<p>If a class (or group) is curved for a midterm or final, generally is it better to have more people in the group or less people (like 10 people as opposed to 30)?</p>
<p>You know, that's a really, really interesting question from a statistics point of view. At first I thought the answer was pretty obviously 30 people but I'm going to think about this one...</p>
<p>Alright, here's what I'm thinking in my head typed out.</p>
<p>First let's assume that all students grades are independent. That is, no students work together. This means that the curve is theoretically going to be the same in both cases, but with larger variances in the 10 person class since a single outlier can significantly effect the class average. If the professor only curves up, as many do, this will work in your favor. If he curves both ways it could either hurt or help you. But if 1000 classes were studied the curve SHOULD work out the same. This scenario, however, doesn't reflect reality.</p>
<p>In reality students often study together. This throws an amazingly complex wrench into the statistical analysis. You see, now the scores are no longer independent. There are a ton of variables here but I'll try to pin down the biggest ones.</p>
<p>So let's look at the different scenarios now. Let's say you expect to get the highest grade in the class. In this case I think you're better off in the larger class. Then you can help people, and get help, while throwing the curve off by the lowest amount. If you're in the smaller class then helping others hurts you much more, since you're raising the average grade more. Also, your higher score will throw off the average less than in the smaller class.</p>
<p>Now, let's say you're not good in the class, and expect to finish near or at the bottom. Now your lower score is going to effect the curve more, so at first the larger class looks better. However, it depends on how the curve works. If the professor gives a certain number of A's, B's, etc. (proportional to class size of course) then I'm really not sure what to do. I would think that the smaller class would let you take advantage of the higher variance and hopefully "luck" your way into not being in the lowest 2 or 3, but I'm really not sure. People may be more willing to give you help in the larger class though, which would be good... I'm really not sure.</p>
<p>If you're in the middle it's complicated too. In the smaller class people will be less likely to help eachother, while in the larger class you're less likely to catch a good end of the variance if a professor only curves up. You may be "safer" in the larger class as well...</p>
<p>So yeah. I don't know the answer. It's a lot more complicated than I thought though.</p>
<p>it depends whether or not your classmates are stupid.</p>
<p>yeah I thought about it and there's no way to statistically conclude anything since theres the working together variable and the intelligence variable. Generally a larger class would be better (if I work hard), since that group is more likely to fall into a normal distribution. With a smaller class there could very likely be a lot of deviation, which is either good or bad. In the end it's a crapshoot. </p>
<p>soo I've decided to choose my discussion group based on location and time xD</p>
<p>I guess I am the first one to think that small classes are better, because I have yet to experience a class of 5 or 10 where the professor enforced a strict curve. But that can work for you (if you plan to participate and work hard) or against you (if you want to hide in the crowd and get the best grade with minimal effort).</p>