diff --git a/.changeset/sharp-pianos-flow.md b/.changeset/sharp-pianos-flow.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2bab5c2bdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sharp-pianos-flow.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@khanacademy/perseus": patch
+---
+
+Internal: Refactor parsePerseusItem and add tests
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.test.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dee04dfff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import {isRealJSONParse} from "./is-real-json-parse";
+
+describe("isRealJSONParse", () => {
+    it("returns false given a function that messes with itemData", () => {
+        function fakeJSONParse(json: string) {
+            const parsed = JSON.parse(json);
+            parsed.data.assessmentItem.item.itemData = "";
+            return parsed;
+        }
+
+        expect(isRealJSONParse(fakeJSONParse)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it("returns true given the native JSON.parse function", () => {
+        expect(isRealJSONParse(JSON.parse)).toBe(true);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..548f17518a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/is-real-json-parse.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import Util from "../util";
+
+const deepEq = Util.deepEq;
+
+export function isRealJSONParse(jsonParse: typeof JSON.parse): boolean {
+    const randomPhrase = buildRandomPhrase();
+    const randomHintPhrase = buildRandomPhrase();
+    const randomString = buildRandomString();
+    const testingObject = JSON.stringify({
+        answerArea: {
+            calculator: false,
+            chi2Table: false,
+            financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
+            financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
+            financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
+            periodicTable: false,
+            periodicTableWithKey: false,
+            tTable: false,
+            zTable: false,
+        },
+        hints: [randomHintPhrase, `=${Math.floor(Math.random() * 50) + 1}`],
+        itemDataVersion: {major: 0, minor: 1},
+        question: {
+            content: `${randomPhrase}`,
+            images: {},
+            widgets: {
+                expression1: {
+                    alignment: "default",
+                    graded: false,
+                    options: {
+                        answerForms: [
+                            {
+                                considered: "wrong",
+                                form: false,
+                                key: 0,
+                                simplify: false,
+                                value: `${randomString}`,
+                            },
+                        ],
+                        ariaLabel: "Answer",
+                        buttonSets: ["basic"],
+                        functions: ["f", "g", "h"],
+                        static: true,
+                        times: false,
+                        visibleLabel: "Answer",
+                    },
+                    static: true,
+                    type: "expression",
+                    version: {major: 1, minor: 0},
+                },
+            },
+        },
+    });
+    const testJSON = buildTestData(testingObject.replace(/"/g, '\\"'));
+    const parsedTestJSON = jsonParse(testJSON);
+    const parsedTestItemData: string =
+        parsedTestJSON.data.assessmentItem.item.itemData;
+    return deepEq(parsedTestItemData, testingObject);
+}
+
+function buildRandomString(capitalize: boolean = false) {
+    let randomString: string = "";
+    const randomLength = Math.floor(Math.random() * 8) + 3;
+    for (let i = 0; i < randomLength; i++) {
+        const randomLetter = String.fromCharCode(
+            97 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 26),
+        );
+        randomString +=
+            capitalize && i === 0 ? randomLetter.toUpperCase() : randomLetter;
+    }
+    return randomString;
+}
+
+function buildRandomPhrase() {
+    const phrases: string[] = [];
+    const randomLength = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10) + 5;
+    for (let i = 0; i < randomLength; i++) {
+        phrases.push(buildRandomString(i === 0));
+    }
+    const modifierStart = ["**", "$"];
+    const modifierEnd = ["**", "$"];
+    const modifierIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * modifierStart.length);
+    return `${modifierStart[modifierIndex]}${phrases.join(" ")}${modifierEnd[modifierIndex]}`;
+}
+
+function buildTestData(testObject: string) {
+    return `{"data":{"assessmentItem":{"__typename":"AssessmentItemOrError","error":null,"item":{"__typename":"AssessmentItem","id":"x890b3c70f3e8f4a6","itemData":"${testObject}","problemType":"Type 1","sha":"c7284a3ad65214b4e62bccce236d92f7f5d35941"}}}}`;
+}
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/parse-perseus-json.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/parse-perseus-json.ts
index 3e74736c60..32ef248954 100644
--- a/packages/perseus/src/util/parse-perseus-json.ts
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/parse-perseus-json.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-import Util from "../util";
+import {isRealJSONParse} from "./is-real-json-parse";
 
 import type {PerseusItem} from "../perseus-types";
 
-const deepEq = Util.deepEq;
-
 /**
  * Helper to parse PerseusItem JSON
  * Why not just use JSON.parse? We want:
@@ -13,90 +11,10 @@ const deepEq = Util.deepEq;
  * @returns {PerseusItem} the parsed PerseusItem object
  */
 export function parsePerseusItem(json: string): PerseusItem {
-    const randomPhrase = buildRandomPhrase();
-    const randomHintPhrase = buildRandomPhrase();
-    const randomString = buildRandomString();
-    const testingObject = JSON.stringify({
-        answerArea: {
-            calculator: false,
-            chi2Table: false,
-            financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
-            financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
-            financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
-            periodicTable: false,
-            periodicTableWithKey: false,
-            tTable: false,
-            zTable: false,
-        },
-        hints: [randomHintPhrase, `=${Math.floor(Math.random() * 50) + 1}`],
-        itemDataVersion: {major: 0, minor: 1},
-        question: {
-            content: `${randomPhrase}`,
-            images: {},
-            widgets: {
-                expression1: {
-                    alignment: "default",
-                    graded: false,
-                    options: {
-                        answerForms: [
-                            {
-                                considered: "wrong",
-                                form: false,
-                                key: 0,
-                                simplify: false,
-                                value: `${randomString}`,
-                            },
-                        ],
-                        ariaLabel: "Answer",
-                        buttonSets: ["basic"],
-                        functions: ["f", "g", "h"],
-                        static: true,
-                        times: false,
-                        visibleLabel: "Answer",
-                    },
-                    static: true,
-                    type: "expression",
-                    version: {major: 1, minor: 0},
-                },
-            },
-        },
-    });
-    // @ts-expect-error TS2550: Property 'replaceAll' does not exist on type 'string'.
-    const testJSON = buildTestData(testingObject.replaceAll('"', '\\"'));
-    const parsedJSON = JSON.parse(testJSON);
-    const parsedItemData: string = parsedJSON.data.assessmentItem.item.itemData;
-    const isNotCheating = deepEq(parsedItemData, testingObject);
-    if (isNotCheating) {
+    // Try to block a cheating vector which relies on monkey-patching
+    // JSON.parse
+    if (isRealJSONParse(JSON.parse)) {
         return JSON.parse(json);
     }
     throw new Error("Something went wrong.");
 }
-
-function buildRandomString(capitalize: boolean = false) {
-    let randomString: string = "";
-    const randomLength = Math.floor(Math.random() * 8) + 3;
-    for (let i = 0; i < randomLength; i++) {
-        const randomLetter = String.fromCharCode(
-            97 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 26),
-        );
-        randomString +=
-            capitalize && i === 0 ? randomLetter.toUpperCase() : randomLetter;
-    }
-    return randomString;
-}
-
-function buildRandomPhrase() {
-    const phrases: string[] = [];
-    const randomLength = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10) + 5;
-    for (let i = 0; i < randomLength; i++) {
-        phrases.push(buildRandomString(i === 0));
-    }
-    const modifierStart = ["**", "$"];
-    const modifierEnd = ["**", "$"];
-    const modifierIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * modifierStart.length);
-    return `${modifierStart[modifierIndex]}${phrases.join(" ")}${modifierEnd[modifierIndex]}`;
-}
-
-function buildTestData(testObject: string) {
-    return `{"data":{"assessmentItem":{"__typename":"AssessmentItemOrError","error":null,"item":{"__typename":"AssessmentItem","id":"x890b3c70f3e8f4a6","itemData":"${testObject}","problemType":"Type 1","sha":"c7284a3ad65214b4e62bccce236d92f7f5d35941"}}}}`;
-}