grading system...so stupid

[iphetamine]

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I'm wondering how you guys in the States are graded on your final exams.

Are they all MCQ or T/F??

Are the exams graded based on "-1"?? Meaning that for each incorrect answer you eliminate a correct answer you have. For example, if you have 100 MCQs and you answered 50 correct you receive 0% not 50%.

Anyone else suffer from this? Here the idiots say "that's how the American System works", wtf!!!!😕

 

[KARM12]

I'm wondering how you guys in the States are graded on your final exams.

Are they all MCQ or T/F??

Are the exams graded based on "-1"?? Meaning that for each incorrect answer you eliminate a correct answer you have. For example, if you have 100 MCQs and you answered 50 correct you receive 0% not 50%.

Anyone else suffer from this? Here the idiots say "that's how the American System works", wtf!!!!😕

Never heard of that...anywhere I went to school if you got half the questions wrong, you would get a 50%.

 

[Knipps]

I have never heard of that system. 😱
That would be scary if our grading system was like that.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I've never heard of that sort of a crackpot system. And it's certainly not based upon any sort of American grading system. Your professors are full of it. The professors here are full of it, too, so that not a unique trait of wherever you're from.

 

[iphetamine]

Ya, thought so.

But to think about it, maybe they're basing it on the SAT's?? IIRC, we got -1/4 for each incorrect answer and i dont know how much for each correct ones??

...not sure.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Yeah, but that's just the SAT. And that -1/4 is to account for guessing. At least that kinda makes sense.

 

[bacillus1]

SAT was 1 point for correct and -1/4 for incorrect. I suppose that could make sense in a college class (to account for guessing, statistically speaking, if there are 4 choices), but taking a point off with every incorrect answer is ridiculous.

We normally don't have T/F questions, but most (though not all) of our tests at my school are MCQ.

 

[Old Timer]

Back in the day, my Organic Chem professor discouraged guessing by a 4 point system. He placed the following example on each exam:

Q. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

1. U.S. Grant 4 points
2. Mrs. Grant 2 points
3. Grant's horse 0 points
4. Richard Nixon -2 points

Anyone who chose Nixon was obviously guessing and was punished....

 

[acetyl]

Back in the day, my Organic Chem professor discouraged guessing by a 4 point system. He placed the following example on each exam:

Q. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

1. U.S. Grant 4 points
2. Mrs. Grant 2 points
3. Grant's horse 0 points
4. Richard Nixon -2 points

Anyone who chose Nixon was obviously guessing and was punished....

I don't understand this type of system at all...I mean, you already get 'punished' when you get the question wrong, so who cares if you guess and get it wrong.

 

[Old Timer]

I don't understand this type of system at all...I mean, you already get 'punished' when you get the question wrong, so who cares if you guess and get it wrong.

He didn't want guessing. Them's the rules, you just have to live with them.

 

[WhiteSnows]

I love this system. It is like a tool to make us study. It sounds a little ******ed to do but they have thier reasons for having it.

 

[Sparda29]

He didn't want guessing. Them's the rules, you just have to live with them.

Yeah, he sounds like a prick. If you don't want guessing, then don't use multiple choice questions.

 

[acetyl]

yeah, he sounds like a prick. If you don't want guessing, then don't use multiple choice questions.

exactly

 

[genesis09]

Back in the day, my Organic Chem professor discouraged guessing by a 4 point system. He placed the following example on each exam:

Q. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

1. U.S. Grant 4 points
2. Mrs. Grant 2 points
3. Grant's horse 0 points
4. Richard Nixon -2 points

Anyone who chose Nixon was obviously guessing and was punished....

Actually no one is buried in Grant's tomb. Grant and Mrs. Grant are entombed not buried.

 

[AngelaCL]

Back in the day, my Organic Chem professor discouraged guessing by a 4 point system. He placed the following example on each exam:

Q. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

1. U.S. Grant 4 points
2. Mrs. Grant 2 points
3. Grant's horse 0 points
4. Richard Nixon -2 points

Anyone who chose Nixon was obviously guessing and was punished....

I think that sounds like a great system, actually at least then when you narrow an answer down to A or B you'll get at least some credit! It seems like a good way to distinguish the people who *kinda* know what is going on from those who have absolutely no idea.

Last semester I lost a lot of points because we had a lot of questions that had choices A, B, C, D, and E was "two of the above". A lot of times I knew A was definitely right, B and C were totally wrong, and D.... I wasn't sure. At first I always guessed "two of the above" but I got every single one wrong! Seriously, one the first test like that I had statistically a 50% chance of getting it right, being stuck between A and E, and I got it wrong nearly 100% of the time. Even though I had the knowledge to know A was right and B and C were wrong, I'd still get the same points as someone who picked B, the obviously wrong answer. So the concept of partial credit for a multiple choice answer that's close to right is intriguing. It'd be a bitch to grade, though, and probably fill in the blank or short answer would make more sense.

 

[FarmerE]

[Last semester I lost a lot of points because we had a lot of questions that had choices A, B, C, D, and E was "two of the above". A lot of times I knew A was definitely right, B and C were totally wrong, and D.... I wasn't sure. At first I always guessed "two of the above" but I got every single one wrong! Seriously, one the first test like that I had statistically a 50% chance of getting it right, being stuck between A and E, and I got it wrong nearly 100% of the time. Even though I had the knowledge to know A was right and B and C were wrong, I'd still get the same points as someone who picked B, the obviously wrong answer. So the concept of partial credit for a multiple choice answer that's close to right is intriguing. It'd be a bitch to grade, though, and probably fill in the blank or short answer would make more sense.[/quote]

Ah, they're just preparing you for the NAPLEX...at least that's what the professors in my school told us when we had those types of questions.

 

[iphetamine]

Oh ya, A B C D E, E being "none of the above" and sometimes D being "all of the above".
A lot of time we get "Blah blah blah, EXCEPT:" A, B, C, D, or E.

Just torture, brain fries during the exam. 😛

Btw, is that's the way NAPLEX is? none of the above, all of the above, blah blah EXCEPT??

 

[AngelaCL]

I heard that NAPLEX does NOT do "two of the above" as an option. I don't mind 'all of the above" or "none of the above" or even "both A and C" but "two of the above" stinks!

 

[goldennemesis]

Oh ya, A B C D E, E being "none of the above" and sometimes D being "all of the above".
A lot of time we get "Blah blah blah, EXCEPT:" A, B, C, D, or E.

Just torture, brain fries during the exam. 😛

Btw, is that's the way NAPLEX is? none of the above, all of the above, blah blah EXCEPT??

A NAPLEX question:

Which of the following statements are true?

I. Frogs are green.
II. The primary diet of frogs is human flesh.
III. Frogs croak.

A. I only
B. I and II
C. III only
D. I and III
E. I, II, and III

A lot of our professors are using these questions. Makes my head hurt. :-(
The combinations of correct answers listed in A,B,C,D, and E vary from questions to question as well.

 

[njac]

A NAPLEX question:

Which of the following statements are true?

I. Frogs are green.
II. The primary diet of frogs is human flesh.
III. Frogs croak.

A. I only
B. I and II
C. III only
D. I and III
E. I, II, and III

A lot of our professors are using these questions. Makes my head hurt. :-(
The combinations of correct answers listed in A,B,C,D, and E vary from questions to question as well.

and I ALWAYS like only option II. I hated those!

 

[fungikid]

A NAPLEX question:

Which of the following statements are true?

I. Frogs are green.
II. The primary diet of frogs is human flesh.
III. Frogs croak.

A. I only
B. I and II
C. III only
D. I and III
E. I, II, and III

A lot of our professors are using these questions. Makes my head hurt. :-(
The combinations of correct answers listed in A,B,C,D, and E vary from questions to question as well.

We've always had these types of questions (only with more choices and more combinations) even in undergrad at U of T in Canada.