Question for experienced OU'ers

[Popple]

Hi all,
I have an exam coming up and am very very very nervous - as most people are!
I have an OK average - 78%, and the exam and TMA's (as a whole) are supposed to be equally weighted.
I would absolutely love to get a Pass 2 (70% to 85%) but I can see that slipping away ever so easily according to the calculator at Studenthome.
When I use it, I find that if I get below 70% in my exam then my overall grade drops to a Pass 3.
How is this possible? I assumed that my 78% meant that I could drop a few percent lower than that and will still come out with a Pass 2.

I know I shouldn't be obsessing about it really but I just don't get it and it seems rather unfair.
Anyone know?

Is your tutor such a dragon that you can't just phone to discuss?

No, my tutor is not a dragon! But, somebody asked a similar question in our last tutorial and he didn't seem to really 'get' what he was talking about. He's very quick to go off at a tangent and one of his comments was that we shouldn't be focusing on our overall grade, we should be looking towards our exam in terms of revision preparation. This is fair enough but not particularly helpful.

I was just hoping that somebody on here did understand and could explain it to me...that's all.

Hi Popple

Your final result is not an average of TMAs and exam: whichever is the lower of OCAS (TMAs) and OES (exam) determines the overall grade.

So if you have an OCAS of 78%, you will need to get a pass 2 in the exam in order to get an overall Pass 2 grade for the course. If you got 85% + in the exam, you will get a Pass 1 grade for the course. And so on.

HTH

I have an exam in the morning!

Sorry I forgot to wish you good luck

Re: the unfairness issue - believe me, I wish the grades were an average of OCAS/OES!

It isn't unfair - like courses at brick universities, the exam is the thing that tests your knowledge upon which your grade is determined. The TMAs are part of the learning process.

I would prefer a project course any day of the week.

Will be thinking of you ladies as you do your exams. My french exam is in October and my literature course has an ECA (End of Course Assignment) which is 3,000 words.

So... all the best for your exams!

Oh thanks so much Molesworth. That makes much more sense now....if only it were 50/50.

My exam is tomorrow afternoon. Very good luck to you...I gather you have done exams with the OU before then? This is my first and I'm just hoping that the adrenaline kicks in and all those seemingly forgotten things come crawling out!

Thanks Marslady. At the moment I quite like the idea of an ECA....lots of work but not as frightening as an exam...I think!

Thanks Marsy and Popple

This is my first OU exam too!

How'd you go Popple?

Aww, thanks for thinking of me Marsy.

Well, it actually wasn't so bad. I mean, it wasn't great, but it wasn't really awful either. I felt quite confident at the time that I had done pretty well but when I think back I'm a little worried about the structure....reckon the content is there but I had a blank every now and then followed by a rush of information! Am going to stop thinking about it now. I was feeling great afterwards and now feel really tired and slightly sick!
What a rollercoaster...can't wait to wake up tomorrow and have no studying/revising to worry about and (hopefully) become a rational human being again!

Hope you got on alright this morning Molesworth....was thinking of you

Can't believe I forgot to ask about you Moley!

So how'd it go?

Glad you think it went well Popple. Hope you get a really good pass.

Aww thanks for asking Marsy

It went OK I think. Like popple I am a little concerned about the structure of my long answers (I had 2 long, 3 short), but the short answers were great. Pretty sure I've done enough for a respectable pass

Huge anti-climax today - is it normal to feel so awful?

Things keep popping into my mind that I forgot to include, which I could do without!

I've got a double-weighted TMA due in 3 weeks so no time to sit here mourning

Completely and totally normal.

I came back from my Shakey exam last year and didn't know what to do with myself for days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and the one thing that I'd completely mugged up on........... I forgot to put in the essay that was crying out for it! Sob!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But you did ok on your shakey exam didn't you?!

When I emerged from the exam centre (I did mine at Porchester Hall, is that where yours are?) I had a 'pass 2' feeling, which has now slipped to a 'pass 3' feeling lol

I did and so will you!!!!!!!!!!

Roll on August