<p>The Competency Exam was done away with quite a few years ago. Back in the “old days” (I graduated 25 years ago…) we had the grades I described above and during your senior year you took a competency exam in your area of concentration. It consisted of a few parts including a portion that you did while in a classroom (open book, but had to be completed in the room) - usually about 3 hours. Then you had a “take home” portion/project that you had to complete over a day or 2 and then turn in. Then you had the pleasure of going before a board of 3 teachers and they could ask you about just about anything for what seemed like hours, but was probably 30-45 minutes. Many of us did not pass the first time and we had a few friends that didn’t graduate with us because they “NR’d” their comp on the 2nd or 3rd try. It was EXTREMELY stressful. The comp was administered at each term break. You had to pass it by between C & D term to graduate with the class in May. </p>
<p>As for the comments of al6200, when you’re out in the “real world” you’ll realize that grades don’t mean squat. Get over that winner/loser mentality. Ask questions. Try new things. Approach something the “wrong way” just to see what happens. Help someone else that is struggling. THAT is what education is. Trust me, an employer is going to be looking a lot more at your projects and who you are than what your GPA or grades are. What is the difference between a 3.5 graduate and a 2.5 graduate? Maybe that 2.5 graduate was putting in 20 hours a week working while going to school and didn’t have the time to “polish” those labs before handing them in every week. </p>
<p>Education does not equal intelligence. Intelligence comes from application of education. Shooting to get higher grades? Who cares. Show me what you can do with the knowledge you have. Show me your mistakes. Tell me what you learned from those mistakes. Employers look for the curious and the creative. That is why it is sad that they even caved in and went to “A”, “B”, “C” grades. It somehow puts more importance on the grade than the knowledge. It sets up competition instead of cooperation. </p>
<p>Obviously I think this generation is WAY too hung up on grades… Everyone needing to know “where they stand” in relation to everyone else. Truth is there are a lot of “C” students out there that will be the ones that really shine in the workplace 5 years from now. And a lot of “A” students scratching their heads trying to figure out how to work with others to get something done since all they’ve known how to do was keep their heads buried in the books and take tests so they can “shine”.</p>