JEDDAH, Jun 20 (Arab News): Three men were caught taking final exams on behalf of students at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) and were turned over to the police, Abdul Qadir Tankal, KAU head of exam supervision, told Arab News on Sunday.

Such falsification is treated as a criminal offense, he added, and the students who hired the men risk being failed.

“Last semester seven impersonators were caught; in this term three of them were caught,” said Tankal, adding that this practice is more common among part-time students who do not have photo ID on record with the university.  “Part-time students are asked to bring their IDs, which are supposed to be checked by supervisors,” he said. KAU has taken strict measures in recent years to prevent exam fraud. For example, no electronic devices are allowed in the classrooms during the tests.

“Supervisors also check hands, legs and clothes to see if any answers have been written on them,” he said. He added that KAU keeps exam questions under strict lock-and-key in order to prevent them from being leaked before they are administered.