Adjusting grade Forum

[perfunctory]

Looked over my exam and my raw score was 10 points (out of 100) higher than the median. As around 20 points higher. Grade was median. Plan to ask prof if grade calculated correctly. Anyone have success with this?

[A. Nony Mouse]

How do you know what the median raw score was?

[perfunctory]

She wrote it online

[A. Nony Mouse]

Cool. Certainly worth asking, but you may want to couch it as "can you explain how this is calculated" because there are a lot of weird adjustments that go into grading on a curve, and it maybe that enough people fell into the point range you're in that you all ended up median or something. Or it could be an error, so it is definitely worth checking.

[rpupkin]

I guess it doesn't hurt to ask, but--just based on the information you provided here--it doesn't seem strange to me that you got a median grade.

[GreenEggs]

I mean it could easily be that the median grade still fell within that range? You could just play dumb and go to her office hours and ask

[iliketurtles123]

Still can be median even with a 10-20 point discrepancy


But worth asking

[mjb447]

Consigning asking if you frame as "I don't understand, please help me."

[BigZuck]

I don't really think that talking about grades is a good idea but honestly if you have some friends and know what their grades are I might check their raw scores first. I just don't trust law profs, I could see a scenario where your grade actually should be higher but because she is a law prof she'll look at it and be like "Naw man, this is totes median, don't worry about it" and then not actually change it.

[perfunctory]

Got one data point, and someone with 1 point higher than me received an A-.

[cavalier1138]

Got one data point, and someone with 1 point higher than me received an A-.

Is median a B+?

[rpupkin]

Got one data point, and someone with 1 point higher than me received an A-.

Two non-mistake possibilities: (1) you were right on the line between B+ and A-; or (2) your friend got bumped up a bit for class participation. The latter happens way more in law school grading than students generally realize.

In any event, tread lightly when meeting with the prof. Don't adopt a tone that suggests you're assuming there was a grading mistake.

[BigZuck]

"Golly gee, can you explain this to me?" is definitely the right route to take as opposed to guns blazing but it would be nice to have some ammo (like a friend scoring lower and getting a higher grade). Let her say "Oh, you needed ____ to get a higher grade" and let her back herself into a corner. Definitely avoid a situation where she can use class participation as an excuse if you can help it. If you're right and she's wrong then there is a good chance she will try to weasel her way out of it if she can. YMMV but from my experience law profs gonna law prof.

[Big Red]

your friend got bumped up a bit for class participation. The latter happens way more in law school grading than students generally realize.

I can't really ground it in reason but participation bumps have always struck me as mostly unfair

[Shema]

your friend got bumped up a bit for class participation. The latter happens way more in law school grading than students generally realize.

I can't really ground it in reason but participation bumps have always struck me as mostly unfair

Law professors grade the exams and apply a raw score with very little feedback besides the occasional check mark. Professors then submit the raw scores to the registrars office who magically churn grades along the given law school's mysterious bell curve. The grades along with students names are returned to the prof who can then apply their discretion to bump students up or down (so much for blind grading). I give this brief history lesson to caution you against approaching your professor about your grade. In some respects profs are powerless with grades because the Registrars office holds the crystal ball. If your grade was changed everyone's grade would be adjusted and this is an administrative nightmare that is more easily remedied by ignoring even your valid concern. Your Prof signed off on the final grades during the last phase and the hard fact is that they aren't budging. Here's a true story... two years ago I was mentoring a TLSer at an LA second tier law school wanting to do well enough to transfer to UCLA Berkeley or their equivalent. She wasn't happy with a Contracts Grade (B+) and like you thought there wight be a mistake since her study partner earned an A and was awarded 5 points for an argument my mentee also made but was not awarded points. Because only 2 points would have awarded my mentee an A- she politely entered office hours to make her case. The professor recognized the oversight but quickly turned to another part of her exam and made the argument that the missing 5 points were justified and offset by other weak aspects of the exam answer. The professor also pointed out what an administrative nightmare it would be to change one students grade. Was it fair? Maybe not. But that is the current system. Like her you will have to figure out how to avoid writing exams in the margin of error. Gratefully she maintained a high enough GPA to transfer to UCLA and was also accepted to USC early decision. Still the best advice is to visit all of your professors during office hours and review your exams. The intel you learn about your exams is the foundation for setting your Spring semester game plan and strategies for success.

[texas1100]

I'd be forthright and ask exactly how it was calculated and whether class participation was taken into account. Sometimes professors wiggle around the subject of grades, so be cordial yet demanding

[rcharter1978]

Cool. Certainly worth asking, but you may want to couch it as "can you explain how this is calculated" because there are a lot of weird adjustments that go into grading on a curve, and it maybe that enough people fell into the point range you're in that you all ended up median or something. Or it could be an error, so it is definitely worth checking.

This. I think its easy to go in with the best of intentions, but have it sound more like a confrontation. Couching it as a question is just much softer.