Statistics for the midterm

Here is a summary of the midterm results:

Average: 56
Standard deviation: 13.5
High: 78

If you are trying to get a sense of how you did, here are some breakdowns of different point ranges:

• Greater than 70 (9 count): excellent job on the exam; you're showing that you are familiar with and can apply the material in class.
• 60-70 (11 count): good job on the exam; you have most concepts down, but there are just a few stumbling blocks where you need improvement.
• 50-60 (23 count): your performance was average; you are grasping some concepts, but you should spend some time making sure you have a firmer understanding of the material.
• Less than 50 (17 count): your performance was below average; you need to identify areas that are problematic for you and work on them by either reading the book, working through examples, or seeing the professors or TAs.

Some words of advice might be helpful:

First, try not to get too attached to the absolute value of the numbers. We take into account the performance of the entire class on the exam, and the statements above should let you know how you're doing. What's most important is that you focus on the mistakes you made, and not on the specific numbers, so that you can get a sense of what you need to improve.

Second, if you didn't do as well as you had hoped on the exam, don't let that unmotivate you. There is plenty of room to make progress on the final exam, and in the homework sets from this point on. Just make sure you identify ways to help you improve your work and studying, and you utilize all of the resources available to you (including the office hours).

MSS