I will be the little voice in your mind that will tell/remind you to never, ever cheat on a test. Sure, there are many different reasons for not cheating, the biggest being that it is only ethical, there are other reasons you may have not considered. These factors may be such as confirming your accumulated knowledge, and how you can use that knowledge going forward in your career and personal life.

Everybody has different ways of studying – and with the right strategy, information sticks so that you can write (and pass) that test. Facts can linger in your mind longer, if you need it – especially if you studied the night before the test. Therefore, your passing the test confirms that you do know and can use the material. Depending on your chosen career, this knowledge is necessary for success, and knowing the basic foundations of any subject (and sometimes the specifics) is essential. If you did cheat on a test, you have confirmed that you don’t know the material, and it won’t help you succeed in your chosen field- so what is the point?

People know a lot of things that don’t necessarily relate to their careers. Despite working in a law office, I still have two different Shakespearean monologues stuck in my head because I had to memorize the lines – and because they’re particularly interesting in tone, theme, and actually carry some importance towards society in terms of inspiration.

Returning to ethics; there is a reason why Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” sticks in the mind. You may know the story: the character is haunted by a metaphorical heart beating in the floorboards. It’s used often to represent the fact that secrets have a way of always coming out – and if you don’t wish them to be, they will haunt you. Your subconscious asks you all these questions, “but I could have studied and put forth my best effort,” “but the teacher will find out,” or even, “did the person I cheat off even study as well?” It is all a possibility.

Either way, cheating on a test is not advised for so many reasons other than not being ethical, as I’ve written above. It may be tempting, particularly if you don’t know the topic well, or if your brain feels a little burnt out. You must ask yourself the question: what does it say of my character if I cheated on a test? If you didn’t, it proves that you know the information required, and most of all, that you’re an honest character that is determined to work well and is prepared to demonstrate that knowledge. Therefore, I recommend you go and study for that test you’ve been putting off.