94 or higher is an A?

[Oceanblu]

I find this really annoying that the school I want to go to has considered a 94 or higher to be an A. And after talking to some of the Alumni I have found out that this program is really strict and you need an 82% to pass a class (they base their classes on a pass/fail). This is so crazy and no wonder they have such a low passing rate.

Not only that but this program have had this grading scale since 2008 and I can't believe they haven't thought to change it yet to increase their passing rate?? Does anybody else have to do deal with this in their nursing program?

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

What's the problem? My diploma program was:

94-100 = A

87-93 = B

80-86 = C

I had a 93 average, so i was a b student. I was fine with that because letter grades mean nothing.

[CountryMomma, ASN, RN]

My program was similar - 92 was an A, 82 was failing. I started with 9 my RN year and 7 graduated, 6 passed the NCLEX. My school had high NCLEX pass rates and moderate attrition rates. I was ok with this.

[elkpark]

Every nursing program with which I've had any experience over the years, as a student or as a faculty member, used 93-100 or 94-100 as the range for an A. And responsible programs aren't looking to "increase their passing rate" by relaxing their standards. They want to turn out well-prepared graduates who will be competent nurses. Students maintain 4.0 GPAs in nursing school by working hard and making school their top priority.

111 graduates out of 130 original students isn't bad. How many of those 111 pass the NCLEX on their first try?

[aeris99]

Our program uses about the same scale for grading. Anything under an 80 is failing. Absolutely no rounding, ever. And they calculate out to four decimal places.

My cohort started with 40 students. We are down to 21. That might drop again in the next day to 19, with graduation 4 days away.

I wouldn't worry so much about the letter. I'd be more focused on keeping your eases high so you have a buffer when you get hit with a curveball.

[Oceanblu]

My program was similar - 92 was an A, 82 was failing. I started with 9 my RN year and 7 graduated, 6 passed the NCLEX. My school had high NCLEX pass rates and moderate attrition rates. I was ok with this.

Wow only 9???

[Oceanblu]

111 graduates out of 130 original students isn't bad. How many of those 111 pass the NCLEX on their first try?

Actually I just rechecked the pass rates to make sure and that was the year before that passing rate when 111 students passed. In 2015, 147 students were admitted and only 107 passed. Which is really bad.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Hey everybody - my newest soapbox is Grade Inflation.... it's a thing now.

Take a look at that link if you want to see how serious it is. Students feel that they 'deserve' high grades & get very upset if anything else happens. Student 'likes' are increasingly important in faculty performance ratings so they're reluctant to enforce academic rigor for fear of upsetting students. As a result, any educational pathway that has to achieve standardized outcomes (e.g., NCLEX) is having a rough time. Especially right now - after NCLEX 'passing' standards were increased not so long ago.

Although I was reluctant to see the advantages at first, I am beginning to think more positively about 'competency based' educational programs... where students must achieve specific objectives rather than grades. They can't go on to the next level until they meet the previous objectives. The emphasis shifts from GPA to outcomes. I'm seeing the merit.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Welcome to nursing school.

[Zibbie]

Hey everybody - my newest soapbox is Grade Inflation.... it's a thing now.

Take a look at that link if you want to see how serious it is. Students feel that they 'deserve' high grades & get very upset if anything else happens. Student 'likes' are increasingly important in faculty performance ratings so they're reluctant to enforce academic rigor for fear of upsetting students. As a result, any educational pathway that has to achieve standardized outcomes (e.g., NCLEX) is having a rough time. Especially right now - after NCLEX 'passing' standards were increased not so long ago.

Although I was reluctant to see the advantages at first, I am beginning to think more positively about 'competency based' educational programs... where students must achieve specific objectives rather than grades. They can't go on to the next level until they meet the previous objectives. The emphasis shifts from GPA to outcomes. I'm seeing the merit.

I think this is so important. GPA does not show knowledge or ability to apply critical knowledge and yet it is a standard we use to prove worth. There should be greater emphasis on skill and application and I think we lose that when we put such heavy emphasis on GPA, especially when GPAs are distributed so unequally.

[Purple_roses]

My program is similar. 94 and above is an A, so it's very difficult to achieve a 4.0. I have not maintained my 4.0, though I've put in 100% of my effort. I keep getting 93s (it's enough to drive me crazy; though I'm still content knowing that I'm doing my best and learning a lot). The cut off score at my school is a 78%, so a bit more lenient than your school's cut off scores. I don't think you should worry though. If you work hard and dedicate enough time toward studying, you'll most likely be just fine.

[Purple_roses]

I've found that the majority of programs work this way, often without rounding up either

Yes, you can count on NO rounding. One in my cohort needed a 78% to pass and received a 77.5%. My nursing program does not allow any rounding, even if the teachers want to.

[elkpark]

Actually I just rechecked the pass rates to make sure and that was the year before that passing rate when 111 students passed. In 2015, 147 students were admitted and only 107 passed. Which is really bad.

"Really bad" how? That's a rate of around 73%. That's quite a bit higher than the US national average for college graduation (within six years of starting a degree), which is only 59%.

Fast Facts

HigherEdInfo.org: Graduation Rates