<p>The word tends to get out about certain courses and teachers. Easy graders, tough graders tend to be identified. Not a lot kids can do about it if the course is required and the set up is so that staff teaches the course or TAs are the major teachers for it. </p>
<p>Cardinal Fang, if someone is teaching so strictly to the test that it is the limiting factor, I agree that the material is not going to be well learned. Ideally, the test should be such that it requires using the knowledge from the course that is important. Not being able to pass such a test, means not knowing those principles that are necessary for that course to serve as another brick in the students’ learning foundation. I don’t know of any college professors that teach directly to a test anyways. The problem often comes when the kids don’t learn the nasty fundamentals that are needed and they show up on the test.</p>