UNJ Sociologist: TOEFL Cheating Not Just Fraud, Reflection of Systemic Inequality
JAKARTA — The practice of TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language proxy-taking is no longer merely an act of individual cheating. This phenomenon reflects broader structural issues, where the education system and job market increasingly rely on certificates as tickets to social mobility, while access to achieving them remains uneven. At various campuses, TOEFL prediction has become a mandatory requirement for graduation assessments, thesis defences, and even collecting diplomas. In the job market, English language certificates are often demanded as proof of basic competence, even if not directly tested.
When certificates become administrative gateways, a shadow market emerges offering shortcuts. Sociologist from Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ), Rakhmat Hidayat, views this phenomenon as a structural symptom born from unequal access, systemic pressures, and a culture of credentialism. He explains that proxy practices arise when certification demands escalate, while learning opportunities are uneven. Students with access to expensive courses or English-speaking environments more easily meet standards, while those lacking such resources often fall behind.
“Systemic pressures such as global standards, academic competition, and administrative demands create situations where individuals feel compelled to adapt pragmatically or transactionally,” said Rakhmat. According to him, using a proxy cannot be read solely as an individual moral failure. There is a rational calculation at work. “This is not just a moral failure, but a cost-benefit calculation. High learning costs versus instant success through a proxy,” he stated.
Rakhmat assesses that modern education increasingly emphasises technical administrative aspects based on numbers and certifications. This pattern gives rise to credentialism, a condition where a person’s value is more determined by formal documents and symbols than by actual competence. “This creates what is called credentialism,” he said. In such a system, certificates become commodities. They are no longer merely measuring tools but entry tickets to opportunities.
Sociologically, this system, according to Rakhmat, reinforces inequality because only those with cultural capital, access to expensive courses, and English-language environments can more easily achieve high scores. When this inequality occurs, the proxy market becomes one response. Rakhmat notes an imbalance between institutional demands and societal access. “There is global standardisation without considering local contexts, followed by excessive emphasis on scores rather than the learning process,” he said.
He emphasises that TOEFL ultimately is not just a language instrument but also a mechanism of social selection. According to him, this mechanism has positive aspects as an objective standard, but on the other hand, certification can become an exclusionary tool. “Its exclusionary function is that certification becomes a tool of social closure, limiting access only to certain groups who are economically and culturally capable,” said Rakhmat.
If left unchecked, he predicts serious social impacts. One of them is the erosion of trust in educational institutions and recruitment processes. “Those who can buy scores will continue to excel symbolically and worsen social injustice,” he said. At a certain point, society could enter a state of anomie, a disruption of norms when formal rules are no longer trusted. In this framework, TOEFL proxy-taking is no longer just a cheating issue but a reflection of a system that overly judges people by numbers. “The TOEFL proxy phenomenon cannot be seen only as an individual violation but as a structural symptom,” said Rakhmat.
Kevin (not his real name), 26 years old, from North Jakarta, admits to having been a TOEFL prediction proxy since 2020. He is an English Literature graduate and has been accustomed to TOEFL question patterns since his university days. “In terms of English proficiency, I am indeed accustomed to it. Back in university studying English Literature, TOEFL material was like daily food,” said Kevin when contacted.