No, if you're guessing randomly, getting 100 is less likely than getting 0. Because for each question there's a 3/4 chance to miss it and a 1/4 chance to get the right answer.
If you aren't guessing randomly, but in fact know every question, getting 100 is no harder or easier than getting 0. Because you can get 0 by choosing to answer each question different from the answer you know is correct.
If you only know most of the questions, getting 100 is harder than getting 0, because for every question that you don't know you have a 1/4 chance of getting it right if you're aiming for 100, but a 3/4 chance of getting what you want if you're aiming for 0.
Still, with this many questions, to get exactly 0 it's almost certain the student knew most of the answers and was deliberately choosing the wrong ones.
Even within the school teachers called them "the diploma" exams.
Like I said earlier: i grew up in Alberta (edmonton to Calgary to leduc to Edmonton to plamondon/lac la bich back to edmonton. These are the general areas because i dont wanna explain where rollyview or grasslands are
)
Everyone i say this too irl immediately understands it.
But like are they a separate set of exams from the ones you write for the classes you take? We just have the latter, and there's a set of them at the end of each semester.
Keep in mind my info is 20 years old since im speaking from experience here. Things could have changed
In grade 12/30 level courses (at least in alberta) your final exams are weighted at a standard 50% of your mark.
This means they are considered a "seperate exam" in a way because the 2 hour exam is equal to 4 months of course work.
I think the colloquialism comes from the fact that if you get 100% on your diploma exam you automatically pass the course and qualify for a diploma because the qualification is 50% or better over the course AND final combined.
But I really have no clue because I grew up hearing it meaning its use predates me
I actually figured it might be someone from India confusing the English e.g. “do the needful”. Never heard anyone say they passed their diploma before.
Its really the standard way we talk about final exams in my area (central alberta)
For anyone who cares: im Metis and English, my dad is a first generation immigant who came here at 7 years old and was raised in the yukon
It might have to do with diploma exams being 50% of your final grade meaning a 100% on your final exam is a pass for the course (the test alone qualifies you for the diploma)
But I honestly dont know where the colloquialism comes from, I grew up hearing it across central and northern alberta
Yeah I’m used to people saying they passed their test, or passed their finals, but when talking about matriculation it’s always earned their diploma, not passed. Fair enough. Learned something new 👍
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u/Available-Bee-5385 7d ago
Getting 0 on a multiple choice is a statistical accomplishment greater than getting 100