Safeguarding Exam Integrity: Combating Commercial Cheating with Rachel Schoenig

In this thought-provoking episode of Tried and Tested, host Isabelle Gonthier sits down with Rachel Schoenig, founder and CEO of Cornerstone Strategies and board member of the Credential Integrity Action Alliance (CIAA), to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in credentialing today: commercial cheating.Rachel shares her unique journey from practicing attorney to leading expert in exam security, and how her career path shaped her perspective on protecting test integrity. Together, Isabelle and Rachel explore the growing sophistication of cheating operations, the risks they pose to credentialing programs, and why collective action is critical for the future of testing.Together, they also discuss:The rise of commercial cheating services and how they exploit technology to undermine assessmentsWhy these threats go beyond harming individual test takers and put entire industries and the public at riskHow model legislation is being designed to curb the sale of cheating services and close legal loopholesThe role of the Credential Integrity Action Alliance in building awareness, advocacy, and cross-sector collaborationWhat organizations can do to adopt a holistic approach to exam security across the entire testing lifecycleWhether you are a credentialing professional, policy maker, or simply passionate about safeguarding trust in high-stakes testing, this episode offers a timely and important look at how the industry is fighting back against commercial cheating.