how hard is it to get a 3.0

[ucsb101]

How hard is it to get a 3.0 in your first year of medical school if you are taking 16-17 units quarter? The people who do not get a above a 3.0, is it because the material is too hard or is it just that they did not study as much as the 3.0+ guys? thanks for your help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[dr.z]

Most schools are on pass/fail or something similar. Only a few schools still keep letter grading system.

 

[brightblueeyes]

I wonder if PD's take into account that some schools use tougher grading standards than others. I always thought PD's looked more closely at a student's ranking within a school and the school's track record than at student grades.

 

[koma]

How hard is it to get a 3.0 in your first year of medical school if you are taking 16-17 units quarter? The people who do not get a above a 3.0, is it because the material is too hard or is it just that they did not study as much as the 3.0+ guys? thanks for your help!

I go to a very traditional grade oriented school, and it's pretty easy to get a 3.0. In fact, I think most people aim for an A, and the grade distribution for most classes looks about 30% A, 60 % B and 10% C. No one has yet failed a class (although there were a couple of D's). People who get lower grades generally don't have medschool as their first priority - basically, it's usually family, religion, or some hobby. I do think rank is more important then GPA, (unless you want to get some nice scholarship) and first two years are really not very significant since most people are on the same level.

 

[mattorama]

All schools are different. At mine they generally go 10-20% A, 30-40% B, and 50% C. No matter what the class average is, if you are below it you get a C. It still isn't too hard to be in the top half of the class though. Just put in the time and you will do fine. I've heard of some schools that only give like 5% As...that must be rough.

 

[Sweet Tea]

We have a 10-pt, A,B,C,F grading system. We've had tests where the class average has been a 94% and almost everyone got an A. We've also had tests where the class average has been a 72% and half the class failed. It's different at every school.

 

[ucsb101]

bump it up bump it jam

 

[Giving My .02]

It depends on the school. UTSW has the A, B+, B, C grading scale. I think it is hard because an A is a 93 in most of our classes. So even if the class average is anywhere from 82-88, an 82 is slightly above a C, and an 88 is in B to B+ range. Some classes are easier depending on your background, but I don't believe A's are handed out. Grades are definetly not inflated here. I think anyone in the B+ to A range might be smart anyways, but couldn't ace it on test taking abilities alone. However, I think most people come out with a 3.0 or higher in our class overall.