Those of you who read My Test Anxiety and KBug Do Not Mix last night know that I had a huge exam for my Marketing course today. You also know about my test anxiety, the additional stress from my mentor and how I realized it was affecting KBug.
Well all of that is in the past.
The way my school works is they give you a cut score, which is a minimum score in order to receive a passing grade. Western Governors University uses the modified Angoff procedure to determine it's cut scores. Basically a group of content experts examine the questions on the test and judge the difficulty of the questions based on how a sample group of 100 students would perform. They then determine the average difficulty rating and use that rating to set a cut score. So for an easier exam, the cut score could be above 80%. But for more difficult exams it is set lower, typically between 50-70%.
This particular exam had a cut score of 69%, so it was considered to be a more difficult test. My mentor explained to me that it is more difficult because while the pre-assessment grades your knowledge of a particular concept, the final rates your knowledge of application of those concepts. So the students have to be able to take what they have learned and apply it to real-world situations that marketers could encounter.
Again, why have a pre-assessment that doesn't give an accurate vision of what the actual test will be like?
Anyways. So, with a cut score of 69%, I was pretty nervous. I took the pre-assessment almost a year ago when I began my Human Resources program and came out with a 60%. Honestly, I was extremely happy with that score until I got to the actual course of study and realized just how intense it actually was. And then to add my mentor on top of that.... Whoa. Slow down. Let's breathe a minute.
I spent a few weeks studying and preparing, reading chapter upon chapter in the text book, listening to recorded lectures, watching PowerPoint presentations, and studying the flashcards. And even after all of that, I still wasn't sure if I was ready.
HA!
I passed with an 89% today.
And I am so freaking proud of that!
*cue happy dance*
So that was my morning. After I took my exam (in 19 minutes, which kind of freaked me out because I was allowed 90 minutes...) I checked my University login page for my score, saw that I passed and burst into tears. It was such a HUGE emotional release for me and it feels great to not have this major stressor in my life anymore. Now that I've passed the assessment, I feel reasonably confident that I will have no problems writing and passing the Marketing Plan for my next course. That's the plan for the weekend. It's time to get it done.
Oh, and I found time to start on and complete the first step for KBug's birthday party (you can take a look at all of the party plans here). I know we purchased invitations, but there just wasn't enough space to write all of the necessary information (and who wants to handwrite it all 8 times anyways!?). So I decided to make them instead. They're going out today! Take a look.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Glad you passed hun. I know you're overly jumping with excitement and relief. The invitation looks like a success. Will there be owl cake? Hope they have a blast. I'm sure they will. :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for passing the test!! I remember how nervous I always was when the grades were about to be posted. I remember one time I checked and had a "D" posted, with a comment from the teacher something along the line of "good work". Serious confusion and shock about the "D", which ended up to be a grading mistake from the teacher, who used a 150 pt. grading base for a 100pt test.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love the theme for KBug's party. I may steal it for Lily's sleep-over party next year, should I actually decide to be crazy enough to do it :-)
Congratulations on passing your test. It is always a relief when you have finished your studies and passed your exams.
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