The Rice Thresher an All-student Newspaper for 51 Years

By JIM ROLLINS and CHARLES SZALKOWSKI Thresher Reporters . "Tough!" was the general reaction among the freshman class about the first round of exams which were completed recently. Tests in Physics 100, Cheraisty 120, Math 100, History 100, and History 110, drew the most violent reactions. English exams are scheduled by the individual section instructors. Most freshmen did admit that the tests were easier than they expected after being subjected to the "advice and counseling" of various upperclassmen. Aids in preparing for the first round of university tests were the college test files, studentconducted course reviews, and class reviews. Tom Alton, Will Rice freshman, said that he had found Dr. Z. V. Salsburg'a chemistry review valuable. Students in Dr. A. B. Bryan's physics section credited his class review as being helpful also. Grading Gripes Gripes about the exams were mostly concerned with the amount of time allowed for completion of the test. Other complaints were about grading of the tests. About one out of every two freshmen interviewed took back either his math or his physics exam to the professor for review of what the grader had marked. Most said that grading was arbitrary and comparison of papers often showed different amounts of credit for the same amount of work. Will Rice's Jim Boler said, "Overall, the tests were pretty fair, though not easy." Many freshmen agreed w i t h Dr. Bryan's statement that the exams had to be made as difficult as they were to allow enough spread to determine fairly what each student actually knows. Comments about individual exams varied from "too hard" to "too easy," depending on the student and his major. Too Long, Hard Charles Gill, of Wiess, said that the chemistry exam was "worst." Will Martin, Will Rice, stated that the subject material of the chem test was "a field of what we had studied in class." The general reaction to the test—that it was long and difficult—was borne out by the fact that the mean was 39 per cent. One freshman said that the Math 100 test was "not comprehensive; it didn't cover what we had studied." Others claimed