Getting "points back" on a test

Nursing Students General Students

Published

So we have one professor this semester who will go over our exams with us after we have all taken it, and often will sometimes decide to give points back to students if the choice they picked "made sense" or if she realizes she didn't give us the information she'll give the whole class the question. However I have found that it is usually the same students who often can "debate" a question enough to get the points for a question they got incorrect, while other students often do not get points back. I often get the "difficult" questions correct so when the teacher gives the points back, my grade doesn't change much.

My question is this: is it worth it for me to ask the professor why she gives points back when some students complain about a question when others dont? I get frustrated because I usually get Bs or As while some students get lower Bs and Cs to begin with but end up with the same grade as me or better after they get these "points back" on questions I studied hard to get right the first time I took the test. I feel like I almost get cheated out of having a better grade. I don't want my classmates to hate me though, or for my professor to get annoyed at me.

Also, a lot of times the choice they get "points" back for will have killed a patient....I don't understand how they can get points back for an answer that would have killed a patient in real life, while other students try to get points back for a question they got wrong but whose "incorrect" answer wouldn't have killed a patient.

Should I just keep my head down and be happy with my grades? If i sound like a spoil sport I'm sorry, its just been really frustrating for me lately....

The problem with getting points back, it only benefits those students who got the question wrong. Those who got it right to begin with then feel like they have been punished for studying. In my opinion as a student, if a question is deemed to be a poor one, just throw it out all together, then everyone benefits, not just those who got it wrong.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Same as some others, we had a few teachers who would give points back in a question was really jacked up or if the majority of the students got it wrong. In my 2nd semester med surge class the teacher wrote the test questions, and sometimes they made no sense what so ever! If that happened and the other teachers were in agreement they'd throw that question out and we'd get the points back.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I guess I'll just keep my head down, I hadn't thought about how when they take their NClex licensing exam they will have a more difficult time.

@aubgurl- I wasn't expecting extra points, i was trying to say that i felt it was unfair for ppl to get points for a question i got correct but they got wrong. (especially if in a real life situation the answer they chose would kill or severely harm the patient.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldn't worry so much about other people's grades. If you feel your instructor is treating you unfairly, speak to her about it. Otherwise, it sounds like you are begrudging the other students' good fortune.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I can see why this would be frustrating to you, but I bet the instructor is trying to avoid conflict. However, you are in school for YOU. Learn all you can and do your best. Believe me, when the chips are down you will be glad you actually know the material. Your classmates may be wishing they did.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Nah, they'll be the ones on the NCLEX forum wailing about how terrible it was now that they have to take it for the third time. ;) Or if they pass (it is, after all, the most basic, lowest level) they'll be here complaining about how the COBs pick on them all the time just because they ask a lot of questions. Or don't. Or something.

OP, go forth. Nevermind, in the famous word(s) of the late, great Gilda Radner.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The problem with getting points back, it only benefits those students who got the question wrong. Those who got it right to begin with then feel like they have been punished for studying. In my opinion as a student, if a question is deemed to be a poor one, just throw it out all together, then everyone benefits, not just those who got it wrong.

This isn't completely true -- if a test question were to get "throw out" then there are less questions to grade. Then the weight of each question would be adjusted.. this could in fact cause you have a lower score than if the question was included.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I wasn't expecting extra points i was trying to say that i felt it was unfair for ppl to get points for a question i got correct but they got wrong. (especially if in a real life situation the answer they chose would kill or severely harm the patient.)[/quote']

I understand the frustration with that but the reason they are getting points back is because the instructor felt like there was something wrong with the question. The other alternative is that the question gets thrown out all together. Then you would end up losing a point.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

How about joining their debate in a cool manner? It would sound fun to me. Just try to be neutral.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

The only time we got questions "thrown out" is when there was blatant contradiction in the textbook and 2 reasonable answers that depending on which part of the book you remembered... I don't want to hear the "you just need to study harder" We had a question that 35 out of 36 people got wrong and they would not throw it out. Another time, 4/36 failed a test. Those are not "studying" issues, those are "teaching" issues. There are legitimate times that there are just bad questions, but there are those students that would argue the color of the sky. In our class, if someone successfully argued for 2 correct answers or a question got thrown out, everyone got the credit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

yea Im totally fine with it when the statistical analysis shows that the majority of the class fails or when she miss-types or miss-copies the question from a test bank (that has happened before). Its when the majority of the class gets the question right, and she still gives back points only to the same complaining students that I get frustrated. Or worse yet- this past lab day we spent two hours going over a test and those two same students got their points back....that's wasting my lab time and they are getting points for an answer in real life would have killed someone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This isn't completely true -- if a test question were to get "throw out" then there are less questions to grade. Then the weight of each question would be adjusted.. this could in fact cause you have a lower score than if the question was included.

No, basic arithmetic doesn't work like that. As an example, greatly simplified:

You have a test with ten questions, each worth ten points. You get them all right, 100 points. Five are thrown out, and the remaining ones are re-weighted. How much is each remaining question worth? Right, twenty points. You have all five right ...100 points.

Fewer questions, same 100-point scale, questions are worth more.

If you had a 70% for getting 7 /10 right, and they threw out five, of which you got two right (you got the other three wrong anyway), your new score would be ... 5/5, 100 points. If they threw out 6, and you got one of the remaining 4 wrong, your score is now ...75%.

If you still get points for the ones you got right all along, in every case, you get more points, not fewer, on a percentage basis, when questions are removed from the test pool.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment