just don't break a leg

so you would need only 60 points from the 250 in the final? that would be only 24%
but i somehow doubt that the system works that way
can you really fail the final itself and still pass the course?

assuming the pass mark for the final is 50% that would give you 125 points and you'd be safe for sure

Yeah it's based on a point system. The final is 250/1000 points. I took 2 tests that were worth 200pts each and did well on them. 8 quizzes add up to 200 points. Homework adds up to 120 points and attendance is 30 points. All equating 1000 points.

very common in america. the final exams in my classes were usually worth around 20%. could skip it entirely and still get B in the class.

in many of the intro proofs classes it's common to fail every test and still get an A or B in the class.

This post was edited by carteblanche on Jul 29 2014 10:06pm

does that apply in junior high or even in college?
very odd system were you can fail every test and still progress

though have to say that i experienced something similar
in a couple of courses the professor would give every one attending a pass, regardless of the effort/work put in
but that was in humanities (and yes, the professor was a socialist - but he was internationally renown in his field)
couldn't imagine anything like that to happen in math (regardless of the political views of the professor)

The systems are different, depending on two things: Whether you're in high school, and whether in you're in college.

If you're in high school, the grading system is usually pretty mathematically forged out from the beginning - the syllabus is strictly adhered to, and you might get lucky if they round a 79.3 to a B-

When I was in high school geometry (I was placed in regular geometry instead of honors), I ended up with a 107% or something by the time the final came around. At that point, believe it or not, I could have failed the final and gotten a high "B". If I ditched the final by walking into the classroom and flipping the middle finger at the teacher and saying "fuck you, give me a zero", I still would have passed (barely) (There would be obvious consequences between all of the counselors and blah blah). It's the weight of the grade that has a lot to do with it. Although I would never have done that in high school haha.

Lower level college classes usually work this way too (Not to say that he is taking a lower level class in college, but they stick reasonably close to the rules). Which math course he is taking would give some insight, but that probably isn't much out of context.

All I can say is, that in very difficult colleges courses (meaning 200+ courses), they will curve you based on how the other students did.

Think of it as a kind of Darwinian evolution in the system....the weak drop out, while the strong (though relatively weak in the understanding) survive. The process repeats through 300 level courses, and that usually weeds the less...how should I put it...."smart" people on the subject.

If you think I'm just bullshitting, this applies to my own life. I was once pre-med. But at the 200 level (human physiology) I realized medical science might not for me. By the next year, a C (one of two C's I got in college) came from organic chemistry.

Hence, I retreated to my strengths: economics, finance, and mathematics (and SOME science...not advanced of course). I easily got a math degree.

Sorry for the excessive blathering, but I figured it might be relevant.

This post was edited by Casey on Jul 30 2014 12:03am

thx for the information

where i went to high school half the class could fail and the result was still valid
if more than half failed, it went to the principal for a decision
remember once i got in a test a b+, there were 2 cs and another 2 just passed
the principal decided to let the result stay
and on university there was no mercy, all could fail and it counted
one of my math professor told us in the first lesson something like:
'there are many things you will not understand right away
if you don't understand what is taught in this term in a years time
then you have wasted 12 months of your life'
so, not a survival of the fittest but rather a survival of the fit ones

Lots of tl;dr posts, basically I worked it out anyway

84% of 750 is 630.
70% of 1000 is 700
700-630 = 70
You need 70/250 marks to get 70% average

I just crunched the numbers and you can actually afford to tank it completely and still be fine. so chill out mate and don't bother with it.

TRUST ME