Robert Casey wrote in message ...
Wonder how much cheating may have occured, if there was only
one person as the "VE" proctoring the FCC written tests. Seems
that the current VE system would be more secure. Though someone
who cheated to get a ham license won't be as serious a hazard as
say someone who cheated on medical exams to become a doctor.


Seems to me there have been more instances of test fraud committed by
VEs than there were by the old by-mail proctors. By far.

w3rv

More that have been caught, that is. In the old days, it's possible
that the old by-mail proctor takes something "under the table" and
"helps" the applicant take the tests.

I 'spose there had to be incidents like that. I'll further 'spose that
most of it involved buddies doing the proctoring and passing out a
"hint" or two during the exams or some slack on the code tests rather
than getting involved with passing green stamps under the table which
would have been federal felonies.

And without additional proctors
like in today's VE system, how could anyone ever know?

Right: We don't know and never will. Which kinda terminates the
discussion.

It could turn
out that there is less cheating today as the odds of getting caught
may be much higher. And that those who try anyway get caught more
often. In the old days more people could proctor the tests (IIRC
any general, advanced or extra could do it). So it was likely many
proctors did only a handful of tests. And it would be really hard
to tell (at the FCC field office) if a proctor cut someone a break
or not. With today's VE system, a few "proctors" do lots of tests
of lots of people, and if there was a corrupt group of VEs a lot
of people would hear of it and someone would eventually squeal.
And say you're a VE wanting to take bribes, there's a big risk
to even broach the subject with the other 2 VEs in your group.
That should kill off a fair amount of corruption that would have
gone ahead under the old proctor system.

Let's hope so since the only way to get a ham ticket these days is via
a VEC group.

I never paid much attention to any of it back then. The Philly FCC
office was only a 45 minute hop on the Sharon Hill/69th Street trolley
and the Market Street El so "mail order" tests were not an interest or
a concern on my part. I sat for all four of my exams in front of one
of the most notorious FCC Examiners in the biz for my Novice, General
and 14 years later my Extra and Telegraph II when Joe Squelch The
Examiner got to do me yet again.

w3rv