Has a final exam ever help to raise your grade by a letter?

[goft20]

I have a B in organic chem...so I have to get an A+ on the final to get an A or a C+ to get a B. How have your experiences been?

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[deleted562324]

It has for me, once. The professor dropped the lowest test grade and I was literally 1 question away from an A on the previous exam. I had to earn a 90 or greater on the final exam to get an A in the course, and I got something like a 92.

It didn't work for me in Organic Chemistry though. I needed an A on the final to get an A in the class, but I barely missed the grade on the final. It was one of the only times I ever wished for +/- (mostly +) grading.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Yes, several times. I went from a low B to an A+ due to the class curve.

In some engineering classes I've gone from C's to A's.

 

[IncognitoGuy]

Yep. First Orgo class, I had something like a 60% going into the final, courtesy of a 50% on the last midterm. I aced the final, bringing my grade up to an A-.

 

[missdr10]

Yup, happened specifically with Orgo because the entire Chem department uses standardized exams. I ended up struggling (B+) with one of the hardest Orgo professors, but the final was a breeze and I ended up with a 97% or something on the final after the curve. Ended up with an A in the class.

 

[Espadaleader]

Just being honest your chances are slim. Unless you are asymmetric (60 Exam 1, 95 Exam 2), chances are you won't raise you're grade over B+. I had a B+ turn to an A- from a final, but not a B to an A. That's a hail mary.

 

[thisisansley]

Yeah, in University Physics 2 I got a 76 on the first test, 50something on the next one, then studied my butt off and aced the final, which was cumulative. The prof agreed to drop my midterm grades and just use my final. Ended up with an A in the class.

 

[rain4venus]

Some schools/classes have a policy that if you get an A on the final then you get an A in the class. Clearly that's not what's going on here though, so I doubt that experience is especially helpful...
I do think I jumped a letter grade in my differential equations class. There was one topic that I didn't get the entire semester, and have not ever understood since, but I had a brief moment of clarity on the final when I just *got it.* It wasn't even that I accidentally did it right or anything, it just made sense for the time I was doing that one problem and that was it. I think I went from either a B or B- to an A.

 

[thisisansley]

Some schools/classes have a policy that if you get an A on the final then you get an A in the class. Clearly that's not what's going on here though, so I doubt that experience is especially helpful...
I do think I jumped a letter grade in my differential equations class. There was one topic that I didn't get the entire semester, and have not ever understood since, but I had a brief moment of clarity on the final when I just *got it.* It wasn't even that I accidentally did it right or anything, it just made sense for the time I was doing that one problem and that was it. I think I went from either a B or B- to an A.

It's not policy at my school but I've had teachers make exceptions.

 

[Pacna]

I frequently leaned on finals to help my grade. I recall a chemistry class where I went from a 3.5 to 4.0 in that 2 hour exam. <3

 

[rain4venus]

It's not policy at my school but I've had teachers make exceptions.

Just if it's not clear, I started writing that post before yours posted, so I hadn't read yours yet. I was not trying to say that you weren't being helpful- I was mostly talking about myself 😛

 

[V5RED]

I have never had that happen, but they have sometimes come close to lowering my grade. A lot of professors at my school made the finals significantly harder than the unit exams, so if you did not do well on the unit exams, doing well on the final was highly improbable.

 

[Zelda840]

Quite a few people in my Organic classes jumped a letter grade. The ACS final replaced the lowest test score and since the averages on the teachers' tests were usually in the 50's or 60's, doing well on the final made a huge impact.

 

[Espadaleader]

Yeah, in University Physics 2 I got a 76 on the first test, 50something on the next one, then studied my butt off and aced the final, which was cumulative. The prof agreed to drop my midterm grades and just use my final. Ended up with an A in the class.

That happened to me.

 

[goft20]

Thanks for the replies! I will let you know how it goes for me...

 

[blesss]

It's not policy at my school but I've had teachers make exceptions.

How do you even approach a prof about this? Genuinely curious, I can't see any of mine making an exception for any students unless it was illness or something that led to poor grades on midterms.

 

[bambam92]

Definitely possible, but if one struggles on the midterms and the final is cumulative it is somewhat problematic to expect to ace the final on material that you never fully learned/mastered. You have a B, which in orgo is pretty good--not like your failing or have a D. Personally I try to have my midterms be so high that I don't have to pull any magic tricks on the final. It is a good feeling/stress reliever going into a final knowing you only need a B to get an A in the class, versus having to get a 95+.

 

[V5RED]

How do you even approach a prof about this? Genuinely curious, I can't see any of mine making an exception for any students unless it was illness or something that led to poor grades on midterms.

I can see this backfiring on a student at least in terms of getting a decent LOR. Professors at my school typically do not appreciate students asking them to make exceptions. Many of them explicitly tell us they will not make exceptions for students (barring illness or some calamity preventing one from taking an exam) because it isn't fair to all the other students.

 

[thisisansley]

How do you even approach a prof about this? Genuinely curious, I can't see any of mine making an exception for any students unless it was illness or something that led to poor grades on midterms.

I basically spent a lot of time in her office hours. She knew I was studying for the mcat at the same time and I did have some family stuff going on at the time (though I'll be the first to say it wasn't an excuse for low midterm grades). I think it's really because she knew me pretty well and felt for me haha.

 

[thisisansley]

I basically spent a lot of time in her office hours. She knew I was studying for the mcat at the same time and I did have some family stuff going on at the time (though I'll be the first to say it wasn't an excuse for low midterm grades). I think it's really because she knew me pretty well and felt for me haha.

ETA: I should clarify that I never asked her to make an exception, I just know she must have, based on my final grade.

 

[CognitiveCheese]

I've definitely been in a situation where I have needed to ace a final to get an A in the class and it's stressful, but definitely not impossible… Getting a high A on a final, especially a cumulative one is a good way of demonstrating some mastery of the material. There's often much more time to study during finals than at any other point in the semester, besides the beginning.

I definitely wouldn't ask for an exception, but maybe ask if there were still some possibility of you getting an A in the class, like if you do really well during the final--or extra credit, lol. At least they know you are not just trying to pass through with a C to get your degree or whatever.

I know things can get really busy and tests in the middle of the semester aren't necessarily demonstrative of one's overall ability in a subject. Your professor might be understanding.

 

[Fedxup]

I've gonna from a C in organic to A- just because the final was 40% of our grade

 

[fjkfukdfy]

I have a B in organic chem..

 

[eizeral]

I have a B in organic chem...so I have to get an A+ on the final to get an A or a C+ to get a B. How have your experiences been?

I went from a B+ to an A in organic chem 1. My grades were: 90/100 on exam 1, 71/100 on exam 2, 83/100 on exam 3, 145/150 on final. 85+ was an A.

 

[The Buff OP]

Once I took a stagecraft class I had an A the whole time and when the final came around I didn't really study for it because I knew the final was like "easy" I ended up with a C. WTF!?????

 

[blesss]

Once I took a stagecraft class I had an A the whole time and when the final came around I didn't really study for it because I knew the final was like "easy" I ended up with a C. WTF!?????

ouch 🙁

 

[The Buff OP]

ouch 🙁

That a-hole said (professor), "Attendance can also hurt your grade." Yeah okay, with a big ass class and he hardly ever took attendance.

 

[deleted407021]

Both Gen Chem classes took me from a C to a B and A, respectively. The ACS had a massive curve. I think a 70 became a 100 ._.

 

[QuantumJ]

No actually I haven't. I have had a few grades fall from A to B though because of the final.

 

[goft20]

This is great motivation for me to study elimination reactions...thanks everyone!

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[A7X]

It seems like Orgo finals are the ones that normally boost up your grade. At my school, you can drop your lowest Orgo exam grade and have the final replace it. This way, the final would count for 75% of your course grade. If you did well in the final, it could shoot your grade up by a letter. But the professors know this and make the Final really hard. The final actually ends up dropping a lot of people's grades, rather than boosting it up.

 

[ZeaL6]

Wtf will all your guys curves in orgo... lol. It definitely is possible. I needed a 185/200 on my orgo 1 final to get an A and I studied my ass off and got a 199. I knew my **** though inside and out after multiple 8 hour days

 

[greinke]

"Has a final exam ever help to raise your grade by a letter?"

Yep. All the time. I'd actually say 90% of my courses are like that.
It's just my style. It takes some time for me to get used to the professor's teaching, how exams are given. Then I try to ace the assignments/exams that are weighted heavily near the end of the course. It is not ideal but definitely possible and something that I go through every quarter.
It's definitely stressful though! :/ Hope you can make the comeback OP!!!

 

[Beargryllz]

I'll do you one better OP

I had 2 finals in 2 days, both of which moved me from B to A for the final grade

This was also the only college semester I ever managed straight As, so it was really memorable

 

[goft20]

I'll do you one better OP

I had 2 finals in 2 days, both of which moved me from B to A for the final grade

This was also the only college semester I ever managed straight As, so it was really memorable

Well that makes me feel better..I am trying to maintain a 4.0 as this would be my only B...back to reactions sheets...🙄

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[Alaxandra]

Hell yeah. Last spring, I was getting a solid B in geography, and then I pulled an A on the final, and got an A in the class.

 

[plumhill]

This has only happened to me in classes where profs would drop or give less weight to a midterm if you improved significantly on the final. In your case just focus on doing the best that you can on the final and try not to panic (though I know its hard).

 

[NickNaylor]

I was getting a solid B in geography

<- mfw

 

[LightAtTheEnd]

Same exact situation actually. I went into my Orgo 1 Final with a B, having made a 92 and 76 on the first two tests respectively. I studied extremely hard for the final and ended up with an A+! When I was studying my old tests for the final I could not get over the stupid mistakes I made like abstracting the proton of an alchol with water... . In fact, the final was easier for me than all three tests because I was able to look at everything holistically.

 

[DoktorO]

Talk to your professor face to face. Ask them if they can take your final exam score and make it your class grade. Many professors are receptive to this as it means you have worked hard after poor midterms and have redeemed yourself in their eyes with a good score on the final.

 

[goft20]

I got a B in the class..no idea what I got on the exam because he left for vacation...🙁