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Many students will do just about anything to get into a good university – pulling all-nighters to get perfect grades or joining multiple extra-curricular activities to fluff their academic resumes.  Many students will even lie and cheat to get into their dream school, but would they run a marathon?

Last week, about one third of the top 100 finishers of a marathon in Xiamen, China were disqualified due to cheating.  Some students hired imposters to run for them during parts of the race.  Others were driven in cars.  Some gave their timing pieces to faster runners.  It later looked suspicious when runners 8,892, 8,897, and 8,900 all passed the finish line at exactly the same time.  With only 200 monitors to oversee the 50,000, it is not surprising that so many people tried to cheat.  But why cheat, you ask?

Those who finished in under two hours and 34 minutes could add extra points to their score on the Gao Kao, China´s highly competitive university entrance exam.  The Gao Kao, or National Higher Education Entrance Examination, is a requirement to enter almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level.

The exams are so crucial that both students and their families will go to extraordinary lengths to succeed. Last year, eight parents and teachers were jailed after using scanners and wireless earpieces to help pupils cheat.

With the stakes being so high are they setting students up to fail?  Those who just want a good education should not need to cheat in order to succeed.

Tags: Cheating, China, Marathon, Undergraduate