failing exams intentionally

I am considering deliberately failing two of my second year exams in order to take a year out in order to go travelling and gain some work experience.Frankly, I've done little work this year and am going to do terribly in EC210 and EC202 even if I revise. I reckon I can manage a good result in the other two, especially if i focus all my revision on them. However, before I embark on this (harebrained) scheme I ought to clear a few things up:

1. As long as I pass the failed exams at the next sitting then my overall classification will be determined in the same way as if I were to have passed the exams in the first sitting? This seems to be the case from the schools regulations. Ideally, I will get firsts in the two exams I do properly this summer, then ace my re-sits and re-enter the school for my final year older/wiser (i'm 19 at present) with a first in the bag.

2. During my year of exile from the school obviously won't be eligible for financial support from he school of the government. However, when I re-enter will I be able to receive financial support again?

Cheers

Reply 1

ColdVein

13

I think the answer is yes to both questions.

It's still a risky plan though - there is no certainty that you will do well in the other two. Besides, EC210 is not that difficult after doing some proper revision (I can't comment on ec202).

Out of interest, what are your other two courses? Also, what is your plan for failing, just writing nothing?

Reply 2

Overmars

17

Hang on -- surely re-taking failed units are capped at 40%?

There's still plenty of time; just do the work.

Reply 3

rogercoger

OP

ST202 and EC221 are my other courses. The plan for failing is to write very little, none of it of any value and then leave after 30 mins.

Reply 4

rogercoger

OP

and as far as i'm aware there is no cap on resists.

Reply 5

alharrison4

11

... Seems a rather illogical thing to do.

Reply 6

Overmars

17

Original post by rogercoger

I am considering deliberately failing two of my second year exams in order to take a year out in order to go travelling and gain some work experience.Frankly, I've done little work this year and am going to do terribly in EC210 and EC202 even if I revise. I reckon I can manage a good result in the other two, especially if i focus all my revision on them. However, before I embark on this (harebrained) scheme I ought to clear a few things up:

1. As long as I pass the failed exams at the next sitting then my overall classification will be determined in the same way as if I were to have passed the exams in the first sitting? This seems to be the case from the schools regulations. Ideally, I will get firsts in the two exams I do properly this summer, then ace my re-sits and re-enter the school for my final year older/wiser (i'm 19 at present) with a first in the bag.

2. During my year of exile from the school obviously won't be eligible for financial support from he school of the government. However, when I re-enter will I be able to receive financial support again?

Cheers

ST202 and EC221 are my other courses. The plan for failing is to write very little, none of it of any value and then leave after 30 mins.

and as far as i'm aware there is no cap on resists.

I think you might be right -- although I'm still not convinced that your marks won't be capped if you repeat a year. I'm sure there has to be a penalty for effectively turning a 3 year course into a 4 year one.

But in either case, the problem you'll face is this one:

LSE

The classification of an award for a candidate with an unredeemed fail in any paper1 taken in fulfilment of the programme regulations shall be calculated as follows (n.b. paragraphs 7.2.1(b) and 7.2.2 do not apply for a second-year direct entry candidate):

A drop of one class in the award classification shall result where a candidate has:
(a) made no serious attempt3 at an element of the assessment for a course, and/or
(b) unredeemed fails in two papers.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/academicRegulations/BA-BScDegrees.htm

You are taking relatively difficult courses. Presumably you got a first average in your first year. If you do very well in the other two (EC221 and ST202) they'll know something's up if you fail your standard macro/micro -- particularly if make it obvious and write little or leave early as you say. And the thing that'll do you is that if you don't make it obvious and serve them crap, you'll creep over the 40 mark and will pass the course...you're underestimating how bad you have to be at a course to fail it; little/some knowledge on a couple of things covered might well get you over 40. So to find that balance between 35-39 on a paper that shows a fail but not a horrific one is very difficult.

The system might not have many fans but the people assessing you aren't stupid. If you get firsts or high 2:1's in your other courses and bad fails in your other two -- especially when you're supposedly a strong candidate taking difficult courses -- and then go on to ace your re-sits, they could suggest you made little effort the first time round (going from a fail to a first would certainly suggest so) and could be justified in giving you a penalty of a 'drop of one class in award classification'.

My advice: I wouldn't risk it. It's really not too late -- I think you're underestimating the number of people that do no work for certain courses and pretty much start from Easter. It's do-able from this stage. Good luck.

Reply 7

rogercoger

OP

Original post by Overmars

I think you might be right -- although I'm still not convinced that your marks won't be capped if you repeat a year. I'm sure there has to be a penalty for effectively turning a 3 year course into a 4 year one.

But in either case, the problem you'll face is this one:

You are taking relatively difficult courses. Presumably you got a first average in your first year. If you do very well in the other two (EC221 and ST202) they'll know something's up if you fail your standard macro/micro -- particularly if make it obvious and write little or leave early as you say. And the thing that'll do you is that if you don't make it obvious and serve them crap, you'll creep over the 40 mark and will pass the course...you're underestimating how bad you have to be at a course to fail it; little/some knowledge on a couple of things covered might well get you over 40. So to find that balance between 35-39 on a paper that shows a fail but not a horrific one is very difficult.

The system might not have many fans but the people assessing you aren't stupid. If you get firsts or high 2:1's in your other courses and bad fails in your other two -- especially when you're supposedly a strong candidate taking difficult courses -- and then go on to ace your re-sits, they could suggest you made little effort the first time round (going from a fail to a first would certainly suggest so) and could be justified in giving you a penalty of a 'drop of one class in award classification'.

My advice: I wouldn't risk it. It's really not too late -- I think you're underestimating the number of people that do no work for certain courses and pretty much start from Easter. It's do-able from this stage. Good luck.

You raise a fair point although I'm not sure how easy it would be to substantiate a claim that a student has put insufficient effort in. It seems like the sort of thing only the person themselves can know for sure. My 1st year results showed a high degree of variability ranging from 100 to 52 so failing two exams wouldn't be wildly out of character. I suppose I could always write on my **** exam scripts that I'm feeling unwell or something, and could even contest this if I were to be accused of insufficient effort. Also, my class reports for EC210 and EC202 are decidedly terrible (indeed, If my teachers gave a **** I could well have found myself barred for these two exams)

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 8

unsung_hero

1

This is a terrible idea. There is plenty of time to cover the material for 202 and 210 - I know this because I did this last year for 210 and bits of 202. The only way I would find this outcome acceptable is if I was working 14-16 hour days during easter and still could not catch up.

Reply 9

danny111

3

I think LSE should introduce interviews so they can filter out people like you better.

Reply 10

ColdVein

13

Original post by Overmars

could be justified in giving you a penalty of a 'drop of one class in award classification'.

It says that rule is that it only applies when you have an unredeemed fail at the end of your degree. So surely assuming he passes all his third year courses, his other two second year courses AND both resits it doesn't apply.

I still wouldn't risk it though OP. One fail in the 'third' year and you could be dropped a whole class because of not making a 'serious attempt' in ec210, ec202 the first time you sat them.

Original post by rogercoger

You raise a fair point although I'm not sure how easy it would be to substantiate a claim that a student has put insufficient effort in. It seems like the sort of thing only the person themselves can know for sure. My 1st year results showed a high degree of variability ranging from 100 to 52 so failing two exams wouldn't be wildly out of character.

Probably quite easy if you score highly in all your other courses. You may have to walk a tightrope between scoring so badly that you can be sure of failure and yet highly enough that it looks like you made a 'serious attempt'. See how ridiculous this plan is? Trust me, there is still time for you to revise ec210 and not only pass but get a decent grade in it.

Reply 11

Lou_Ferrigno

Original post by rogercoger

I.Frankly, I've done little work this year and am going to do terribly in EC210 and EC202 even if I revise. I reckon I can manage a good result in the other two, especially if i focus all my revision on them. However, before I embark on this (harebrained) scheme I ought to clear a few things up:

Cheers

you sound like a lazy, calculating little bastard.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 12

julianne

it's true your final mark won't be affected BUT the failures on your transcript will stay FOREVER. And that definitelly will affect your chances of getting good job (or further study at a decent university). It's not the final mark that only matters, it's your attitude. That clearly needs to change. There are 2 months left - plenty of time to study...

(edited 13 years ago)

Man up and revise.

Original post by julianne

it's true your final mark won't be affected BUT the failures on your transcript will stay FOREVER. And that definitelly will affect your chances of getting good job (or further study at a decent university). It's not the final mark that only matters, it's your attitude. That clearly needs to change. There are 2 months left - plenty of time to study...

where would it be displayed that he has these 2 failed exams?
have you ever heard about a graduated with a 1st or 2:1 getting rejected by an interviewer cause said person has had redeemed fail papers in his history?

Reply 15

julianne

it would be displayed on your official transcript of course. And yes, I did hear about such cases, nothing to be proud of though. And I don't suppose people talk about that out lound anyway...

Reply 16

ricco

as far as I'm aware it only displays the newest marks http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=25282158&postcount=2

Reply 17

Swayum

18

Original post by ricco

as far as I'm aware it only displays the newest marks http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=25282158&postcount=2

No, it mentions the number of attempts you did too. I haven't specifically seen an LSE transcript, but I've seen a UCL one and it did.

And, yes, you can write 2:1 on your CV and then get an offer. After accepting the offer, the company will run a thorough background check on you. Once they find out that you've kept the failures secret from them, they'd most likely take back their offer because of a lack of integrity on your side. I have heard of this happen to people, e.g. a PricewaterhouseCoopers HR person was telling us about someone in a situation like this.

Reply 18

julianne

I graduated from LSE, so I know how my transcript looks like;-) Everything is listed there, every single attempt, every single mark. You can't really hide anything. And in job applications I often had to specify all my marks...