Mexico's largest university to rerun AI-proctored entrance exams amid cheating concerns
Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) will require up to 58,000 applicants to retake entrance exams due to widespread concerns of cheating during AI-supervised online testing.
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the country's largest university, has announced that a significant number of applicants must retake their entrance exams. This decision follows suspicions of mass cheating during the first-ever online administration of the highly competitive test, which utilized artificial intelligence for proctoring.
Previously conducted in person, the exam was moved online this year, employing specialized software to prevent cheating. This included a lockdown browser and an AI proctoring system designed to monitor candidates via webcam. However, analysis of the results revealed a suspicious surge in high scores compared to previous years.
Data showed that the percentage of applicants scoring 110 or higher jumped from 0.9% in prior years to 5.5% this year. This dramatic increase led experts, including mathematician Raúl Rojas, to estimate that as many as 75,000 of the approximately 160,000 applicants may have cheated, potentially using methods like hidden notes or secondary monitors.
In response, UNAM's internal committee recommended a "control exam" for all admitted students and those who would have qualified based on scores from the past five years. This means approximately 58,000 individuals will need to take the exam again, this time in person. The AI proctoring company, Territorium, has not yet responded to requests for comment.