Final Exams - 50% pass minimum, stupid? (1 Viewer)

[dilroy]

Hey all,

This is just a rant. I'm in BBC (Human Resources / Industrial Relations) and all of the units I'm doing this semester require a 50% minimum pass for the final exams. Does anyone else believe this is extremely unfair, stupid and a very backwards way of assessing students?
You could ace assignments and mid-exams, but when it comes to the final exam you could fail the entire thing if you achieve a 21/50 mark. This is even more ridiculous when it comes to management and human resources courses where clearly assignments do more to help one's knowledge of the matter than final exams which assess short term memory rather than the true knowledge of the entire unit. End rant.
Anyone else agree? I'd like to hear from more doing HR / IR if any are here.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

You can argue whatever you like but that doesn't change the fact that if you can't manage 50% in the final exam you don't deserve to pass.

 

[withoutaface]

If you don't know even 50% of the content of a course you aren't fit for the workforce.

 

[Serius]

exams are a shit way to assess people, thats why most subjects now assess with other stuff like essays and assignments. Anyways, most of my classes its 45% pass mark. If you cant manage around 50% then you obviously havent tried very hard, just the simple fact of going to your lectures [not even making notes, just attending] should be enough to get you a pass, then if you do a small amount of study on top of that [ like a few hours the night before] you should easily pass.

 

[dilroy]

Just to add to this topic which I posted on whirlpool as well lol.

Me:


"Hey all,

I'm currently doing Bachelor of Business and Commerce Human Resources and Industrial Relations at UWS Parramatta. I'm in my 2nd year at the moment and doing majority 3rd year units of which all of them require a 50% pass mark for the final exam.
In saying that I'd like to bring up a discussion. For some units, one who aces assignments and even mid-semester exams can still fail an entire unit if he or she achieves a 20-24/50 mark for a final exam. So for all those 15 weeks of hard work, it can come down to 3 mere hours. I believe these final exams are just a test of one's short term memory as opposed to conducting assignments which clearly benefit students more. I can understand exams for mathematics, accounting and finance.. but when it comes units in psychology, management, HR which have changed over time, doing exams would do nothing to benefit someone in the real life situation.
I know of people who have gotten 45%-48% for their final exams and have failed the entire unit because of it even though they have gotten distinctions for everything else in the unit (I haven't failed *yet*).

Does anyone else believe that it can be extremely unfair and possibly a backwards way of assessing students in this day and age? Has this situation happened to anyone here?"


Reply

"I failed two subjects with that pathetic rule. It is unfair. CPA Australia had introduced that rule in 2000. They now also have the rule that you are only one conceded pass throughout your degree.

Even though I have graduated in my commerce degree about four years ago, I believe such a rule actually restricts and hinders a student's ability to learn and apply what they have learnt in other subjects and beyond. It is about time universities and regulatory and professional bodies, like CPA Australia, actually conduct some kind of research in determining whether this useless rule is actually a benefit to students and the association's respective profession. I can tell you now, it's not.

I challenge any person to post the last time they were faced with a problem they didn't consult a colleague, the internet or a book and told if they didn't reach a solution to a problem within three hours, they would be demoted."


Also I'm currently doing an exam where I have to be assessed by doing 4 essays in 3 hours?!? That's insane and it doesn't really depict my true knowledge of the unit. A mental breakdown halfway can jeopardize your entire fate for that unit as well.

 

[melsc]

It sucks but I have had worse, 100% take-home 24hrs.

Assessment is often unfair, you can complain but I doubt they will change it.

I agree that exams are not the best way to examine people

 

[Che08]

Yeah.. i feel your pain.. this session luckily i only had one exam like that, but it makes me feel bad for all those non-english speaking students who cant take a bilingual diary in and are still expected to be able to get 50% in the exam when they have proved they know what they are doing with the other assessments.
I guess we cant change it tho..

The other thing that really annoys me about exams is when they try to trick you with questions that take up half the page and then at the bottom of the question it asks.. 'What is the meaning of Injustice?' or even the trick answers in the multiple choice.. i know we are meant to know this stuff.. but let us answer it instead of be confused by some 96% right answer..

 

[ari89]

I think I'm going to fail a subject tomorrow with a distinction average because of this