Hacker News Reader

> This struggle was reflected in our exam averages, which were, respectively, in the 50s, the 60s, and the 30s.

Is there some prior knowledge about university exams I should have in order to understand what these figures relate to? Standardized set of 3 exams maybe?

View on HN

The grades are out of 100%, so these averages mean that the professor has to z-score the grades in order for any significant portion of their students to pass at all (the pass line in the USA is usually 65%). I'd consider this a strong sign of bad teaching.

Or the course may have been taught on a curve.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com