who would have been admitted since 2021, potentially impacting around 58,000 people.
- Despite technological measures like Respondus's LockDown Browser and Territorium's AI proctoring, the exam integrity was compromised, with AI experts suggesting up to half of students may have cheated.
- The university rector apologized to honest applicants for the need to retake the exam but stressed its necessity for guaranteeing equitable access.