<p>i hear about some cornell classes being extremely difficult with insane curves</p>
<p>what does this mean? in cornell's hardest classes, could 95% still not be an A?</p>
<p>Generally, curves HELP you, meaning that you can get a 70% on a test and still get an A (depending on how the rest of the class does). The classes in which you can actually achieve a 95% on a test are usually uncurved.</p>
<p>wait so why do people complain about the curve? because the classes are so hard that a curve is needed?</p>
<p>and thanks for the quick response</p>
<p>In some classes, the class mean is curved to a low grade (B-/C+) while in some classes the mean is curved to a high grade (B+/A-). The presence of a curve alone is not an indication of difficulty, it's the grade that the class mean is curved to which is important.</p>
<p>are there classes with bell curves?</p>
<p>We're referring to a bell curve.</p>
<p>Referring to your original post, they are not "extremely difficult" and the more "insane" a curve, the better off you are.</p>
<p>This isn't something you need to think about until you get here. Most colleges have a similar system.</p>
<p>i thought bell curves are where a certain number of people get each letter grade</p>
<p>they are...</p>
<p>Ok...I've heard the terms "Curves" and "Bell Curves" being used quite often.
Though I have a vague idea, I would appreciate it if someone could explain what exactly they are, whether the 2 terms are different, and their effect on GPA/ Grades.</p>
<p>Bell curves can be shifted depending on the letter grade the mean is curved to. It doesn't change the shape of the curve.</p>
<p>Only knowing that it's a bell curve will not be sufficient actually. You also need to know the kurtosis and skewness of the curve.</p>
<p>My son took the "insane" honors courses in math and physics, and explained that the curve is higher there- average was a B+ or A-. The reason is that the honors kids could easily get an A in a less-challenging course, so the honors grading reflects the difficulty of the material. I hope that gives you one less thing to worry about!</p>