Discussion of Midterm Scores and Grading

The scores from the midterm are listed below. The "% Of Possible" column shows the percentage of the possible points (53) to which the score corresponds. The "% of Max Score" column shows the percentage of the maximum score (42) to which the score corresponds. When the course is graded after the final, the midterm scores will be weighted in this manner when they contribute to the total course score. As the highest scores on the midterm were unexpectedly low, the "% of Max Score" to which your grade corresponds gives you a better idea of how you stand with respect to the class than the other numbers.

Please note that this process renders meaningless the idea of a letter grade on the midterm. The midterm will contribute points to the total course score, not a letter grade to be somehow averaged in. However, I think that you will agree with me that if your score is, say, only 60% or so of the top scores, you probably have significant deficiencies that will take time to work on, and you want to take this into account as you make your strategies for the upcoming finals period. You cannot overcome significant deficiencies rapidly, so my advice is to begin working on them immediately.

As explained at the beginning of the course, the distribution of letter grades given in the course will be determined by a study of the class' performance on the final. If it appears that the class as a whole has mastered the basic material quite well, the distribution will reflect this. If the class as a whole does poorly, the distribution of letter grades will reflect this. There is no predetermined percentage of A's, B's, etc.

Your rank in the class will determine where you fall in the distribution of letter grades, except that, as previously explained, a significantly better performance on the final than indicated by your total score relative to the class can result in a higher grade than indicated by your total score.

While your instructor is not overjoyed by the overall performance on the midterm, the final will allow more time per problem than the midterm with the expectation that the relatively low top scores on the midterm will not recur with the final. Be aware, however, that there are trade offs here. A longer exam is more likely to have things you have mastered on it than a shorter exam, which cannot have the same coverage. None-the-less, while I like my exams to be demanding enough to distinquish among the top performers, I prefer that top scores be higher than we had on the midterm.

 

Midterm Scores

    Score % Of Possilble % of Max Score
         
1   45 83 100
2   42 78 93
3   41.75 77 93
4   41 76 91
5   41 76 91
6   41 76 91
7   39.5 73 88
8   39.5 73 88
9   39.25 73 87
10   38.5 71 86
11   38.5 71 86
12   38.25 71 85
13   38.25 71 85
14   37.5 69 83
15   37 69 82
16   36.75 68 82
17   36.5 68 81
18   36.5 68 81
19   36 67 80
20   35.75 66 79
21   35.75 66 79
22   35.5 66 79
23   35 65 78
24   34.75 64 77
25   34.75 64 77
26   34.5 64 77
27   34.25 63 76
28   34 63 76
29   33.75 63 75
30   33.5 62 74
31   33.5 62 74
32   33 61 73
33   33 61 73
34   32.5 60 72
35   32.5 60 72
36   32.5 60 72
37   32.25 60 72
38   32 59 71
39   31.75 59 71
40   31.5 58 70
41   31.5 58 70
42   31.5 58 70
43   31.25 58 69
44   31 57 69
45   31 57 69
46   30.5 56 68
47   30.5 56 68
48   30.25 56 67
49   30 56 67
50   29.5 55 66
51   29 54 64
52   29 54 64
53   28.75 53 64
54   28.5 53 63
55   28.5 53 63
56   28.5 53 63
57   28 52 62
58   28 52 62
59   27.5 51 61
60   27.25 50 61
61   26.75 50 59
62   26.5 49 59
63   26 48 58
64   26 48 58
65   26 48 58
66   25.75 48 57
67   25.25 47 56
68   25 46 56
69   25 46 56
70   25 46 56
71   24.5 45 54
72   24.5 45 54
73   24.25 45 54
74   24 44 53
75   23.25 43 52
76   23 43 51
77   23 43 51
78   22.5 42 50
79   22.5 42 50
80   22 41 49
81   21 39 47
82   20.5 38 46
83   20.25 38 45
84   25.75 48 57
85   19.75 37 44
86   19.75 37 44
87   19.5 36 43
88   19.5 36 43
89   18.75 35 42
90   18.5 34 41
91   18.25 34 41
92   16 30 36
93   15.5 29 34
94   15 28 33
95   14 26 31
96   10.5 19 23

Last Updated on 2/28/03
By Mike Crandall >