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It really sucks having to wait 6 months to retake any test, 4 months I understand but 6 is over kill. I just took the Social Science and history test and failed with a 48, ouch. So close, yet not close enough. The worse part is I don't even know how many questions would have gotten me a passing score because no one even really knows how these things are really graded, would two more questions right passed me? Or would I have needed 10 more? Who knows.
Anyway, guess I'll start cramming for Astronomy next...
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01-18-2008, 07:57 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-18-2008, 08:29 PM by StealingDreams.)
That is really unfortunate, Shadow. It is frustrating when you are really close.
As for how many questions/ scoring this is what I have deduced from my reading of the systems and some statistics studies for psych and my eventual stat exam:
The reason the scales are 20-80 with 50 being the passing median is that 99.7% of all scores fall within 3 standard diviations above and below the mean in a normal distribution. So basically they make the passing mark based on the average score of C students 50 and then each standard diviation is worth 10 scaled points. That means that if you scored exactly 1 standard diviation above the mean you would get a 60 and 1 SD below is a 40. So if the average passing grade is 55% and the SD is 12% you would need to score a 67% raw score to get a 60 on the scaled score. In this example, if it was a 100 question test, every 1.2 questions right earns 1 point so to bring your 48 up to a 50 would take 3 questions. Of course to do these calculations you need to know what raw score equals a 50 and what the standard diviation is which I don't know if they post those or not but basically that is how they score. You seem really close so don't be discouraged.
FYI, I calculated that getting a 70-75% raw score on any DSST almost garuntees you at least a 60 which is probably an A at Excelsior no matter what the exam so if you know the answer to half the questions and can narrow down anything you aren't sure of to 1 of 2 answers giving yourself a 50/50 shot of guessing correctly you should always score high enough to not only pass but get an A.
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I'm sorry. That's a bummer. Your perseverence is very, very admirable.
Best wishes on the astronomy test next.
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I'm sorry! Don't beat yourself up....just eat some chocolate, read a good book for awhile, then persevere and study just a little extra next time! Hang in there! You can do it!
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You guys (gals)
are so nice!
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Shadowless Wrote:It really sucks having to wait 6 months to retake any test, 4 months I understand but 6 is over kill. I just took the Social Science and history test and failed with a 48, ouch. So close, yet not close enough. The worse part is I don't even know how many questions would have gotten me a passing score because no one even really knows how these things are really graded, would two more questions right passed me? Or would I have needed 10 more? Who knows.
Anyway, guess I'll start cramming for Astronomy next...
Shadow,
What about utilizing Penn Foster courses for any exams you failed to shorten the 6 month gap?
They only charge $55 per credit + a $20 exam fee, and this INCLUDES the book. A much better alternative to waiting 6 months.
MCDBA, MCSE+Security, MCTS
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