No Credit Granted for a "High" D from EC!

[acs1122]

The exam is Organizational Behavior. I used IC only, and knew the material backwards and forward before test day. I was ready. Or so I thought. So, imagine my surprise after learning my grade was a D. I was shocked because I answered most of the questions without guessing, and I thought the exam was rather easy at the time. Boy, was I wrong! Another unpleasant surprise was when I learned that Excelsior does not grant credit for a D. But why, I thought a pass was a pass? Well, after I received my grade, I requested my exam be re-graded. Here's the response from EC:

Please note the following about your exam results:

A. You correctly answered 57% of the questions on the exam - both in the scorable set and the overall question set. The overall set includes questions that are not included toward your final grade, but are included for developmental purposes to test their effectiveness in measuring knowledge. If they are judged to be effective by our Test Developers, they will be made scorable questions in future versions of this exam. The scorable question set is the basis for your grade, and does not change from test to test. All students who take the exam form you took are evaluated using the same set of scorable questions.

B. You were relatively close to passing the exam - your grade of D was a "high" D, so some further focused preparation using our exam content guide for this test should help you succeed next time.

I'll have to re-test, or just let this one go altogether. It stings a little, but what else can I do? Any advice?

On a much happier note, I just received my grades today for Psy. of Adulthood & Aging, and Foundations of Gerontology ---I received a B on both, woohoo! Again, using just IC for both. Next up, Abnormal Psy.

Thanks,
Anne

[Katterina]

What a bummer. But grats on the other two!

I always wondered why tests like ECE Org Behavior and World Population were so difficult to pass compared to others. Then I found the EC examination technical handbook on the publications request page of their site and found the cut scores for the exams. Organizational Behavior is the highest I've seen: you need 83/85% correct for an "A," (depending on which test form you get) 72/74% for a "B," and 59/60% for a "C." In contrast, the numbers for Adulthood and Aging are 52%, 47%, and 45%, respectively. That is a huge difference! I wonder why they grade the exams so differently?

Anyway, good luck with Abnormal. The cuts for that one is 62, 54, 45. I'm studying for that one as well.

[Basket Weaver]

I feel your pain as the only test I failed was ECE's HRM. I used the IC cards and earned a D as well; I took it again 2 months later and got a C...keep in mind that the IC cards are for the lower level Dantes; ECE tests are much more involved....as I'm sure you're well aware. Congrats on the other two tests, Ab Psych is very doable with just IC. Good Luck! Lee

[yutzyj]

What a bummer. But grats on the other two!

I always wondered why tests like ECE Org Behavior and World Population were so difficult to pass compared to others. Then I found the EC examination technical handbook on the publications request page of their site and found the cut scores for the exams. Organizational Behavior is the highest I've seen: you need 83/85% correct for an "A," (depending on which test form you get) 72/74% for a "B," and 59/60% for a "C." In contrast, the numbers for Adulthood and Aging are 52%, 47%, and 45%, respectively. That is a huge difference! I wonder why they grade the exams so differently?

Anyway, good luck with Abnormal. The cuts for that one is 62, 54, 45. I'm studying for that one as well.

This is the test I take next after I take Social Psych on Tuesday. Katerina, or anyone else, do you know where I can find how many students just pass this exam? I didn't realize when I signed up for it how hard this test is! :confused:

[acs1122]

After getting a D, I must say that I was feeling a bit discouraged. It wasn't to stop the whole parade, but it certainly put a damper on things. After two weeks, I finally managed to regain my composure, I scheduled two exams. I'm so glad that I did because passing the last two exams was the much needed confidence-booster to help get me out of the shlumpy-dumpy mode. I'm back on track, and with 92 credits, well there is no time for quitting now.

Wow, will you look at that!?! The grade scale is vastly varied! First of, I didn't know about the examination technical handbook. Thanks Katterina. I take a little solace in the knowledge that if they were all graded the same, I (probably) WOULD HAVE PASSED Org Beh. I had Form F, which indicates lowest passing is 60% (boy, was I close with that 57%). So, I missed it by 3%...WHY, WHY, WHY?

Okay, moving right along, I have a big smile on my face because the next EC exams that I'm tackling are graded significantly lower than Org Beh. They are: Abnormal Psy next week. Followed by Social Psy and Research Methods in Psy (not sure which order for the last two). Judging by the technical handbook, it seems that IC will be enough for these three exams, given the lower grading scale. If not, I was planning to supplement with the EC practice exams (which are $60 a piece).

Lee suggested that using IC alone for Abnormal Psy was good enough, but I was wondering about the other two as well. With an 11-month-old baby, I have limited study time so hearing "IC only" is music to my ears.

Thanks,
Anne

[Katterina]

I'm going to be using online Sparknotes and a Sparkchart to supplement Abnormal Psychology. The notes are free online at Sparknotes.com, and I bought the chart at my local Barnes and Noble. I figure they will make for nice last minute cramming material right before I test.

This is the test I take next after I take Social Psych on Tuesday. Katerina, or anyone else, do you know where I can find how many students just pass this exam? I didn't realize when I signed up for it how hard this test is! :confused:

There are pass rate percentages included in the cut score charts in the exam technical handbook in the publications request part of Excelsior's website. Look under these headers: [General Materials: Excelsior College Examinations: Excelsior College Exams Technical Handbook] Good luck, I know you can conquer this exam.

[yutzyj]

I'm going to be using online Sparknotes and a Sparkchart to supplement Abnormal Psychology. The notes are free online at Sparknotes.com, and I bought the chart at my local Barnes and Noble. I figure they will make for nice last minute cramming material right before I test.



There are pass rate percentages included in the cut score charts in the exam technical handbook in the publications request part of Excelsior's website. Look under these headers: [General Materials: Excelsior College Examinations: Excelsior College Exams Technical Handbook] Good luck, I know you can conquer this exam.

Thank you, Katterina, I am getting so nervous finishing up.

The Sparkchart for Ab Psych is a good review. Good luck to you, too!

[Katterina]

Okay, moving right along, I have a big smile on my face because the next EC exams that I'm tackling are graded significantly lower than Org Beh. They are: Abnormal Psy next week. Followed by Social Psy and Research Methods in Psy (not sure which order for the last two). Judging by the technical handbook, it seems that IC will be enough for these three exams, given the lower grading scale. If not, I was planning to supplement with the EC practice exams (which are $60 a piece).

PS:

I would take Research Methods before Social Psychology because there are research design questions in the Social Psych exam.

Cheers!

[acs1122]

For now, I'll pass on the two EC exams that are under the DANTES Category, since they're more geared towards passing DANTES. But I feel good about using IC alone for any EC exam titles that are listed under the EC Exams Category, but I'll add some review of sparknotes as well .

Quick question, which of the exams under the EC Exams category did you use IC alone? Hopefully, ALL of THEM!

As far as the EC practice exams, I'm still on the fence about using them. When I spoke with the testing program manager at EC, he was very helpful, and didn't hesitate to answer any of my questions. The $60 pays for two practice exams, 100 questions each, the questions are from retired exams of the same title, and you have 120 days of online access. He said they helpful in getting familiar with the exam format and question style of present exams.

Has anyone ever used EC practice exams?

Thanks,
Anne

[AGS]

The exam is Organizational Behavior. I used IC only, and knew the material backwards and forward before test day. I was ready. Or so I thought. So, imagine my surprise after learning my grade was a D. I was shocked because I answered most of the questions without guessing, and I thought the exam was rather easy at the time. Boy, was I wrong! Another unpleasant surprise was when I learned that Excelsior does not grant credit for a D. But why, I thought a pass was a pass? Well, after I received my grade, I requested my exam be re-graded. Here's the response from EC:

Please note the following about your exam results:

A. You correctly answered 57% of the questions on the exam - both in the scorable set and the overall question set. The overall set includes questions that are not included toward your final grade, but are included for developmental purposes to test their effectiveness in measuring knowledge. If they are judged to be effective by our Test Developers, they will be made scorable questions in future versions of this exam. The scorable question set is the basis for your grade, and does not change from test to test. All students who take the exam form you took are evaluated using the same set of scorable questions.

B. You were relatively close to passing the exam - your grade of D was a "high" D, so some further focused preparation using our exam content guide for this test should help you succeed next time.

I'll have to re-test, or just let this one go altogether. It stings a little, but what else can I do? Any advice?

On a much happier note, I just received my grades today for Psy. of Adulthood & Aging, and Foundations of Gerontology ---I received a B on both, woohoo! Again, using just IC for both. Next up, Abnormal Psy.

Thanks,
Anne

Is it a Dantes exam or an excelsior exam?