Isn't +/- grading unfair?

[Not.a.Doc]

So AMCAS gives out 3.7 for A-, but many schools don't give out pluses and minuses, so basically
a 93 for someone can be 3.7 and 4.0 for someone else?
(Assuming you don't get any B's)

How is this supposed to be fair?

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[Lannister]

Well, most people do get Bs. The idea is that it evens out.

 

[WedgeDawg]

life isnt fair

 

[efle]

Assuming you don't get any B's

How is this supposed to be fair?

Because this is an assumption that applies to extremely few people!

But yes, to someone with more A- grades than B+ grades, it would help a lot to be on the letters only system instead. It certainly makes the extremely high GPA ranges 3.95+ easier to achieve. There are a lot bigger issues to call unfair in this process though, like grade inflation/deflation between universities, rigor of different majors, etc.

 

[ladymiresa]

I go to a school that doesn't have +/- grading, and I think it is a little misrepresentative at times. I have never gotten a B at my school, but I've gotten plenty of 91% and even the occasional 89% that gets rounded to an A. Someone at another school might have a lower GPA than me but have higher percentages. I guess that's just the system. :/

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Calculate your GPA using both methods. It all works out unless you literally got nothing but A-'s all of undergrad.

 

[Not.a.Doc]

Calculate your GPA using both methods. It all works out unless you literally got nothing but A-'s all of undergrad.

.............................................

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

So AMCAS gives out 3.7 for A-, but many schools don't give out pluses and minuses, so basically
a 93 for someone can be 3.7 and 4.0 for someone else?
(Assuming you don't get any B's)

How is this supposed to be fair?

I'm not a fan of it but it's a lot more fair that curving a class of 10-15 students.

 

[Goro]

Life's not fair.

So AMCAS gives out 3.7 for A-, but many schools don't give out pluses and minuses, so basically
a 93 for someone can be 3.7 and 4.0 for someone else?
(Assuming you don't get any B's)

How is this supposed to be fair?

 

[Sardinia]

@Not.a.Doc "Assuming you don't get any B's" it's probably not the 0.3 point differential that gets you an acceptance or a denial.

 

[NeuResurgens]

1. I figure it helps to further stratify applicants more than just raw letters would. Easier to create tiered layers using this metric when you have so many applicants.

2. The MCAT exists in part to mitigate the nuanced differences between the different grading methods various schools use.

 

[artist27]

I used to think the same thing so I calculated my gpa on just an A, B, C scale. The difference was negligible. It'll give you peace of mind so just calculate it for yourself to convince yourself it doesn't matter.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

That's hardly the only unfair thing...

1) Although the MCAT does a decent job at measuring the aptitudes of most candidates, the fact of the matter is that being a doctor will not be a multiple choice exam. There are many people that would be great doctors but do poor on the MCAT simply because they aren't good test takers.

2) Grade inflation/deflation. Don't even get me started on this one.

3) I forgot what my third point was.

Point is, there are many things that are unfair. You just gotta get over them.

 

[BurghStudent]

1) Although the MCAT does a decent job at measuring the aptitudes of most candidates, the fact of the matter is that being a doctor will not be a multiple choice exam. There are many people that would be great doctors but do poor on the MCAT simply because they aren't good test takers.

Get used to it. Med school and beyond.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Get used to it. Med school and beyond.

Well duh. I literally said "you just gotta get over them" in the last part of my post. You would have known had you read my ENTIRE post. How do you expect to be a good doctor if you won't bother to stick with things till the end? Don't make judgements on the first thing I said without reading all of it.

 

[Sardinia]

Well duh. I literally said "you just gotta get over them" in the last part of my post. You would have known had you read my ENTIRE post. How do you expect to be a good doctor if you won't bother to stick with things till the end? Don't make judgements on the first thing I said without reading all of it.

@LoveBeingHuman:) Maybe that was your third point that you gave up on trying to recall before you posted.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

@LoveBeingHuman:) Maybe that was your third point that you gave up on trying to recall before you posted.

Touché. But totally different. I had no reason to try and remember. The person who commented, however, passed a judgment without reading my entire post.

 

[TheBiologist]

well, someone with a B+ (3.3) would have to get a 3.0

so it's not fair both ways I guess..

MCAT is the great equalizer anyway

 

[Terry Toma]

GPA is a general measure of academic achievement. It isn't intended to allow perfect and direct comparison between students.

If the entire admissions process just consisted of adcoms saying "kid A has a 3.76 and kid B has a 3.77, so we're accepting kid B and rejecting kid A," you concern might be valid. But in reality, the few grade points here and there that you're talking about are pretty much irrelevant within the context of your application.

Just work hard, get a good GPA, and realize that if you do get an A-, no one is going to care that you got a 3.94 for the semester instead of the 4.0 that you would have had absent +/- grading (since we're assuming that you don't get Bs).

 

[Funny_Current]

Probably said 100 times now, but if you calculate your grades on the same scale as A, B, C, D etc.. it comes out to a negligible difference. My uGPA was based on A, A-, B+, B, B- .... however the A, B, C system in my SMP program worked to my benefit. Nonetheless, thats 30 credits in comparison to 120. I feel okay saying that 1st time applicants to medschool with a A- (3.7) and 30/508+ are rather successful.

 

[Umyo]

My GPA calculated on -/+ scale is significantly lower than it is on a raw A B C scale.

I am glad TMDSAS considers an A- an A and therefore 4.0.

 

[mistafab]

You just gotta deal with it.

 

[beebreezy]

It was 100% unfair in my case. I have a 3.96 GPA because I made A's in every single course except one. Some of those would have been A-'s if my school offered them. That said, I don't meet many people like me. Most people have plenty of B's to even things out.

Edit: Now that I think about it, though, my cGPA honestly wouldn't be that different. I was a neurotic little undergrad (I'm a career-changer post-bacc) who never stopped studying and made like 98s on everything. My BCPM GPA would probably be more of a 3.85-ish instead of a 4.0, however.

 

[Turkishking]

My GPA calculated on -/+ scale is significantly lower than it is on a raw A B C scale.

I am glad TMDSAS considers an A- an A and therefore 4.0.

Wow in that case, I would have a 4.0

 

[Coltuna]

My GPA would've worked out to almost the exact same on a +/- grading system. All I'll say is it's VERY stressful when your final exam literally determines whether you'll receive a 4.0 in that class or a 3.0-- It's these classes I wish there was a +/- system in.

 

[numbersloth]

My GPA calculated on -/+ scale is significantly lower than it is on a raw A B C scale.

I am glad TMDSAS considers an A- an A and therefore 4.0.

Wait TMDSAS doesn't do +/-?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Wait TMDSAS doesn't do +/-?

Nope.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Wait TMDSAS doesn't do +/-?

it's not a state known for subtleties or a particularly strong grasp on math

 

[Halcyon32]

Do adcoms know which schools do raw A B C. And if they do, do they look at those GPAs in lower regard compared to schools that use +/-?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Do adcoms know which schools do raw A B C. And if they do, do they look at those GPAs in lower regard compared to schools that use +/-?

No, and they shouldn't care.

 

[Lannister]

It was 100% unfair in my case. I have a 3.96 GPA because I made A's in every single course except one. Some of those would have been A-'s if my school offered them. That said, I don't meet many people like me. Most people have plenty of B's to even things out.

Edit: Now that I think about it, though, my cGPA honestly wouldn't be that different. I was a neurotic little undergrad (I'm a career-changer post-bacc) who never stopped studying and made like 98s on everything. My BCPM GPA would probably be more of a 3.85-ish instead of a 4.0, however.

I would've been the same. Almost every A I ever got in undergrad was an A-, and I only got two Bs. My GPA ended up being a 3.95 but it would've been much lower if my school did +/-. But like people said, life isn't fair. If it's really that big of an issue to someone they should've chosen a university that didn't do +/-.

 

[freak7]

If it's really that big of an issue to someone they should've chosen a university that didn't do +/-.

I like you a lot @Lannister and I know you come from a very privileged background, but as someone who came from the opposite background, that was one of the more privileged things I've ever heard you say.

 

[Lannister]

I like you a lot @Lannister and I know you come from a very privileged background, but as someone who came from the opposite background, that was one of the more privileged things I've ever heard you say.

Sorry, I come from a state with many public universities that are all relatively inexpensive, I'm not familiar with the state universities of other states but it seems like anyone who lives in my home state should have at least 4-5 schools to chose from, I just assumed all states were like that.

 

[Sardinia]

@freak7 You have to give it to the Lannisters -

@Lannister Sounds like Califnarnia.

 

[freak7]

@freak7 You have to give it to the Lannisters -

Mine is the fury.

 

[Sardinia]

I don't know how other people chose their undergrad, but I definitely didn't know my University's grading system until a week or two into school. I just accepted the only school that gave me enough scholarships so I could afford the tuition without needing to borrow money or go into debt. This sounds like the equivalent of a gunner except on the hSDN level where 16 year olds are already aware of which university is going to guarantee them the most favorable GPA calculation based on AAMC grading policy and school rigor.

You should have known your college was going by a +/- grading system or not before you decided to go there. LMAO.

 

[Lannister]

@freak7 You have to give it to the Lannisters -

@Lannister Sounds like Califnarnia.

Nope not California, thank Goodness (not a fan of the West Coast).

I don't know how other people chose their undergrad, but I definitely didn't know my University's grading system until a week or two into school. I just accepted the only school that gave me enough scholarships so I could afford the tuition without needing to borrow money or go into debt. This sounds like the equivalent of a gunner except on the hSDN level where 16 year olds are already aware of which university is going to guarantee them the most favorable GPA calculation based on AAMC grading policy and school rigor.

You should have known your college was going by a +/- grading system or not before you decided to go there. LMAO.

As did I. But I would assume if someone is gunnerish enough to genuinely care and be upset about +/- (not referring to OP, just hypothetically) it's something they would've looked into beforehand.

 

[Goro]

Well, unless it's a closed interview file, the screeners and interviewers have your transcripts.

Does sit make a difference? A little bit. I don't differentiate between A, A+ and A-

When I'm assessing academic performance, I'll ding someone slightly for each B- compared to a B or B+. But this is still minor.

BTW, not everybody in college goes to med school, so they're not as obsessed with the differences between +/- grades. A B+ grade is there to reward someone who has done better at an 88% than someone with an 80%. The grading system isn't there just for pre-meds.

Do adcoms know which schools do raw A B C. And if they do, do they look at those GPAs in lower regard compared to schools that use +/-?

 

[JB50]

I go to a school that doesn't have +/- grading, and I think it is a little misrepresentative at times. I have never gotten a B at my school, but I've gotten plenty of 91% and even the occasional 89% that gets rounded to an A. Someone at another school might have a lower GPA than me but have higher percentages. I guess that's just the system. :/

U better be freaking lying to me right freaking now or I will have a small seizure. THAT IS A FRICKEN A! My God my GPA would be f**king dope as hell with that grading system. Fricken 94% is an A. And I'm not even neurotic or anal. This better not get out to my school or a riot will ensue. I can't even count how many 89%'s I got in classes.

I'm done lel.