PSYC 2: Biological Foundations - Fall 2012 - Professor Claffey

Test 1 Analysis

Exam was taken on Friday, October 12th, 2012

The test had 30 graded multiple choice questions and 3 ungraded survey questions.

Descriptive Statistics

Number of students: 302
Median: 24.5/30 (81.7%)

Mean: 23.11/30 (77%)
SD: 5.21 (17%)
Reliability coefficient: 0.86
Max: 30/30
Min: 5/50

Grade distribution

	Expected by students *	Actual grades	Past PSYC 2 **
A	45%	31%	31%
B	40%	26%	26%
C	9%	17%	21%
D	2%	10%	2%
F	--	17%	2%

* Expected by students - Based on pre-test survey question
** Average across 7 previous quarters of PYSC 2 (source). Does not sum to 100% because W/P/NP are not shown. This course is not necessarily expected to match this distribution.

Studying

On average students studied 2.9 hours in the first week and 3.1 hours in the second week. 6% of students (n=19) did not study at all but this group of students also received the highest mean grade of 86%, representing students who are already familiar with the material. The group with the 2nd highest mean grade studied >10 hours. There was not a discernible pattern among students studying between 2-10 hours.

test 1 study
hours

Exam completion order

There was no relationship between order in which the exam was completed and test grade (r=.07)

test1 completion
order

Survey Questions

The beginning of the exam included the following 3 optional survey questions. Response rate was 95-96% depending on the question.

Survey text:

These questions are optional and do not count towards your grade.

1. What grade are you expecting to get ON THIS EXAM?
a. A - to A+
b. B- to B+
c. C- to C+
d. below C-

2. How many hours outside of class did you spend reading/studying in the FIRST week (neurons, action potentials, synapses)?
a. 0
b. 0-2 hours
c. 2-5 hours
d. 5+ hours

3. How many hours outside of class did you spend reading/studying in the SECOND week (neurotransmitters, synaptic plasticity, studying for exam)?
a. 0
b. 0-2 hours
c. 2-5 hours
d. 5+ hours