Grade Appeal?

[AlphaBeta<3]

I just got my grade back for a 6 credit class, and I got an A-. My prof took off 5 points on the midterm because they worded a question wrong, but I answered it the way it was worded. I would have gotten 98 on it, but got 93 instead. Should I try to appeal the grade?

Keep in mind, I'm doing GPA repair right now and need straight A's.

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[JustAPhD]

Is 5 pts on an exam going to actually bring you up a noticeable amount in a 6 credit class? Also, if it was worded poorly why didn't you clarify with the prof when you were taking the exam?

 

[KitKat30]

You should talk to your professor. They are generally reasonable people if you are respectful and they truly want you to be successful.

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

Is 5 pts on an exam going to actually bring you up a noticeable amount in a 6 credit class? Also, if it was worded poorly why didn't you clarify with the prof when you were taking the exam?

Because at the time it made sense. I wasn't the only person who misinterpreted. And idk how close I was to the A because I don't have access to other parts of the the grade (like participation, hw, etc)

 

[JustAPhD]

Because at the time it made sense. I wasn't the only person who misinterpreted. And idk how close I was to the A because I don't have access to other parts of the the grade (like participation, hw, etc)

Okay, well since this was the midterm and the semester is coming to a close (if not already over) why are you waiting until now to bring this up?

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

You should talk to your professor. They are generally reasonable people if you are respectful and they truly want you to be successful.

Idk if they already did me a favor though because they knew how hard I was trying in the class, and I also don't want to seem ungrateful.

Is 5 pts on an exam going to actually bring you up a noticeable amount in a 6 credit class? Also, if it was worded poorly why didn't you clarify with the prof when you were taking the exam?

And it was a midterm

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

Okay, well since this was the midterm and the semester is coming to a close (if not already over) why are you waiting until now to bring this up?

Because at the time I was at all 93+ for my grades, and I didn't think it would make a difference. Especially since many other people were getting 70s and 80s

 

[JustAPhD]

Because at the time I was at all 93+ for my grades, and I didn't think it would make a difference. Especially since many other people were getting 70s and 80s

This is exactly why if you have an issue with an exam you go to the prof as soon as you have the grades back. Feel free to talk to your prof, it can't hurt. Whether or not he'she gives you points depends on a lot of things.

 

[ChrisMack390]

If you do not get into medical school, this A- will not be to blame.

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

If you do not get into medical school, this A- will not be to blame.

Well, I got another A- in a class this semester too...

 

[OchemOficionado]

I think the first step would be figuring out if they actually did you a favor already or not. Maybe ask for all of your scores and do the math. At first I was just going to say, talk to them and see if they're willing to give partial credit for that midterm question. On the other hand, I know a few people that asked for a regrade and actually received a lower score.

 

[Cookiess]

You could try talking to your professor and stating your case, but I probably wouldn't push it if he/she doesn't seem open to the idea of changing your grade. Since you're doing grade repair and every grade matters, I would at least try talking to your professor.

 

[MaxPlancker]

Lol even if you had nothing but A-'s in every class you ever took, that won't be the reason you get rejected from med school.

 

[tantacles]

Well, I got another A- in a class this semester too...

A-'s are good grades. I would leave it alone.


Large dogs

 

[IlDestriero]

Okay, well since this was the midterm and the semester is coming to a close (if not already over) why are you waiting until now to bring this up?

Exactly.
The time to address issues is when they arise, not weeks or months later. Asking at that time makes sense, asking now is strange and appears to just highlight that all you want is an A vs A-. You're there to learn, they teach. If there is s problem with the tests, questions about the material, etc. they want to help with that and address issues. End of year grade bumping emails/meetings are like nails on a chalkboard.


--
Il Destriero

 

[IlDestriero]

I'll add one more thing.
There's little he can do about it now. If he wanted to grade the midterm differently, he'd have to track down all the students now on summer break or graduated, figure out which ones made this error, regrade, and then submit grade changes for all those students. Even if he had the exams to look on file, it's unlikely to be something they want to do after classes are done and final grades submitted. If it was the final exam it would be a different story.
You're not approaching him to fix the error, you would have done that when the midterm grades came out and you saw your exam. You're doing it because you were a few points short of an A. That changes your argument and his motivation, especially if it means regrading 6 week old exams. Unless there's more to the story, I see the conversation going something like, "I wish you had brought this to my attention in March, but there's nothing that I can do about it now. Have a good summer. (Followed by screeching tires as his 2002 Z3M convertible tears out of the faculty lot for parts unknown)

--Il Destriero