Harvard limits number of A Grades to 20% of class

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May 21, 2026, 06:19 AM

Aglifter

Harvard limits number of A Grades to 20% of class

Apply a curve and don’t give easy exams.

Went to a law school with a mandatory curve. (Maybe only for 1L? Can’t remember, in any case, bottom 10% flunk, top 10% got As.)

If a college has easy As, it’s either not teaching anything, or not teaching anything which requires a college atmosphere to learn.

May 21, 2026, 09:49 AM

trapper189

Curves are wrong as well in that no grades should be automatic. Let’s say the high score was a 75% and the low was a 50%. The 75% didn’t earn an “A”, but giving that student an “A” on the curve is grade inflation.

If you are only going for under grad, then the difference between an “A” and an “A-“ is moot. If you are going for an advanced degree, then the placement tests are the checks on grade inflation.

May 22, 2026, 12:46 AM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by Aglifter:
Apply a curve and don’t give easy exams.

Yep. A lot of people here seem to think that exams can't be designed to produce different grades.

The military does it all the time. They titrate exams with the desired amount of grade distribution for "elite" schools. If they pass too many students then the program is not elite enough. If they don't pass enough students, they won't have enough bodies to do the work.

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May 22, 2026, 01:45 AM

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