Why are American grade boundaries so high?

I've been looking at grade boundaries in the United States (bored) and noticed how high they are.

This is the way it goes:
D = 60-69%
C = 70-79%
B = 80 - 89%
A = 90-100%

Reply 1

username2165807

14

Because the majority of their tests are mostly or entirely multiple choice.

I did a test for one of my friends in his first year of university (college as they call it) in the US which was CS-based and got an A with GCSE-level knowledge. It's really a joke.

Edit: I should give more detail too: this was an important test, his final in a semester.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2

Mayhem™

19

The tests are probably easy.

Reply 3

Vikingninja

21

This may slightly affect it but my physics teachers said that they go into uni with the equivalent of an AS.

Reply 4

Paagal boy

1

I was going to go to a Uni in US but decided not to for several reasons, and one of the reasons is that school does "curbing" which is apparently, any grade you got, you didn't really get. And they let you pass if you get 59% because they bring it up to 60% etc

It's No Child left Behind, Bush came up with it. It's controversial because
the argument is it lowers education standards just to push dumb students to the next year. For graduation stats purposes.

Reply 5

Paagal boy

1

Original post by Vikingninja

This may slightly affect it but my physics teachers said that they go into uni with the equivalent of an AS.

Yes in US they do high school, which is like us taking AS levels at lower 6th. They're mad dumb but they have money so.

Reply 6

troubadour.

19

Original post by Vikingninja

This may slightly affect it but my physics teachers said that they go into uni with the equivalent of an AS.

It depends where they're going, I think. AP tests are considered broadly equivalent to A Levels by most UK universities. The one big difference is the lack of early specialisation, which might explain why tests for the same subject at a similar level are easier in the States (i.e. they do more subjects at a lower standard/depth than few subjects at a high standard/depth).

Reply 7

KingKoala

9

How is it fair that they can come and take the University place of a British student who has done A levels if their system is equivalent to an As level?

Reply 8

Frostyjoe

OP

21

Yeah I wondered because I was chatting to someone who said that 70% is crap and I wondered what he was talking about.

To me 70% is decent (my average).

Reply 9

troubadour.

19

Original post by KingKoala

How is it fair that they can come and take the University place of a British student who has done A levels if their system is equivalent to an As level?

I'm pretty sure that most UK universities have quotas for international students that they cannot exceed.

Also, I very much doubt that comparison with an AS level; most conditional offers for American students at British universities are conditional on performance in AP tests, which are broadly equivalent to A Levels.

, can you help with some of the confusion on this thread? :dontknow:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

Teets

1

Original post by Frostyjoe

Yeah I wondered because I was chatting to someone who said that 70% is crap and I wondered what he was talking about.

To me 70% is decent (my average).

I'm in the US at the moment and roughly 35% of my grades are attendance + "participation"

Reply 11

Soviet onions

1

Original post by CloakedSpartan

Because the majority of their tests are mostly or entirely multiple choice.

I did a test for one of my friends in his first year of university (college as they call it) in the US which was CS-based and got an A with GCSE-level knowledge. It's really a joke.

Edit: I should give more detail too: this was an important test, his final in a semester.

America's schooling system is pretty messed up. We have a higher grading sytem which makes passing very rare, but some professors do make the tests/assignments easier as a way to balance thing out. Sometimes we have to stay behind on a few lessons because of how thorough the teacher has too teach. Of course I'm not saying all teachers are like that, in fact most usaully dont even teach the subject. My professor's just print of Wikipedia articles and make you read them. There has been alot of debate on changing the grading scale but no action has been put to it.

Reply 12

Soviet onions

1

Original post by Mayhem™

The tests are probably easy.

Not necessarily, but we usually get too review our subjects the day before we take the test.

Reply 13

Dannyboy2015

13

Original post by Teets

I'm in the US at the moment and roughly 35% of my grades are attendance + "participation"

lol. I had a module like that in 1st year of uni back when nothing counted towards my grades.

Reply 14

Soviet onions

1

Original post by Frostyjoe

Yeah I wondered because I was chatting to someone who said that 70% is crap and I wondered what he was talking about.

To me 70% is decent (my average).

Yeah since the U.S andThe U.K's systems are so diverse its hard to find an even ground. For example if I were to send a resume for a school in the U.K. they would take one look at my grades and laugh, even though I technically have a B+ in your grading system.

Reply 15

Soviet onions

1

Original post by Paagal boy

Yes in US they do high school, which is like us taking AS levels at lower 6th. They're mad dumb but they have money so.

Not really, somtimes our courses take longer then it would in the U.K because of how high the grading scale is. A 50% is an F in our country, so teaching even the basics takes longer.

Reply 16

Soviet onions

1

Original post by Soviet onions

Not really, somtimes our courses take longer then it would in the U.K because of how high the grading scale is. A 50% is an F in our country, so teaching even the basics takes longer.

And not all Americans are ritch, most of us are broke. Our government is quite the mess, we are over billians of dollars in dept. And since the government can't afford to pay it off the citizens are milked dry instead. Sadly some people use there influence and make it so the ritch dont have to pay for squat.

Reply 17

Dannyboy2015

13

Is it maybe to do with multiple choice exams? (MCQs - More like Mc-Phew lel top kek).

Reply 18

Soviet onions

1

Original post by Paagal boy

I was going to go to a Uni in US but decided not to for several reasons, and one of the reasons is that school does "curbing" which is apparently, any grade you got, you didn't really get. And they let you pass if you get 59% because they bring it up to 60% etc

It's No Child left Behind, Bush came up with it. It's controversial because
the argument is it lowers education standards just to push dumb students to the next year. For graduation stats purposes.

It is true but you have to remember that a 50% is a fail while for the U.K's grading system says that its an average grade. The curbing is another attempt to balance out the odds of passing.

Reply 19

vr518

3

Original post by CloakedSpartan

Because the majority of their tests are mostly or entirely multiple choice.

I did a test for one of my friends in his first year of university (college as they call it) in the US which was CS-based and got an A with GCSE-level knowledge. It's really a joke.

Edit: I should give more detail too: this was an important test, his final in a semester.

I don't know where you are getting your information from, but you are dead wrong. While we do multiple choice problems on tests, the tests are not made up only of that. There are essays - both long and short - fill in the blanks, translating and vocabulary for foreign language tests, and proofs, theorems and word problems for math, and English tests aren't allowed to have multiple choice problems.

Why are American grade boundaries so high?

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