Is it impossible to score an A on a Bio I class?

[Turkishking]

The first exam I took the exam average was a 60. There was no curve. Most people are failing or barely passing. I have an exam Friday. There is no curve. There is 60 multiple choice questions, and I find it physically impossible to get a perfect score. Even if you study 3 to 4 hours a day. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My adviser told me it's a weed out class. The TA told me, At the end of the year, there is no curve on the final grades either. So I'm at a fine position right now with an 87. But I just don't know what else I can do to prepare even better for this exam. I'm shooting for at least an A-

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[deleted407021]

Bio I is a weed-out class? How? It's just like ... evolution and cells and stuff.

 

[Turkishking]

Bio I is a weed-out class? How? It's just like ... evolution and cells and stuff.

Well that's what my adviser said... Maybe most people don't care. I'm not so sure. Advisers are notorious for being misinformed.. so that may be that case. But for the rest of the 200 people I'm not sure.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

You are right. It is impossible.

 

[studentdocftw]

Dude, it's Bio 1. Just wait until Biochemistry 1&2, Biophysical, Analytical Chemistry...etc.

 

[NorthOfBroad]

Well the first thing to do is to look over your test and see which questions got wrong. Is there a pattern or is it random factoids you didn't memorize. If there is a pattern that's awesome, you can work on that. If it's just the random factoids you have to just memorize more and try to identify the high yield stuff, no two ways about it. And a 60 average sounds right for a weed-out course at a large university. A little low but it is the first exam. An 87 is fine btw.

 

[BluMist]

maybe if you spend more time studying instead of posting the same threads on SDN...
actually, never mind, echo what @LuluLovesMe said, you are right, it is impossible

 

[Turkishking]

maybe if you spend more time studying instead of posting the same threads on SDN...
actually, never mind, echo what @LuluLovesMe said, you are right, it is impossible

Well, I gain a lot of insight from this website besides studying. This website has taught me so much that I probably know more than m adviser...

 

[toros102]

thing is, there are people in your class gettin A's. Figure out what they're doing right.

 

[Turkishking]

thing is, there are people in your class gettin A's. Figure out what they're doing right.

Oh yeah. The one person? I talk to him but he isn't really helpful.

 

[Lannister]

Bio I is a weed-out class? How? It's just like ... evolution and cells and stuff.

Actually it was a weed out class at my school, the year I took it, over 50% of the 400 person class dropped. It was crazy, they put the professors on probation after that lol.

If your professor provides any practice problems, do them. Do the practice problems in the back of the book. Use your lecture notes to make quizzes for yourself immediately after you learn the material, then go back and take your quizzes as a way to study for the exam.

 

[amazing tekkers]

Just keep studying I guess. Go to the instructor ask him what you can do as a student to improve your scores in the class.

 

[Cotterpin]

Bio I is a weed-out class? How? It's just like ... evolution and cells and stuff.

It was definitely the big weed-out class at my school. More because of the way it was taught and tested than the actual content.

 

[Satire5Texul]

Hey my class was not that intense, but to offer some support and advise. You are doing very well. If you are spending 4-5 hours studying, you are just going to have to increase how much you study. I know this sounds obvious but sometimes its nice to hear encouraging words.

What topic are you guys covering we could offer some more specific advice ?

Bio I and chem I are known to be weed-outs. Don’t pay attention to what others are doing and keep going at the material until you comprehend it. You can anticipate what your professor did. Is it just recall or applied situation questions. This will help you decipher how you need to study. If scenario is common then you should think of the application type questions as you go along.

For example. If you are learning about dna replication. Think about what if one of the factors was not there, what would happen? What is required?

IF its straight memorization – write things down. This is Proven to be one of the most effective ways of learning. Don’t just read. This wont help. Make sure you are actively learning and not just perusing the material.

Best of wishes !!

 

[ConfusedChemist]

Haha at my school, 9/1200 students got an A+ in BIO101
But that's because the professor was actually crazy and the same thing happens every year

 

[mehc012]

Multiple choice only test as a weedout? Someone is doing something terribly wrong, then. There's a ceiling on how difficult an MC test can be.

 

[Cotterpin]

Multiple choice only test as a weedout? Someone is doing something terribly wrong, then. There's a ceiling on how difficult an MC test can be.

I don't know... my gen chem II class was all multiple choice tests and the class averages were always down in the 50's somehow. They would write the test so that all of the wrong answers were answers you could have easily come up with if you made certain mistakes. And they tried to trick you.

 

[mehc012]

I don't know... my gen chem II class was all multiple choice tests and the class averages were always down in the 50's somehow. They would write the test so that all of the wrong answers were answers you could have easily come up with if you made certain mistakes. And they tried to trick you.

There's only so much tricking you can do with 4-5 answer choices. There was a reason none of the science departments at my school allowed/gave MC-only exams.

 

[goldy490]

Dude you've got an 87 chill out, if the average is a 60, then you're doing very well. Many of these "weed out" classes aren't made to teach you anything, its just a proving ground that you can handle the full force of this level of science. Since there is no curve, it's totally possible that none of the student will earn an A anyway. You'll get the chance to take upper level bio classes after this where A-'s are all but given. Just don't fail out (like I did lol) and you'll be fine.

 

[ChrisMack390]

"There is no curve" but what % constitutes and A, B, etc.?

No matter how they may like to, a professor can't fail half the class. Eventually it looks bad on him/her, not the students.

With an 87 you have at LEAST a B+ and if everyone is really bombing everything, maybe even an A-.

 

[Cotterpin]

There's only so much tricking you can do with 4-5 answer choices. There was a reason none of the science departments at my school allowed/gave MC-only exams.

Yeah, you're right. Multiple choice only is laughably easy. That's why everybody has such a fun time with the MCAT.

 

[tenblackalps]

Just because they say there is no curve doesn't mean that class won't be curved at the end of the semester. Sometimes professors will say that so they aren't inundated with curve inquiries. I know for a fact that Phys 1 and Phys 2 were both silently curved at my institution.

Bio 1 is a weed-out class at my school and I got an A, although not many people I know personally did.

Watch Khan Academy!

 

[GrapesofRath]

From my experience in undergrad teachers who love making exams that have low averages also love talking about how there will be no curve and "you earn what you earn". Then when grades are posted come end of the semester magically at least 10-15% of the class has A-'s and at least 30-40% B's even though there was "no curve" and the class averages never went above 60. So yeah, just keep at it, an 87 when the class average is a 60 regardless of what SDN's standards are isn't bad work at all by any means. Regardless of how much your professor talks about it being a "weed out" class, there's a good chance the grading distribution won't be so half the class ends up with D's or F's. Whether or not that means an 87 gets curved up to a 90, I don't know, but you're not in some terrible position.

And I'm glad somebody responded earlier but the notion that multiple choice tests can't serve as a weed out test or aren't difficult is laughable. The MCAT is just one of may examples of how flawed that logic is.

Also pro tip: coming on SDN looking for sympathy usually isn't a smart decision.

 

[cantankerous]

It's likely that the other components to the grade (i.e. quizzes, labs, HW) boost grades so that total average is around a C, which is perfectly acceptable.
Remember, C's get degrees!

 

[Turkishking]

It's likely that the other components to the grade (i.e. quizzes, labs, HW) boost grades so that total average is around a C, which is perfectly acceptable.
Remember, C's get degrees!

I can't afford a C. Besides, that won't do anything. Exam grades are worth 50%. Homework is 10..

 

[Turkishking]

According to my adviser 3.0 is good freshman year.

 

[goldy490]

Don't listen to your adviser but seriously dude, its Bio 1...Just don't fail out and get out of there with a B or better.

Not sure what school you're at, butI know at some places the aim is to fail out (or failing withdraw) 1/3 of the class. Just getting out of there in one piece is impressive enough. There are many As to be had down the line

 

[cantankerous]

I can't afford a C. Besides, that won't do anything. Exam grades are worth 50%. Homework is 10..

But the university can. You're just another replaceable paycheck for them.
If you can't afford a C, then study better. Or go to a different undergraduate institution. I heard Everest is a great option :^)

Mathwise, though, if exams are only 50% with D averages, the other 50% with probably B averages makes it out to be a C, so it's not like they're doing anything wrong.

 

[Doug Underhill]

I didn't get an "A" in a bio class until biochemistry and I still managed a 3.7. I was really good at chemistry, so I took a lot of chem to compensate.

 

[exodian1]

I'm a senior bio major. To this day, Intro to Bio 1 and 2 have been the hardest bio classes I've taken(though I've yet to take anatomy and I've heard the professor for that class is horrible). Though you're in a pretty solid position with an 87 so just keep doing what you're doing

 

[edgerock24]

The first exam I took the exam average was a 60. There was no curve. Most people are failing or barely passing. I have an exam Friday. There is no curve. There is 60 multiple choice questions, and I find it physically impossible to get a perfect score. Even if you study 3 to 4 hours a day. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My adviser told me it's a weed out class. The TA told me, At the end of the year, there is no curve on the final grades either. So I'm at a fine position right now with an 87. But I just don't know what else I can do to prepare even better for this exam. I'm shooting for at least an A-

Sadly, this is why you check RateMyProfessors before registering for courses.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Multiple choice only test as a weedout? Someone is doing something terribly wrong, then. There's a ceiling on how difficult an MC test can be.

That ceiling is step 1.

 

[efle]

wait and see how grades come out at the end of the class. It may be "uncurved" in the sense that grade cutoffs don't move based on class performance, but the cutoff for an A may be static at 85

 

[mehc012]

Yeah, you're right. Multiple choice only is laughably easy. That's why everybody has such a fun time with the MCAT.

Sorry, but most people going to medical school score over 50% raw score on MCAT. Well over. Even those freaking it over their scores usually aren't as low as this class average.
The MCAT is also not really a content based test like a class exam ought to be.

 

[efle]

Sorry, but most people going to medical school score over 50% raw score on MCAT. Well over. Even those freaking it over their scores usually aren't as low as this class average.
The MCAT is also not really a content based test like a class exam ought to be.

Why on earth should class exams be content based? You're supposed to be learning how to think and problem solve in a context, plus some memorizing. Similar to the MCAT just much more in depth and difficult

 

[Mad Jack]

Bio I was really interesting and tended to be a bimodal score distribution- it was a fail or B+ and higher class, with few in between.

 

[mehc012]

Why on earth should class exams be content based? You're supposed to be learning how to think and problem solve in a context, plus some memorizing. Similar to the MCAT just much more in depth and difficult

Sorry, didn't mean that to say there should be no critical thinking on class exams, but more that there should be more knowledge depth required than on the MCAT

 

[deleted407021]

Sorry, didn't mean that to say there should be no critical thinking on class exams, but more that there should be more knowledge depth required than on the MCAT

You would expect coursework to be more in-depth than what is required for the MCAT However, I can't think of how a bio I test might be structured to test for critical thinking, unless you made it research based, such as with the MCAT.

 

[ranob]

The first exam I took the exam average was a 60. There was no curve. Most people are failing or barely passing. I have an exam Friday. There is no curve. There is 60 multiple choice questions, and I find it physically impossible to get a perfect score. Even if you study 3 to 4 hours a day. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My adviser told me it's a weed out class. The TA told me, At the end of the year, there is no curve on the final grades either. So I'm at a fine position right now with an 87. But I just don't know what else I can do to prepare even better for this exam. I'm shooting for at least an A-

Study less, sleep more. It shouldn't take more than 8-12 hours max to study for an intro bio exam. (If you're efficient about it, this can fit into the day before the exam. That's how all the "smart" premeds do it). Also, this goes without saying but make sure to cram right before the exam. Good luck

 

[mehc012]

You would expect coursework to be more in-depth than what is required for the MCAT However, I can't think of how a bio I test might be structured to test for critical thinking, unless you made it research based, such as with the MCAT.

Questions requiring a non-standard utilization of knowledge or combined knowledge of 2 topics seem to qualify as critical thinking these days.

To be fair, though, I am biased going into this entire discussion because I did not think the MCAT was a particularly difficult test. Large, shallow content base and plenty of annoying standardized-test-logic, yes, but again...multiple choice. I recognize that some people struggle with the MCAT, but to me that is more a factor of the competition for med school seats rather than the raw difficulty of the MCAT questions. Most people can do alright on the MCAT, but alright isn't enough these days. This person is describing a pure MC test with an average below 60% raw, which is less than a 24 on the old MCAT scale. People start freaking out in the upper 20s. So, yeah...the fact that they're having more trouble with these tests than the premed's epitome of the hard MC test seems wrong to me.

 

[Lost in Translation]

Considering the only pre-med req courses I didn't get A's in were Bio 1 and 2...

 

[efle]

Questions requiring a non-standard utilization of knowledge or combined knowledge of 2 topics seem to qualify as critical thinking these days.

To be fair, though, I am biased going into this entire discussion because I did not think the MCAT was a particularly difficult test. Large, shallow content base and plenty of annoying standardized-test-logic, yes, but again...multiple choice. I recognize that some people struggle with the MCAT, but to me that is more a factor of the competition for med school seats rather than the raw difficulty of the MCAT questions. Most people can do alright on the MCAT, but alright isn't enough these days. This person is describing a pure MC test with an average below 60% raw, which is less than a 24 on the old MCAT scale. People start freaking out in the upper 20s. So, yeah...the fact that they're having more trouble with these tests than the premed's epitome of the hard MC test seems wrong to me.

+1. The MCAT is only hard because it isn't hard - that is, the questions aren't really that tough, there is just extremely little room for error across a large number of them since the crowd of premeds taking it is a capable bunch.

Considering the only pre-med req courses I didn't get A's in were Bio 1 and 2...

humble brag much

 

[Optimist Prime]

60% is about right for a class average at a big university. Shoot my gen chem 1 freshman year the average was 45-55% for most of the tests.

 

[Pete Clat]

I go to UMD, and the class average for my Bio I class was a 63%. All those intro courses just get rid of the kids that aren't putting in enough effort.

 

[Cotterpin]

Sorry, but most people going to medical school score over 50% raw score on MCAT. Well over. Even those freaking it over their scores usually aren't as low as this class average.
The MCAT is also not really a content based test like a class exam ought to be.

Look, you said yourself that none of your science classes allowed MC-only exams. So maybe you just don't have experience with how difficult an MC-only exam in a science course can be, hm? Because they can be very difficult.

 

[JustaDO]

According to my adviser 3.0 is good freshman year.

And according to you, making a A in Bio I may be "impossible."

 

[Turkishking]

No one an exam

 

[Ox King]

The first exam I took the exam average was a 60. There was no curve. Most people are failing or barely passing. I have an exam Friday. There is no curve. There is 60 multiple choice questions, and I find it physically impossible to get a perfect score. Even if you study 3 to 4 hours a day. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My adviser told me it's a weed out class. The TA told me, At the end of the year, there is no curve on the final grades either. So I'm at a fine position right now with an 87. But I just don't know what else I can do to prepare even better for this exam. I'm shooting for at least an A-

Sounds like intro bio at my school. If you have powerpoints, remember to study whats emphasized on the powerpoints more than the assigned reading. Don't worry, I got a 3.1 my freshman year and finished with a 3.7 cumulative. Just focus on improving on surviving freshman year, improving your study methods, and crushing the MCAT and you are set.

 

[Ad2b]

My first bio professor when I came back taught on a weeknight. The first night, she kept saying, "ProTEINS, and neutrons are in the nucleus of the atom" and blah blah blah blah.

I thought to myself she was a little um... hard to hear and thought maybe I just misunderstood her.

Nope. 2nd day, she said same thing; after class I to her in private, "Do you mean proTONS and neutrons?" Nope, the PhD in Bio said, "Proteins" .

I dropped. Nope. It doesn't show up on transcript. Took from different professor, read like crazy, memorized every tedious detail he gave in lecture, listened A LOT, wrote down his anecdotal comments, and ...

got a 98% in class. Sometimes it really is a sucky professor but more often, it is a sucky student who thinks they know it all (I've been that student; 30 years ago).

 

[Demosthenes1]

I got a 94 in Bio at my school, and the teacher essentially made it so the class ran a train on everyone's GPA.
The real question is, are you honestly "studying smart" 2-3 hours everyday?