How does AMCAS factor in +'s and -'s concerning grades??

[Sartre79]

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Anyone know??

 

[Apparition]

The same way most schools do. A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, etc.

 

[IndyZX]

+,-'s are ignored.

 

[hakksar]

+'s and -'s are not ignored by AMCAS. It is figured as follows:

A+=4.0
A= 4.0
A-= 3.7
B+=3.3
B=3.0
B-=2.7
C+=2.3
C=2.0
C-=1.7
D+=1.3
D=1.0
D-=.7
F=0.0

I am 100% confident in this

 

[dankev]

Apparition is correct. For those of you who have received an A+ though, such a grade does not exist in AMCAS.

 

[Sartre79]

so who is right on this matter??

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Whoever thinks +'s and -'s are ignored is just bsing you. Anyhow, only + that doesnt count is A+, but I don't have too much pity for the A+'ers.

 

[hakksar]

apparition, hakksar, and dankev are all correct . . . IndyZX is mistaken

 

[Potato!]

So if I got an A+ in a class, then in AMCAS should I type in "A" or "A+"?

 

[hakksar]

Put however it was on the transcript . . . however your AMCAS grade will be an A

 

[Potato!]

Cool, Thanks 😎

 

[gaf]

So if I got an A+ in a class, then in AMCAS should I type in "A" or "A+"?

A+.

"Enter the grade, symbol, or notation exactly as it appears on the official transcript from the institution where you attempted the course.

"AMCAS will automatically convert most standard undergraduate transcript grades to AMCAS grades based on conversions provided by the institutions."​

AMCAS Instruction Book for the 2005 Entering Class, page 38.

 

[IndyZX]

yeah, i was wrong. sorry bout that.

 

[krebse]

sort of related - what about pass/fail courses? Are they assigned a value and worked into your GPA?

 

[hakksar]

Pass/Fail courses need to be entered into AMCAS but do not factor into your GPA in any way. They are listed under supplemental credits

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Hey, where does it say on AMCAS if they've recieved your transcripts or not.

 

[Potato!]

I had a full year course at one point (through two semester).
I took the first half of the course in Fall Semester 2001, and the second half of the course in Spring Semester 2003. I could not take the second half of the course when everyone else did, because I was on an internship, so I worked it out with my prof who said I could take it second semester when I came back the next year.

On my transcript, it just looks like I took the year long course Fall 2001-Spring 2002 (That's how I worked it out with my prof. She just didn't put a grade on the page until one year later when I actually finished the course). I don't want ADCOMs thinking that I had 4 courses one semester and 6 the next? Anyone have an opinion on how I should try to enter this into AMCAS?

 

[Apparition]

Hey, where does it say on AMCAS if they've recieved your transcripts or not.

They send you an e-mail as soon as they receive it.

 

[Machaon]

How does AMCAS figure grades in classes that are weighted differently? For example, would a B- in a 1 credit class be given a different score than a 1.25 credit class?

 

[Jason110]

How does AMCAS figure grades in classes that are weighted differently? For example, would a B- in a 1 credit class be given a different score than a 1.25 credit class?

All grades on AMCAS are weighted based on semester hours. They are graded just like a traditional GPA would be calculated. AMCAS will likely make a conversion to what they judge a semester hour to be. Example: If a 1 credit class = 4 AMCAS semester hours, then a 1.25 credits = 5 AMCAS semester hours. Just list the course with the correct number of credits, based on your transcript.

Jason

 

[Pinkertinkle]

That's right, btw is that a water bear?

 

[Machaon]

Tardigrades RULE!

They look like gummy bears with 6 legs...and tiny eyes...? Ok, so they don't, but they still RULE!

 

[thewzdoc]

Tardigrades RULE!

They look like gummy bears with 6 legs...and tiny eyes...? Ok, so they don't, but they still RULE!

These things are awsome! http://www.baertierchen.de/anim3_engl.html

 

[no-see-um]

WTF. How could A+ not count? 😡

 

[MErc44]

A+'s don't count in college, at least at my school. The only thing that pissed me off about AMCAS was that they didn't let the A+ stay on my one class in which I got one.

 

[no-see-um]

A+'s don't count in college, at least at my school. The only thing that pissed me off about AMCAS was that they didn't let the A+ stay on my one class in which I got one.

A+ is a 4.3 at my school.

 

[MErc44]

that's cool I guess unless you are applying to med school, your AMCAS gpa will be lower if you have multiple A+'s.

 

[no-see-um]

that's cool I guess unless you are applying to med school, your AMCAS gpa will be lower if you have multiple A+'s.

Dude... I got 5 A+'s in my tenure. 🙁 Put in a ton of work to get them. It's pretty messed up that my real gpa isn't going to be my gpa when med schools look at it. As long as they list my grades as they appear on my transcript, that's fine I guess. No point complaining because it's how they do things. But if they ask me about my gpa, I'll be perfectly willing to do my own calculations right then and there. 😀

 

[Cerbernator]

It's not just "A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3" because some schools do not use that scale. The weight of each grade depends on your schools grading scheme on how the AMCAS assigns grades.

 

[Cerbernator]

A+ is a 4.3 at my school. (an Ivy)

GRADE INFLATION!!!!!! Only ivies would be dumb enough to assing a 4.3 on a 4.0 scale

 

[no-see-um]

GRADE INFLATION!!!!!! Only ivies would be dumb enough to assing a 4.3 on a 4.0 scale

Inflation, my ass. If you knew what it took to get an A+ in a lecture hall from an anal professor with a median test grade of 45 on exams with some severely smart people students in the course, you wouldn't be laughing so hard. In some classes of 200, maybe 2 people will get an A+. Think about it again and figure out a percentage before you start assuming things...

 

[Cerbernator]

Inflation, my ass. If you knew what it took to get an A+ in a lecture hall from an anal professor with a median test grade of 45 on exams with some severely smart people students in the course, you wouldn't be laughing so hard. In some classes of 200, maybe 2 people will get an A+. Think about it again and figure out a percentage before you start assuming things...

did I offend the fly? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[no-see-um]

did I offend the fly? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Not at all. You only made a fool out of yourself.

 

[Cerbernator]

Not at all. You only made a fool out of yourself.

no because i dont buy into the "ivy = harder" argument. I've seen "ivy" tests and they were no harder than tests i've taken.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

A+.

"Enter the grade, symbol, or notation exactly as it appears on the official transcript from the institution where you attempted the course.

"AMCAS will automatically convert most standard undergraduate transcript grades to AMCAS grades based on conversions provided by the institutions."​

AMCAS Instruction Book for the 2005 Entering Class, page 38.

I think this is wrong because AMCAS reported all my A+ as A on the verified application that I received today. I think it was done becasue for AMCAS A+ is A.

 

[gaf]

I think this is wrong because AMCAS reported all my A+ as A on the verified application that I received today. I think it was done becasue for AMCAS A+ is A.

Perhaps I misunderstood, but I thought the original question was something to the effect of "How do I list my A+ grade?" You list as an A+. AMCAS converts it to an A.

 

[MoosePilot]

Not at all. You only made a fool out of yourself.

Not really. Your school uses a different scale. AMCAS converts it to a common scale. How in the heck can you get a 4.3/4.0? That's grade inflation and AMCAS converts it to the common grading system.

If 4.0 is perfect, how could you get better than perfect? That's just silly.

 

[SlopinMunkyDude]

It wouldn't make any sense to give extra credit to people who went to the "right" undergraduate school.

It all works out in the end, I guess. Some schools don't have A-s, and a B+ is a 3.5. Those people are going to think they're getting screwed.

 

[MErc44]

It's not just "A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3" because some schools do not use that scale. The weight of each grade depends on your schools grading scheme on how the AMCAS assigns grades.

no I'm pretty sure it is that scale, every school I have heard of uses it and I am pretty sure it is the widely accepted grading scheme, which is one of the reasons my school UCSB changed the grading system. They used to give 4.3 for A+ but it caused too much problems.

 

[IndyZX]

at Texas, we give out straight A/B/C/D/F and i prefer it that way

but i do think its horse**** that at those +/- schools, a A+ is the same as an A, yet an B is worse than a B+. unfair.

 

[leviathan]

The same way most schools do. A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, etc.

Speaking on this matter, I have my own question, and instead of making a new thread I'll just put it here. If an A- = 3.7, how does that work with Canadian schools having a different grading scale for what an A- is? At my school, an A- starts at 80% and ends at what I believe is 85%.

So if I have an 83% average, that means I have an A- average and a 3.7 GPA? Or would they adjust my GPA?

Also, does anyone know if the GPA scale is the same in Canada as posted in this forum?

 

[gaf]

It's not just "A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3" because some schools do not use that scale. The weight of each grade depends on your schools grading scheme on how the AMCAS assigns grades.

no I'm pretty sure it is that scale, every school I have heard of uses it and I am pretty sure it is the widely accepted grading scheme, which is one of the reasons my school UCSB changed the grading system. They used to give 4.3 for A+ but it caused too much problems.

How many schools have you heard of?

I have a B+ from a school that doesn't use minuses. AMCAS converted it to an AB, and it's 3.5. Coincidentally, it's a 3.5 at the school, too. Now, if that school decided that a B+ should be worth 3.8, then there would be a divergence from the AMCAS scales. As long as your school uses a fairly conventional grading scheme, you shouldn't get hosed by the grade conversion.

 

[MErc44]

apparently not enough

 

[Potato!]

Speaking on this matter, I have my own question, and instead of making a new thread I'll just put it here. If an A- = 3.7, how does that work with Canadian schools having a different grading scale for what an A- is? At my school, an A- starts at 80% and ends at what I believe is 85%.

So if I have an 83% average, that means I have an A- average and a 3.7 GPA? Or would they adjust my GPA?

Also, does anyone know if the GPA scale is the same in Canada as posted in this forum?

Leviathan,

No, even though your 83% is an A- average it will not convert into a 3.7 GPA. I too am at a Canadian school and the American GPA system is the same as ours. It is fairly straight forward to calculate your own GPA though. I actually also have about an 83% average, and it has converted into around a 3.6 GPA. It really depends on the distribution of your grades. One reason for this, is that my A+s bring my percentage up a lot, while an A+ is equivalent to an A in GPA. This is what you need to do to find your GPA:

Add every single letter grade up: A+=4.0, A=4.0, A- =3.7, B+ = 3.3, B=3, B- = 2.7 and that's all I know. Check the rest of this thread for the other grades. What's you've added your grade up (should equal somewhere around 145, if you have 40 classes), then divide it by the number of classes you took. And voila, GPA!