2coll

I am currently in an Engineering class that has Prelim and homework averages between 57 and 59 percent for the whole class. If this continues how would the letter grades be allocated. Any insight would be helpful as I am a freshman and don't know how the curving works.

Treetopleaf

Think of a standard normal distribution curve. They center the curve on the grade that they want to be the median. Most of my undergrad tests were centered around 50%. But we always had a letter grade on the tests, so you had some idea of your standing.

2coll

No there was no letter grade on the test. It says 69/104. Blackboard says class average is 57.4%

Prism123

generally this rough estimate works the median class corresponds to the median grade for a class, one standard deviation lower is a letter grade bellow, one std above is a letter grade above

det_A-lambda=0

Cornell University Registrar: Median Grades

This should give you some idea.

If the average is around 57, and your class typically curves to a B-, chances are that people around 57 will get a B-.

Usually for my classes a standard deviation above will get you an A-.

cocacolamandan

That's pretty standard for 1910 or perhaps 2090. Most of the introductory engineering classes are curved to a B or B-. (Classes that you take later are usually curved a bit higher, to a B, B+ or A-.)

A class being "curved to a B" means that if you get the mean grade, you will get a B. At the end of the semester, they tally up the points of everyone who took the class. The people who score the mean grade will get a B. Those who score higher will get a better grade. One standard deviation of the mean roughly corresponds to a full letter grade.

2coll

Thanks for the info. What would be a typical standard deviation for an Freshman Engineering class? I looked online, asked other people taking the class. No one seems to know. Any thoughts?

Prism123

it really depends on the test, usually in the 8-16 range