Every day thousands of students come to school to broaden their knowledge and prepare for the future. Of those thousands, hundreds have to take an important test that day. Some students are well prepared for that important test, however, others may have no idea they even took it. This poses a difficult question: cheating? Even though students have “Don't cheat” drilled into their brains since elementary school, they still don't take it seriously. During my thirteen years of school, I have seen firsthand that many students rely on cheating to pass a course. I've also seen teachers let their students cheat by leaving information on the board or saying "Until I see nothing." This allows for bad study habits and being unprepared for college. Unfortunately, many students don't even think about whether to cheat or not, the obvious answer for them is "yes"; while others contemplate for minutes or even hours. But why do students cheat? There are numerous reasons. Many students may have simply forgotten, others were not prepared and some were in uniform. Likewise, the effects of cheating are promotion, failure, or expulsion from school. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Since “But I forgot” doesn't usually pass as an excuse for most teachers, students actually forget. However, the question should be how they forgot. Most students, especially today, have so many gadgets and games that they are involved in, that they forget everything while staying in school as soon as they get off the bus or car. Many students go straight to the Xbox, television, Gameboy, or cell phone and stay there all afternoon. Only to be reminded at midnight that night, early in the morning, or even walking into class the next day, that they have a task to do. So, there are students who don't have time to play Xbox, much less study. For these students, a job could fill time they might otherwise use to study. Talking to many of my friends who have jobs, the average working hours are 5pm to 10pm. Leaving long nights to study, not taking time to study, or forgetting about a test altogether. Whether it's a job or not, being able to manage time is a crucial skill that one must learn to defeat the urge to cheat. Just like forgetting, many students are not prepared for a test. From personal experience, if a teacher says, “These notes will be online,” students will most likely not take the time to write the notes, thinking they will go back and print them. Unfortunately, this leads to students not listening when the teacher reviews notes and ultimately not retaining the information provided. As I did, I will forget to print the notes and will not be as prepared as I should for the test, leading me to think I am cheating or actually cheating. Many teachers offer tutoring sessions before a test. However, almost no students attend the sessions. This is a great time to ask questions about the material being studied and fully understand what is on the test. As the saying goes, “I'd rather be safe than sorry.” This goes for taking advantage of everything the teacher offers. Whether it's tutor sessions or extra credit, take advantage of it. This will pay off in the long run when you take the test and know the answers and have confidence in what you will be taught. In addition to forgetting ed.”