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I am in my second semester in a Post-Bachelors Doctorate of Nursing Practice program. The class is a graduate nursing informatics course. My instructor posted the following grading scale. My initial reaction is that it leaves little room to earn an A grade. Would it be appropriate or acceptable to raise the issue with the professor? My past experience has usually been that an A is mid 90s or above and that an A- has been low 90s.

A: 97% or above A-: 93-96% B+: 90-92% B: 87-89% B-: 83-86% Anything else is considered failing.

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  • Isn't 97% mid 90's or above ?
    – Solar Mike
    Jan 18, 2019 at 17:47
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    Maybe the exams are really easy?
    – Flyto
    Jan 18, 2019 at 22:14
  • I would try to talk to the instructor or another student who has been through course and see what they say. It could be a case that the course is designed such that many assessments have very high scores. (Perhaps an all or nothing exam with retakes?) Could be a bunch of different things. Strangers on the internet won't know the details and won't be able to tell you if it's fair. (Just that it's possibly fair.)
    – Van
    Jan 18, 2019 at 23:04

2 Answers 2

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No, unless your institution has a specific policy on grade cutoffs.

Grade cutoffs are arbitrary. You cannot compare a % grade in one class to another, because the assessments are going to be different.

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    In fact, it's one of the benefits of an ABCDF system versus having raw percentages on your transcript. Jan 18, 2019 at 17:06
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You can question it, of course, but it may not actually be as bad as it looks. You don't know, for example, how the individual assignments will be evaluated and fit (or not) into this scheme. But high standards may be needed in your field. Actually, I hope they are.

But such things are fair game for discussion with the professor as long as you go into it with a non-confrontational attitude. Doing it in person is much more likely to result in a proper understanding/outcome.

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