TOEFL Proxy Testing & Exam Cheating Services in Hong Kong 🇭🇰

In the competitive landscape of Hong Kong, students preparing for the TOEFL face unique challenges. With the TOEFL being a standard requirement for non-native English speakers, the pressure to achieve high scores can lead some candidates to consider unethical practices. We will explore the various factors influencing TOEFL cheating in Hong Kong, including the rise of cheating and the experiences of those who have navigated these challenges.

Cheating Trends in TOEFL Preparation

Hong Kong is home to several esteemed universities that accept TOEFL scores, such as HKU, CUHK, and CityU. The competitive academic environment has led some students to seek out cheating services or other unethical means to secure their desired TOEFL scores.

This trend has been highlighted by various incidents, where the intense pressures faced by students can lead to desperate measures.

Time-Zone Cheating in Hong Kong

Recently, ‘time-zone cheating’has caused significant concern among students taking IB exams in Hong Kong and abroad. The International Baccalaureate Organization has initiated an investigation after exam questions from certain time zones, including Hong Kong, were found online. Students in Europe claim they accessed questions and answers from links shared on the social media platform Telegram before their exams, but after students in Asia had already completed them. This situation underscores the growing worries about fairness in standardized testing environments.

University Fake Degree Scandal: Analyzing the High Costs of "Guaranteed Admission" for Chinese Students in Hong Kong

"Studying for a master's in Hong Kong is like buying a degree; although it's questionable, it’s useful," and "Students from lower-ranked universities in mainland China are making a comeback with these degrees" — numerous posts on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu promote the idea of "washing degrees" by studying in Hong Kong, many of which are advertisements from study abroad agencies.

In May, a scandal involving fake degrees erupted at a Hong Kong university, with reports indicating that there could be as many as a hundred cases. Subsequently, local institutions began strict investigations into academic credentials.

However, BBC Chinese reporters, posing as undercover agents, contacted several study abroad agencies in mainland China and found that many still claimed they could guarantee admission to master's programs for a fee in the six-figure RMB range. Reporters interviewed several online agents and administrative staff from various universities in Hong Kong to understand which parts of the admission process had loopholes that allowed fraudsters to exploit the system.

This incident also reflects structural social and economic issues, such as the challenges faced by Chinese youth in education and employment, and how the relationship between schools and students has changed under the pressure of "educational commercialization" and income performance.