I was taking Beginning Algebra through Aleks. I took my first assessment and I only scored a 43%. I thought that I got all of the questions right, but only got a 43%. Does anyone know what the highest that you can score during the first assessment is? Has anyone scored over the 70% mark on the first assessment? Does anyone know what my problem is? Thanks
>> You can score 100%. Not this board, but the IC forum has some people who have exceeded the 70% mark on the first assessment. I think the last one was for statistics- intro first followed by either behavioral or business as the pass. You could do a search. It might have been the user NJ. ALEKS doesn't allow any error at all, and some of the style it requires is quirky. It only allows non-error errors (lol) like writing a fraction that isn't reduced. However, rounding incorrectly will cost you. For example, if the instructions say to round your answer 3 places and the real answer is 4.9111, so to be precise you write 4.9111, it will be wrong. I get into trouble with these OFTEN because type in an exact answer when the instructions were to round. I also get into trouble when I don't round out mid problem before proceeding- I like to keep answers in my calculator and move on, but if they are looking for rounded answers- you need to round en route to the answer, or else you will be off by a few thousandths by the time you get to the solution. They also like you to write .4 as 0.4 - and in the practice sessions won't accept a decimal answer that doesn't have a zero in the whole number place...now on an assessment- I don't know- it's possible that it kicks it back as wrong. As you go through the problem sets, it will always give you the right answer, so you can learn these quirks. Honestly, with an opening assessment of 43%, you'll be through this in no time. Just learn the quirks of the system and you'll be finished very soon. Oh, and you need 18/25 on any assessment to "pass" the course.
I assessed at 32% a week ago on the same class and I'm already done :-D. I defer to cookderosas no doubt greater wisdom on this issue; however, I am a bit unconvinced personally that you simply need a 18/25 to pass except on the opening exam. My reasoning is this: How would I assess at 51%, 65% or any other odd number? I think you can only go by the x/25 scoring scheme on the very first test. The scores would be 4 times number of correct problems if it was that simple, so assessing at an odd number would be impossible, unless there is a weighting to the scoring? I'm probably missing something, but I have put a great deal of thought into the assessments scoring and just don't get it. I really think that the prior score factors into the new assessment score or the answers are weighted. My scores were (not including learning, just assessments): 32 48 51 58 65 72 Am I missing something? Any thoughts on this would be great because I am confused as to the scoring and would like to take another class as efficiently as possible. Thanks!
Hold the phone! Don't defer to me lol. I'm piecing it together like everyone else. I just finished another assessment last night that contained only 20 questions! (not 25!) AND, there were no questions on early topics I mastered. The computer absolutely self-adjusted when I got a question right vs wrong. For example, if I got a question and clicked "I don't know" it went right into something easy. When I answered a question correctly, it increased the level of difficulty, and then again, and again, until I capped out with material not yet open in the pie, and had to hit "I don't know." So, while I know of people over at IC hitting above 70% in the first assessment, I firmly believe that the assessment is mirroring the pie (at least it is mirroring mine!) For example, I have not gotten to any questions about chi-squares in my pie, and have not been asked any in my assessments...yet they make up a wedge that looks like at least 10% of the course. Also, my husband's first math assessment % didn't match his initial-not-yet-started pie %. How strange is that? ALEKS is newish, but the ACE eval is what got people here and over at IC working the material. So, this is a fairly new adventure for all of us. I think as more and more of us go through these classes, we'll have a better grasp on the how the system works. *edit- when my son went through it, he assessed about 15 times, and his scores usually went up, but also went down more than once!
So now the question is...what IS the grading formula? It would be useful in determining the most efficient way to finishing the courses quickly. I'm still debating if I have what it takes to do another one.
