Can someone please explain a grade curve??

Nursing Students General Students

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I have no idea what this is, and from the sounds of it, I may not want to know!

Are students not given the grade they actually earn? Is this standard practice in university?

Please explain!

Thanks!

I am in a BSN program and grades ARE NOT curved. The following is my school's philospohy on grade curving: Unlike many other majors where the ultimate goal is earning a degree, in nursing you not only must earn your degree (diploma, etc) you must also pass the NCLEX (or whatever other tests that are needed for whatever other programs)....If you are pulling As or Bs or Cs because your fellow classmates are doing poorly or whatnot.. that will help you with earning your degree and having nice grades on your transcript and a nice GPA.....HOWEVER, will that help you pass your NCLEX?? If you cannot pass your NCLEX that means you cannot get your license. What good is it to get fabulous grades if you can't pass the NCLEX and practice. You feeding off another's misfortune of getting bad grades will not help you in passing the NCLEX. You are on your own with that one.

Hey if your school curves grades and you get your license that's great, and if you know your nursing that's great. I wish my school did that, but it doesn't so I get the grades I earn.

On rare occassion the instructor will throw out a question that was deemed bad or add points if everyone misses.

I just want to say that since people often misinterpret written material because there is no tone to what is being said, I am not jealous of those students who go to schools where they curve grades. It doesn't bother me. Anyway, the students don't have any control over that. I was merely stating my school's philosophy on the subject. Thank you....

There is no curve in my nursing school... there may occasionally be a question thrown out due to ambiguity but no curve anywhere at any time.

Now when I was doing my undergrad degree in economics I had this truly dreadful teacher... didn't teach well and didn't test on what he did teach. I was terrified going into the final. My 46% for the entire class became an A after the curve and if memory serves a 28% overall was passing. Exactly the kind of class a curve was meant for because not a single person would have passed without one.

Hope this helps.

thank you for all your replies!

My fundamentals teacher HAD to use a curve because her questions on her tests were not from the chapters that the syllabus (a binding contract between the prof. and the students at my school) said the test would cover. We often got 20% of the test thrown out! That class was a farce, by far. I did MUCH better when I skipped her class and read the book on my own than when I listened to her lectures. Everything she said was untrue.

After fundamentals, a curve was unheard of. Oh, except for professionalism, which no one ever fails, so i think all the tests and quizzes were curved.

I guess what I want to know is, does it mean that x number of people get A's, x number of people get B's, x number of people get C's?

i had a psych class like this, bummer

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