James Wollack

James Wollack is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in Quantitative Methods. He serves as Director of Testing & Evaluation Services and the UW System Center for Placement Testing. His research focuses on test security, including detection of cheating, item compromise, and secure test administration. He leads the Council on Test Security (COTS) and co-edited major handbooks on test security and quantitative cheating detection methods.

Education: PhD in Educational Psychology (UW-Madison, 1996); MS in Educational Psychology (UW-Madison, 1993); BS in Psychology (UC Davis, 1991).

Research emphasizes statistical methods for detecting group/individual cheating, test fraud prevention, and policy development. Key areas include preknowledge detection, collusion analysis, and compromised-item identification. His work bridges academia and industry, influencing testing program policies globally.

Notable awards include the Vilas Associates Award (2019–2021) and recognition from the National College Testing Association. His publications span methodological advancements in cheating detection and foundational test security principles.