INDIA: Six people impersonated for 87 students on admittance tests (PaGaLGuY)

In a press conference held today at the NMIMS Mumbai campus, vice-chancellor Dr Rajan Saxena said that the school had filed an FIR about the impersonation on April 24, 2013. When asked if checks and balances could have been stronger during the NMAT stage itself to flag such impersonation he said, “In hindsight, it could have been but it is only because of the quality of the admission process that this has been detected.” Asked if the test would be made more secure next year he replied, "It would be difficult to say now. We will look at it." Unlike the Common Admissions Test (CAT) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), the NMAT does not employ biometric scanning measures such as fingerprint or palm-vein profiling, used to prevent impersonation, during the test check-in process. Despite arguably weaker security measures, the NMAT costs Rs 1,650, higher than the CAT which costs Rs 1,600.

More expensive and less exact is a tough value proposition for a testing service to maintain unless, you know, the target customer is one who will pay more for less exactitude. That doesn't mean the universities have to go along with it, though.

Indian University Passes on Biometrics for Proxy Test Takers... for now

Cusat shelves biometric identification for CAT (The Hindu)

University sources associated with the development told The Hindu that the finance sub-committee of the Syndicate had turned down the proposal for want of funds and shortage of time in implementing the process. The expected cost for implementing the biometric student identification project was about Rs. 18 lakh.

Sometimes, the better part of valor is discretion. The part of the quote that caught my eye wasn't the cost (1,800,000.00 INR = 35,206.72 USD), but "time in implementing the process," which, if overlooked, can really cause problems.

As a smart man once said, "Automating a bad process just gets bad results more quickly."

Privacy, Biometrics, Standardized Tests and the Licensed Professions

Biometrics—and the Curious Relevance of Occupational Licensing (Cato Institute)

Yesterday, I testified (by remote communications) in the Alaska House of Representatives’ Health and Social Services Committee, which is considering a bill to heavily regulate the collection and use of biometrics. The bill is inspired by a man who was denied entry into the CPA exam when he refused to have his fingerprints scanned for that purpose. You can read more about his campaign at the PrivacyNOWalaska.org site.

Read the whole thing. It's short and to the point, and I'd have to lift most of the article to give more of its flavor. It brings together several issues we frequently discuss here (privacy, biometrics, test-taking, regulation, etc.) together with one we don't — requiring a license to practice too many professions.

See also:
Privacy commissioner seeks to block finger-printing of Canadian med-school applicants
EPIC Fail


h/t @M2SYS

Biometrics & Standardized Tests

Graduate Management News: Five Questions on GMAT Test Security for Dan Eyob (GMAC.com)

Dan Eyob is GMAC’s director of GMAT test security and his interview with the GMAC corporate newsletter is a tight exposition of the proper way to think about security, starting with a firm understanding of what it is you're trying to secure. In GMAC's case, it's integrity — integrity of the test itself and integrity of the test's ability to predict a certain type of academic success.

ID management, as it is for all credentialing organizations, is a big part of ensuring the integrity of the GMAT.

Q: What does GMAC do at test centers to prevent cheating?

A: We have a strict check-in protocol at all test centers and apply state-of-the-art technologies to support this protocol.

♦ Each test taker has to bring a valid government-issued photo ID with them. Passports may be checked electronically to ensure that they are not forged.

♦ Test takers must sit for a digital photograph, which may be included in the Official Score Report if requested by the school. All test takers have to provide a palm vein scan before entering or leaving the testing room. The palm vein reader makes an encrypted, digital record of each test taker’s unique palm vein pattern.

♦ Test takers must provide a digital signature agreeing that they have not accessed test content and will not divulge it to anyone else.

♦ Test takers are not allowed to take anything with them into the testing room, including electronic devices such as mobile phones, calculators, or watches. Erasable noteboards and markers are provided by a test proctor and must be returned after the test.

♦ Test administration is monitored in person by a test proctor and is videotaped for subsequent review, if necessary.

See also: New York: Seven Arrested For Alleged SAT Cheating Ring UPDATE: SAT, Biometrics & ROI
and Privacy commissioner seeks to block finger-printing of Canadian med-school applicants

The med-school post gets at some issues of ID management, standardized tests and public safety that aren't as readily apparent in the business school case.


The other questions answered by Mr. Eyob at GMAC's site are:

What is GMAC’s philosophy on GMAT security?
What investments does GMAC make in security?
What does GMAC do when it discovers evidence of cheating?
What is GMAC doing to keep a step ahead of cheaters?


h/t Stacy Blackman and U.S. News & World Report