Professor graded my exam wrong (should be lower). Do I inform him?

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Istarus

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Going to keep this short and sweet.

Just had our first Biochem exam. I scored a 97. However, my prof seems to have missed marking one of the multiple choice problems (there was no check or X next to it). It was 5 points, and when we went over the exam today in class, I found I had got it wrong. So, I should have a 92.

Should I tell him? This post may be laughable to some, as this is only 5 points. On one hand, I want the grade I deserve. Then again, how often do you get breaks such as this?

What should I do? Take the 97 and forget about it?
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Istarus said:
Going to keep this short and sweet.

Just had our first Biochem exam. I scored a 97. However, my prof seems to have missed marking one of the multiple choice problems (there was no check or X next to it). It was 5 points, and when we went over the exam today in class, I found I had got it wrong. So, I should have a 92.

Should I tell him? This post may be laughable to some, as this is only 5 points. On one hand, I want the grade I deserve. Then again, how often do you get breaks such as this?

What should I do? Take the 97 and forget about it?
Click to expand...

Heres a better question: Are you an idiot?
 
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I think the prof will wonder about you if you ask him to lower your grade. I wouldn't worry about it, its not like you cheated to try and get extra points. If you want, have him take the points away, but it really serves no purpose and I would feel silly doing it. Sounds kind of like a major suck-up or an 'I'm better than thou' move. Not meaning to be harsh, but if a student of mine came up to me to have points taken away, that's what I would think.
 
uhhh you dont have to do inform the prof.

Unless you are superstitious like me. Yeah.... But mine went from 91-79. ...so... 🙄
 
Istarus said:
Going to keep this short and sweet.

Just had our first Biochem exam. I scored a 97. However, my prof seems to have missed marking one of the multiple choice problems (there was no check or X next to it). It was 5 points, and when we went over the exam today in class, I found I had got it wrong. So, I should have a 92.

Should I tell him? This post may be laughable to some, as this is only 5 points. On one hand, I want the grade I deserve. Then again, how often do you get breaks such as this?

What should I do? Take the 97 and forget about it?
Click to expand...
😱. Are you nuts?!? TAke your 97 and run with it
 
If the five points are sincerely bothering you, then I suggest intentionally missing a five point question on your next exam.
 
I see where you're coming from, because it has happened to me once before. I pointed it out to the professor, and he let me have the points anyway (I think it was only 2 points). You obviously see this as a moral issue; most other people don't. You should think twice about letting others sway your moral compass.

Oddly enough, something similar happened to me with an insurance claim too. We settled on a number, and then I found out that I had given him a bad estimate (there's a lot more to it than that). I told him, he gave me the money anyway.
 
dienekes88 said:
You obviously see this as a moral issue; most other people don't. You should think twice about letting others sway your moral compass.
Click to expand...
You are a disgrace to your name. :laugh: 😉
 
The way I deal with this dilemma is in the interest of courtesy and time management. I don't have time to go find the professor and tell him in his office (when he would be able to change the grade) and he doesn't have the time to bother changing it.

However, this logic only works if you're not a grade/point grubber. If you go in and complain when they grade wrong against you, then you should also go confess with they grade wrong in your favor.
 
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Are you serious??? :laugh:

You'd be regretting that should you score an 80 on your next test.
 
the world needs fewer people like you
 
I would tell the professor. 5 points won't kill your grade and the professor will appreciate the honesty. When this has happened to me and other friends the professor just let us keep the points.
 
you are a ****ing idiot.

my friend did that last semester in analytical chem and told the professor. that was because he should have gotten a 73 and the teacher counted it as a 91 hahaha. the teacher said he was an honest man and then gave him like an 80 or something for honesty points. so he still took away the points haha
 
Well well...

I don't really see the point of the thread.

You know what the "right" thing to do is, according to what society deems to be right.

You don't want to do that. Instead, you want people to give you a reason to keep the grade you have. And since people really shouldn't (and usually don't) have much of an effect upon how your conscience works, then what you're really looking for is someone to give you a way to justify to yourself keeping your grade.

Which in itself isn't really telling anyone that you are a "moral" person anyway; rather, you know what right and wrong is, but want to find a way to change "wrong" into right.

Good plan.

If you want to feel hot-and-jolly about keeping your grade, then convince yourself using your iron-like will (iron throws off moral compasses, so I hear). Tell yourself that as a doctor, you could do so much good in the world, save lives, and blah blah blah. And this missed question, according to Chaos Theory, may completely change the fabric of time and cause you to lose your ability to enter medical school. So, in a sense, if you were as good at manipulating yourself as you are some of the people on this board into thinking you had an honest moral dilemma and question about this, then you could convince yourself that it would actually be IMMORAL to possibly sacrifice your ability to save lives due to one silly biochemistry question.

But your mileage may vary.
 
Tin Man said:
Well well...

I don't really see the point of the thread.

You know what the "right" thing to do is, according to what society deems to be right.

You don't want to do that. Instead, you want people to give you a reason to keep the grade you have. And since people really shouldn't (and usually don't) have much of an effect upon how your conscience works, then what you're really looking for is someone to give you a way to justify to yourself keeping your grade.

Which in itself isn't really telling anyone that you are a "moral" person anyway; rather, you know what right and wrong is, but want to find a way to change "wrong" into right.

Good plan.

If you want to feel hot-and-jolly about keeping your grade, then convince yourself using your iron-like will (iron throws off moral compasses, so I hear). Tell yourself that as a doctor, you could do so much good in the world, save lives, and blah blah blah. And this missed question, according to Chaos Theory, may completely change the fabric of time and cause you to lose your ability to enter medical school. So, in a sense, if you were as good at manipulating yourself as you are some of the people on this board into thinking you had an honest moral dilemma and question about this, then you could convince yourself that it would actually be IMMORAL to possibly sacrifice your ability to save lives due to one silly biochemistry question.

But your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...

If I only had a brain.....




... wait wrong character.
 
You've already made an anonymous forum of neurotic pre-meds think you're an idiot, why not go the extra mile and make your teacher think you're one.

Seriously, it matters to you what you get in the class. It does not matter to him. Ergo, you care what you got on the test. He does not. He does not care if he scored you lower than he should have (you would) and he does not care if he scored you higher than he should have (most wouldn't). Your professor simply does not care, and turning your exam in isn't going to get you extra points so the only thing it can do is lose you points. Just don't do it.
 
Most professors will let you keep the points anyway, so "doing the right thing" will probably not even hurt your grade. I would tell the professor and let him decide how to handle it.
 
Hey. If you want to think about this the way your typical pre-med might, then you could tell yourself the following: "the professor will think I'm honest and hardworking if I point out the error." That way... after you ace the class, you could ask him to write a rec for you. He'll have more to say than, "Istarus destroyed the class."

Wow. Would that also be immoral? It's definitely pretty tricky...
 
See this is why I just don't add up the points when I get an exam back to see if it was graded correctly or not. Removes any chance of me having this sort of moral dilemma. 😛
 
If your gut was telling you to "do the right thing" you'd have done it already.
 
be honest to your friends, be honest to your family, but when it comes to everything else, do everything you can to gain the advantage.
 
dcohen said:
You've already made an anonymous forum of neurotic pre-meds think you're an idiot, why not go the extra mile and make your teacher think you're one.

Seriously, it matters to you what you get in the class. It does not matter to him. Ergo, you care what you got on the test. He does not. He does not care if he scored you lower than he should have (you would) and he does not care if he scored you higher than he should have (most wouldn't). Your professor simply does not care, and turning your exam in isn't going to get you extra points so the only thing it can do is lose you points. Just don't do it.
Click to expand...
:laugh::laugh:
 
I had the same experience in O-chem (got 96, should have been 91). I told the prof and he put my score back to what I earned (I don't think "taking the points away" is a good way to see this). He told me that he "wouldn't forget my honesty," and later wrote one of my LOR's. Even if I had received nothing but -5 points and a little piece of mind how often do you get a chance to prove to yourself that you are willing to do the right thing?
 
Series of steps:

1) Tell your professor about the incorrect scoring.
2) Ace the rest of the course.
3) Get a freaking incredible letter of recommendation.
4) Feel good about your chances for medical school compared to all the people out there who don't value honesty and fairness.
 
dienekes88 said:
Hey. If you want to think about this the way your typical pre-med might, then you could tell yourself the following: "the professor will think I'm honest and hardworking if I point out the error." That way... after you ace the class, you could ask him to write a rec for you. He'll have more to say than, "Istarus destroyed the class."

Wow. Would that also be immoral? It's definitely pretty tricky...
Click to expand...

No, it's not. Being selfish isn't a bad thing. This is as absurd as suggesting you would rather not eat apples because they will provide you and only you with nourishment.
 
nevercold said:
Series of steps:

1) Tell your professor about the incorrect scoring.
2) Ace the rest of the course.
3) Get a freaking incredible letter of recommendation.
4) Feel good about your chances for medical school compared to all the people out there who don't value honesty and fairness.
Click to expand...
a good idea too, if you really need a letter of rec and know you can ace the course
 
cheezer said:
far from it. it's just the way it is, you got to watch your back, nobody's going to do it for you.
Click to expand...

Actually my classmates in medical school, many of my professors, and my advisors all watch my back. My family, my friends, and my neighbors tend to watch my back. Sometimes I even have patients help me out now and then. (I had an old doc who taught me what I needed to know for questions on rounds the next morning about his disease process.)
 
nevercold said:
Actually my classmates in medical school, many of my professors, and my advisors all watch my back. My family, my friends, and my neighbors tend to watch my back. Sometimes I even have patients help me out now and then. (I had an old doc who taught me what I needed to know for questions on rounds the next morning about his disease process.)
Click to expand...
If it bothers you, tell him. If it doesn`t, don`t. In the end its not going to make that much of a difference in your mark, so a cleared conscience is better than a slightly elevated mark.
 
I'd say tell him. It has happened to me before, and the prof let me keep the points. I'd imagine that most profs would let you keep them (especially since it's not a huge grade change), though there are always the sticklers who only care about the numbers. Regardless, he'll appreciate the honesty, so definitely tell him if you want him to write a LoR.
 
JulyMorning said:
Just do what you believe is right.
Click to expand...

👍

But if you're going to go talk to him, do it in private. Go in during office hours and just say "I don't think I got this question right."
 
This...

DryIce said:
uhhh you dont have to do inform the prof.

Unless you are superstitious like me. Yeah.... But mine went from 91-79. ...so... 🙄
Click to expand...

and this...

tf2medic said:
you are a ****ing idiot.

my friend did that last semester in analytical chem and told the professor. that was because he should have gotten a 73 and the teacher counted it as a 91 hahaha. the teacher said he was an honest man and then gave him like an 80 or something for honesty points. so he still took away the points haha
Click to expand...


So I take it you guys are friends? 😆
 
nevercold said:
Series of steps:

1) Tell your professor about the incorrect scoring.
2) Ace the rest of the course.
3) Get a freaking incredible letter of recommendation.
4) Feel good about your chances for medical school compared to all the people out there who don't value honesty and fairness.
Click to expand...

I disagree with this.

It's harder to get a good letter of rec if your prof thinks you're an idiot... and he will think the OP is an idiot if the OP goes up and asks for a lower grade.
 
GoldShadow said:
I disagree with this.

It's harder to get a good letter of rec if your prof thinks you're an idiot... and he will think the OP is an idiot if the OP goes up and asks for a lower grade.
Click to expand...

I concur.

You are going to see a lot of bad luck on the road to becoming a doctor. Much rarer is good luck, accept that when you get it.
 
Chuckwalla said:
I concur.

You are going to see a lot of bad luck on the road to becoming a doctor. Much rarer is good luck, accept that when you get it.
Click to expand...

If you accept points that you know you didn't earn and were awarded to you by mistake, you're a cheater.

It's simple. If the teacher gave you points by accident, you need to tell him.
 
you have to be kidding?! just take the pts. but, if your really feel guilty, then tell him. he's not gonna lower your grade anyways. no matter what, you have a 97. nice job!
 
ghostfoot said:
If you accept points that you know you didn't earn and were awarded to you by mistake, you're a cheater.

It's simple. If the teacher gave you points by accident, you need to tell him.
Click to expand...

What about when we go back and talk to a professor about points that we should have gotten and he refuses to budge?

Sometimes the system screws you, and sometimes you screw the system.

As long as your grade is not affecting a curve in the course, I wouldn't worry about it unless its really eating you up inside. When other people are affected by the professors mistake, then there's a problem. If not, don't worry about it. With grades like 92 or 97, you're probably the type of student that will study hard enough to get an A on every test no matter what anyway. 🙂
 
BMBPSU2008 said:
If I only had a brain.....

... wait wrong character.
Click to expand...

It's okay. It's the thought that counts, so long as the character in question is capable of thinking them.
 
iron throws off moral compasses, so I hear
Click to expand...

So does the possible obtainment of sex, money, power and most other things worth having. Get over it.
 
Dienekes said:
So does the possible obtainment of sex, money, power and most other things worth having. Get over it.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about?

Did you lose context?
 
be honest to your friends, be honest to your family, but when it comes to everything else, do everything you can to gain the advantage.
Click to expand...

I have a modification of this as my theory in life:
"Be honest to your friends, try to screw them over as little as possible. Bring honor to your family name whenever possible, but at the same time never forget no one can hurt you like they can. Breaking laws is not acceptable, but toeing the line is. Remember, Christians say God is forgiving. I hope they are right because I am going to test that forgiveness to the very outer limits."

In the words of Montgomery Burns: "Friends, family, and religion. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed..."
 
Tin Man said:
What are you talking about?

Did you lose context?
Click to expand...
No...I believe you did since I quoted you and you seem to become clueless. The things I listed tend to throw off moral compasses. Iron throws off real compasses BTW....not the moral variety (unless you are stealing it to sell to a scrap dealer)
 
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