Our nursing class grading scale is WAY easy...

[klone]

I was just reading through the C=RN thread (very interesting!). A lot of people mentioned the grading scale at their school, and I just found out that this semester they changed the grading scale for the nursing classes at my school:

A= 89.5 - 100

B= 79.5 - 89.49

C= 75 - 79.49

Is that insane or what? In a way it's nice, but I think that I won't feel as much of a sense of accomplishment if I do get a low A, because I will know that it's not *really* an A.

But then part of me realizes I should drop the stupid pride and take what I can get, because the next two years are going to be HARD.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

My school is insane, anything below 80 is a D and you are out of the program, and their no return policy is 3 years!

94-100 A

84-93 B

80-84 C

Sometimes people make things harder than they need to be! Wish me luck!

With a grading scale like that you and all of your peers will be great nurses! Good luck!

[berns10]

How can you get higher grades on your exams, is it the way you study, like reading or talking with classmates that helps you get better grades. I don't really know what kind of learner I am, any suggestions how to find out through a website or something? I need to get better grades!

[Sendana]

If I'm ever a nurse educator, I plan on addressing the stupendous idiocy of these grade deflation policies I keep seeing in schools of nursing.

[Sendana]

With a grading scale like that you and all of your peers will be great nurses! Good luck!

[citation needed]

[MInurse.st]

A = 96 and up

I took Pharmacology at a community college because it was a pre-req for my second degree BSN program. I got a 95.8, and this was an A-. Ugh.

[meadowsong, ASN, RN]

I would rather have your scale (80=B) then ours (80=C). Doesn't drag down the GPA as much!

Ours is:

94-100 = A

87-93= B

80-86= C

This is exactly the way ours is. I completely agree, I wish it was either and A or a B. I received a few 93% the first time around and it really drags down your GPA. I still think getting 93% in a class is a very good score, but it's disheartening to look at graduate schools that prefer a 3.4 GPA and how easy it is for you GPA to drop on this type of scale.

[Laurab14]

I have been a RN for 17 years and my former school now has a similar grading scale. I teach there part time. I am quite honest with my students- if I had to go to school with that tough of a grading scale, I would have NEVER passed! I feel for those currently with such tough grades.

Now, I believe that nursing SHOULD be tough. It is a huge responsibility and there is no room for error. However, I think there is too much emphasis on "grades" I have met too many really "smart" nurses who perform poorly in everyday situations. An academically "average" nurse like myself could have been cheated out of a great career, and along the way helped a lot of people.

[meadowsong, ASN, RN]

Laura, I have been told over and over by nursing instructors that some of the best nurses are their B students. I also agree that it should be hard, as a poor example, at 80% there is still 20% you didn't know. I want a nurse that is taking care of my critically ill child to have done well in school. KWIM? I guess, like many things in life there are many "gray areas" to this subject.

[Sendana]

I have been a RN for 17 years and my former school now has a similar grading scale. I teach there part time. I am quite honest with my students- if I had to go to school with that tough of a grading scale, I would have NEVER passed! I feel for those currently with such tough grades.

Now, I believe that nursing SHOULD be tough. It is a huge responsibility and there is no room for error. However, I think there is too much emphasis on "grades" I have met too many really "smart" nurses who perform poorly in everyday situations. An academically "average" nurse like myself could have been cheated out of a great career, and along the way helped a lot of people.

This is an excellent point. Quoted for emphasis.

Another is that, if the material presented in a SoN is claimed to stand on its own merits, grade deflation should not be necessary. In other words, if the faculty is seriously claiming that the material is difficult enough, grade deflation should not be a factor in keeping the number of A's and B-pluses to the students who really work for them.

[Faith213]

In my BSN program:

A = 93-100

B = 85-92

C = 78-84

I don't mind the grading scale too much but it makes it a lot harder for nursing students to keep scholarships compared to the other majors. All the other health sciences such as rad tech, dental hygeine, speech-language pathology, and even pharmacy are on the traditional 10 point grading scale. I guess that's why our licensing exam scores are higher than the other majors. 100% NCLEX first time pass rate. It's still aggravating that I would have gotten a 4.0 on the "normal" grading scale. Oh well, enough of my ranting.