Section 69 – Founded – Fraud – Getting help during a take-home exam

Authority

This investigation was conducted under section 69 of the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c.22, ss. 12 and 13.

Issue

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a candidate committed fraud in an external advertised appointment process by getting help to write their take-home exam when they knew that it was not allowed.

Conclusion

The investigation concluded that the candidate committed fraud in the appointment process by having another person review and make changes to their answers. While the candidate knew that getting help was not allowed, they did it to improve their chances of succeeding in the appointment process.

Facts

The candidate applied to an external advertised appointment process. As part of the assessment for this process, they were invited to complete an unsupervised take-home exam.

Instructions to candidates clearly stated that the take-home exam was to be completed on one’s own without any personal or electronic assistance. Candidates were also advised that if they copied or plagiarized information, they would be eliminated from the appointment process.

The exam was intended to assess candidates’ abilities, including the ability to communicate effectively in writing. Candidates were given 24 hours to complete and return their exam.

When the assessment board member opened the candidate’s exam to correct it, they noticed track changes and comments made by another individual. As a result, the exam was not corrected, and the candidate was eliminated from the appointment process.

During the investigation, the candidate confirmed that they had read and understood the requirement to complete the exam on their own. They also admitted that they had asked a friend to proofread their answers for grammatical errors before submitting the exam. Although the exam assessed candidates’ written communication, the candidate did not believe that having someone proofread it would be considered cheating. The evidence showed that:

• the candidate’s exam answers were changed by someone else
• on the balance of probabilities, the candidate acted dishonestly by getting help to complete the exam even though they understood that getting help was not allowed

The candidate knowingly undertook these actions to improve their chances of succeeding. The actions could have compromised the appointment process if they had gone undetected and if the candidate had been appointed.

Corrective action

Following the conclusion of fraud in the appointment process, the Commission ordered that:

• for a period of 1 year, the individual must notify the Public Service Commission before accepting any position or work in the federal public service
  • failure to do so will result in the revocation of the appointment
• if the individual accepts a position or work in the federal public service within 1 year, they must complete the Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees course offered by the Canada School of Public Service, and then have a discussion with their director
  • failure to complete the course or to participate in the discussion will result in the revocation of the appointment

Investigation File No.: 20-21-10