Studying for a criminal procedural law exam sounds like a pretty stressful experience, but then so is etching the entire syllabus in microscopic letters across the circumference of 11 pens in order to cheat in said exam.

One student at Malaga University in Spain was busted doing just that, after he painstakingly engraved tiny notes to cheat with across a set of blue Bic pens. Unfortunately, he was clocked before he even had a chance to use them all. All that effort for nothing!

Malaga University lecturer Yolanda de Lucchi tweeted about the bizarre effort to cheat last Wednesday.

A guy named Gonzo then chimed in, claiming to know the student, and revealed how he did it exactly:

I mean, if you’re going to go to all that effort to cheat during an exam, you might as well study for it instead. Probably be easier and less time-consuming, although come to think of it – etching all these notes out in microscopic letters is probably a decent studying technique in itself. A+ for effort either way – not that you’re rewarded for effort at uni.

It wasn’t a total waste though. The student may have failed his exam but he’s also prompted a viral Tweet and hopefully the pens will end up in some museum somewhere. Excellent work in that regard.

For the woman who sat her final exam at uni 30 minutes after giving birth, click HERE. No cheating necessary!