Iron Fist grading at your school?

[UCSFplayboy]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I just want to know how strict and random grading is at your school's clinical course. Here at UCSF, there are 2 professors notorious for being absolutely ruthless, and it takes perfection to pass (not ace, but pass). You can have 10's on your margins, 10's on your reduction, 10's on your taper, but if one thing receives a 7, your overall score is 70! If you get a 6 on anything, you get a 50! This is the most random and frustrating phenomenon here, so I'm asking everyone if it occurs at your school. When we compare different students' work, one student'll get a 60-70 while a student with nearly identical work'll receive a 95.

Somehow, I think it's tied to the p/f system. These professors see it as an opportunity to fail or marginally pass someone, because it won't appear on a transcript. They end up giving slews of 60's and 70's.

 

[UCSFplayboy]

btw, I've talked to some first years, and for some reason the attrition rate for them is very high (currently 5x our class's). They've either already dropped out or are already being held back, and it's only a shade over half way done with the year. Something you up-and-comers should look into, because something's not right.

 

[Lopyswine]

btw, I've talked to some first years, and for some reason the attrition rate for them is very high (currently 5x our class's). They've either already dropped out or are already being held back, and it's only a shade over half way done with the year. Something you up-and-comers should look into, because something's not right.

wait,
you're complaining about a pass/fail system?

The current D1 class at UCSD has already lost 5 students?

 

[youngmc27]

We just had our first crown prep/provisional exam and only 10 preps and 25 provisionals passed and 68 is passing so don't complain too much. By the way we did a maxillary reverse 3/4 crown prep for exam 1. That is a tough one if you have free time give it a shot one one of those bad boys.😀

 

[Hysteria24]

wait,
you're complaining about a pass/fail system?

The current D1 class at UCSD has already lost 5 students?

Seems like the OP is complaining about P/F because people aren't passing. And, I think you mean UCSF as opposed to UCSD.

To the OP: I can relate when you say "one student'll get a 60-70 while a student with nearly identical work'll receive a 95." We pretty much have the same thing going on here for all of our carvings and wax-ups.

 

[HupHolland]

You fellas just need to remind yourself that grading in pre-clinical courses is often very subjective. I think they example of 95 vs. 60 for identical work is a little extreme.... 95 vs. 80 is more likely. Often the person grading the practicals isn't the same one reviewing your projects. That's just life. Just do your best and you'll be fine. Dental schools (or at least mine) don't fail people that try their best.

Hup

 

[Yellow Snow]

Pretty much the same here. The difference between an 85 and 95 is mostly negligible - how much did you polish your crown prep, etc. Some graders are tougher than others.

 

[armorshell]

To the OP: I can relate when you say "one student'll get a 60-70 while a student with nearly identical work'll receive a 95." We pretty much have the same thing going on here for all of our carvings and wax-ups.

Every school has this for things like wax-ups and preps, because grading these things is very subjective, even with set criteria. Not to mention that with a big class like at UCSF, USC or Pacific, there's no way the same person could grade all the preps, so you're introducing personal biases as well.

I know at Pacific the course directors usually keep good track of how the class is doing on average, and if a certain row instructor is consistently getting noticeably higher or lower scores the course directors will adjust them.

 

[mamelons]

The same person could grade all of them, it just may take longer. We get all of our fixed practicals back 2 weeks later, but the same person grades the prep and the provisional for all 94 students. In operative, we get our grades back no more than a week after our practicals, and the same person grades all 94 preps and restorations.

 

[ElectraOnAzalea]

yeah, we're having the same issue in our operative class right now. I think this is a universal dental school issue, because i know for a fact i've read about this happening before actually experiencing it.

Honestly, it sucks to get totally different feedback on the same aspect of your prep or work or whatever you're doing because it makes it really hard to actually improve because you can't please everyone all the time. My new strategy is cross my fingers that i pass and don't complain about it because honestly it just makes you look bad if you're constantly trying to get a higher grade. Try your best and move on to the next one.

 

[mamelons]

yeah, we're having the same issue in our operative class right now. I think this is a universal dental school issue, because i know for a fact i've read about this happening before actually experiencing it.

Honestly, it sucks to get totally different feedback on the same aspect of your prep or work or whatever you're doing because it makes it really hard to actually improve because you can't please everyone all the time. My new strategy is cross my fingers that i pass and don't complain about it because honestly it just makes you look bad if you're constantly trying to get a higher grade. Try your best and move on to the next one.

Ditto. I found that once I quit stressing about grades and going with the flow, life was much better. Just move on. As long as you learn the principles you will be good to go.

 

[TempleDMDKrazd]

grading is all subjective. different professors like different things. here at Temple we rotate row professors after every practical. so it all evens out in the end (or i hope so).

 

[youngmc27]

The same person could grade all of them, it just may take longer. We get all of our fixed practicals back 2 weeks later, but the same person grades the prep and the provisional for all 94 students. In operative, we get our grades back no more than a week after our practicals, and the same person grades all 94 preps and restorations.

USC has 144 students in each class by the time one instructor graded all of the exams we would already be taking the next exam and the instructor would do nothing but grade exams. At our school each exam is graded by two people and they have to agree on the score before they can move to the next section to grade.

 

[HupHolland]

In our fixed course, one professor grades 130 practicals in a day or 2. If you're one of the first ones finished, it is not rare that he returns you your typodont graded in 2 minutes 👍

Hup

 

[LazurasDC]

Fixed, there are 3 or 4 professors that grade like a panel. You get opinions and comments from all of them and the grading is a bit more fair. The downside is... it takes a month to get our grade back!


Operative for us generally was graded by 1 professor, and we got our grades back same day (within 3 to 4 hours) if they were riding the fence between and A and B+ for example, then they'd get a 2nd. If riding the fence between an F and D, they might get a 3rd or even 4th opinion but that didn't really delay the grading by much.

Grading is definitely subjective, but they take a lot more points off for stuff like leaving undercuts on a crown prep, hitting adjacent teeth, under reduction vs. not being smooth or having an irregular margin or something. But overall I think it is pretty fair.