The test – that integral and inescapable element of the college education. Students may find themselves constantly studying for that next exam, but many students also find themselves staring down a grade distribution with a mean as low as 50.

With classes like the infamous general chemistry, organic chemistry and quantitative business analysis, Wash. U. students are often in for a shock when they come face to face with some of their first test scores in college.

“Numbers are scary,” said Associate Professor of Chemistry Richard Loomis, “and I think that’s the hardest part for freshmen. Students complain about low means because they’re not used to it.”

“People think it’s going to be like high school,” added QBA and management professor Michael Gordinier, “but it’s not and it’s an eye opener for students.”

While means around 50 aren’t commonplace in high school, they are often desired and even aimed for by professors here at the University.

“Writing an exam takes a long time,” said Loomis, “and the exam goes through several revisions. Professor Regina Frey and I take the general chemistry exam ourselves to gauge the difficulty of the questions. Many of us aim for a mean around 50.and it takes a lot of time to rework exams so we can push everyone and get this distribution.”

Distribution is key in the minds of professors, and tests with “low” means often exhibit a broad distribution of scores.

“The best exam results would provide a large standard deviation, with a mean around 50, a high of 98 and a low of 2,” said Loomis. “With a broad distribution, little mistakes don’t hurt the students, but a narrow distribution can hurt them.”

And these ranges can be seen on the exam distributions of many classes. But while professors may appear to be achieving their goals, do students understand the reasoning behind the difficulty levels and results of tests?

“I recognize that there is a reason that professors construct the tests the way they do,” said sophomore chemistry student Atina Rizk. “It’s a strategy, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a good way to do it. We’re all high caliber students and not used to failing. It’s frustrating to go to a class where something like a 32 gets you a pat on the back. [Low scores] are a bit of a blow.”

Professors agree that Wash. U. students are talented and capable, and that is why they choose to challenge them with difficult tests.

“Our undergraduates are fantastic, they’re dang good,” observed Loomis. “When I was an undergrad, I felt that I wasn’t pushed hard enough and I wish I had been. I like pushing everyone, encouraging students to learn the most they possibly can.”

It’s not just the chemistry department, however. Quantitative business analysis (QBA) classes have their fair share of observably low means as well.

“We’re going to work you here,” said Gordinier. “We’re not into grade inflation and we want students to be challenged. The business world is competitive and the academic environment should prepare students for the dog-eat-dog world of business or anything else out there.”

Many students complain about low means and difficult tests, and Gordinier attributes some of this to just plain “lazy students.”

But many students work hard through the rigors of challenging material and testing, be it within the sciences, business or any other class, and still feel that low means are not justified.

“A mean just shouldn’t be that low,” said sophomore business student Alex Newman.

Curves make all the difference in these classes and most teachers recognize them as a necessity when dealing with challenging material, particularly in large classes.

“The reason I’m not going to dumb up my test is because I curve,” said Gordinier.

While solving the grade distribution, curving a test doesn’t cover up the bare results of the tests.

“Tests are graded on such a curve that most students don’t mind,” said Newman, “but with means of 50, it shows that around half of the class doesn’t understand the material and it reflects mostly on the teacher.”

Despite curves to accommodate low means, some classes are viewed as intending to “weed out” students not making the grade. With its vast numbers of incoming self-proclaimed pre-meds, the general chemistry course is often viewed as one of these weed-out classes.

“I think a lot of students are pushed towards being doctors,” observed Rizk, “and the department is just trying to weed out those who actually want to pursue a career as a doctor.”

Some teachers approve of tests as separatory measures within the class.

“Challenging tests help separate the wheat from the chaff,” said Gordinier. “It’s about numbers, and a wrong decision in this business could cost you millions of dollars.”

Others, however, deny such claims, particularly in the pre-medical arena.

“We are not in a position to judge whether [students] have the abilities to continue in the pre-med program,” said Assistant Professor of Chemistry Vladimir Birman.

Some students have found alternate paths of study in view of their performance or interest in particularly difficult classes. Sophomore Allison Holt was planning on double majoring in the sciences and art, but took the time for introspection and found her passions lay more in art.

“In one sense, [chemistry] is hell to go through,” said Holt, “but on the other hand if it was too easy, students wouldn’t stop and question whether they were really passionate about those classes. I just realized I was more excited about my art classes and enjoyed working harder for those over my science classes.”

Whether serving as a measurement of student ability for teachers, a point of introspection of goals for students, or the best way to push students in their Washington University academic careers, the reasons of professors and the responses of students are as varied as the typical distribution on an organic chemistry exam.

“Low means can be psychologically frustrating,” said Birman, “but it’s for the best of the student.”

“I would like to give every single person an A and I know it’s hard, but students need to get used to the system,” said Loomis. “We don’t do it to be mean.”

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