Test Banks = Academic Dishonesty???

[Haleiwa]

Test bank (Lewis and Lemone)circulating among a select few, at a junior college in So California over the past few semesters I am aware of - 2011-2014.

Users have bragged and said that significant number of questions have appeared on all tests so far in each semester.

In all semesters they have in fact received higher than passing scores!

The Dean was made aware of the test bank and it was not addressed!

So it must be okay?

What do you think?

Of course, "they still have to "pass" the NCLEX...good luck?

[rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN]

The problem here is in defining test bank. If it is an Publisher created instructor test bank, used to test students on concepts, then it is cheating 100%. You cannot argue this, it is fact and should not be done.

If it is a bank of questions used to study concepts in nursing, used to study for the NCLEX, or provided for student use then no it isn't cheating.

A good way to tell is if you take an exam and questions (one or more) are exactly (and I mean verbatim) from a test bank you were studying from then you cheated. If the question is similar (like a deja vu) but has different lab values, patients, or results then it isn't cheating.

The problem that exists is questions are not just made from thin air. It is a science and most questions are validated for usefulness and accuracy over the years. Some instructors use these questions but change enough so that they are not easily recognized. I always studied the textbook companion workbook for psych and could pick out each question the instructor used from that book. I have a great memory and can pick out patterns so she wasn't fooling anyone. Cheating? No. It was a student authorized study resource available for legal purchase (not ebay or others).

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

Test banks on the net are actually illegally distributed copyrighted materials and yes, it's dishonest to obtain (and illegal) and use them. It's a cop out to says 'everyone has access so it's not dishonest' ...

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

There are test banks and study guides designed and intended for student prep. Just like NCLEX prep books. These are intended for students.

If you find a guide and check with the publisher and see that purchase is limited to verified nursing professors/ instructors then it's academic dishonesty. Find the guide on "buy test banks here .com" odds are it's an illegal pirated version.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

When I say test banks I'm referring to the ones designed for instructor use- question banks and study guides published for student use are fair game - any teacher that pulls questions from those should be fired.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

When I say test banks I'm referring to the ones designed for instructor use- question banks and study guides published for student use are fair game - any teacher that pulls questions from those should be fired.

I had an instructor that purposely pulled questions from our student workbook. We were told to complete before the test. You could pick our during the exam who did complete the workbook. & study guide by the look of joy at recognizing the questions. . Workbook & study guide completion was mandatory and due at mid term & end of class for a grade.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

I had an instructor that purposely pulled questions from our student workbook. We were told to complete before the test. You could pick our during the exam who did complete the workbook. & study guide by the look of joy at recognizing the questions. . Workbook & study guide completion was mandatory and due at mid term & end of class for a grade.

My mental health instructor does this. If you've studied the questions from the publisher's CD, you're going to do well on the exam. There are so many questions that you couldn't possibly memorize them all. They're almost like "freebies" on the exam. His rationale is that by studying the questions in advance, you're reinforcing the material. Especially if you click on the "feedback" button to check your answers. I tend to remember the ones I got wrong and had to look up the correct answers :)