r/Purdue • u/hauntedCalender74 • 3d ago
Academics✏️ calc 3 midterm 1 HORRIBLE
i scored 48 in midterm 1 which ik is super super low and i can’t absolutely can’t retake this class what do i do i need to do well in this class 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔
how cooked am i and how do i uncook myself
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u/GapStock9843 3d ago
If ur in engineering get used to it. Theres a highly nonzero chance you will never see an A on a test again.
I got a 30 on my first calc 3 midterm and ended with a B-. U arent cooked
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u/RevolutionaryMath971 Purdue sold out to an orange pedophile 2d ago
Senior ECE - haven't gotten above a 60 since 2nd year
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u/GapStock9843 2d ago
Cs get degrees ig. And the purdue name is prestigious enough in engineering that your gpa wont really matter as much as just having the degree
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u/RevolutionaryMath971 Purdue sold out to an orange pedophile 2d ago
Exactly. I didn't believe that at first but it's true. My managers at internships and such have been very happy with my performance, and never once looked at my transcript lmao.
GPA matters more for grad school (which I somehow got accepted into)
Purdue is also infamous for deflating grades, especially ECE, CS and a few more. Everyone understands
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u/GapStock9843 2d ago
Yeah I think the engineering industry knows purdue likes their “we dont inflate grades” thing and generally expects lower stuff from us than most other schools because we dont give out free As
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u/hauntedCalender74 3d ago
what’d u get for the second midterm and final tho
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u/GapStock9843 3d ago
70 on 2, 80 on the final, 100% on hw
Im saying its possible to improve, not that it’ll be an easy class
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u/Jamalmatdaryl 3d ago
Averages for the midterm/final?
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u/GapStock9843 3d ago
I think I was ~10% above both but not entirely sure
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u/Jamalmatdaryl 3d ago
That gives me some hope but I have a hard time believing a Purdue Calc final has an average of 70 😭😭
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u/Then_Reality_3854 3d ago
if you actually want to do very well on a purdue math exam, and you are willing to devote time to it, getting a good grade is as simple as spamming practice exams. The number of practice exams/practice problems you will have to do is largely dependent on your iq as brutal as it sounds. As someone with a somewhat low iq compared to a lot of people at this school, I have never gotten below a 90% on a math test, adn i attribute it to sheer time spent studying. You may think you should be able to suceed doing 5 practice test because your friend or someone you know can, but if the results arent there, you need to be brute forcing instead of looking for an easy way out. 20+ tests, hundred of book problems, and you eliminate the chance of you getting a score that low. You cant guarantee a hundred due to human error but you can pretty much guarantee above an 80%.
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u/Adam_Selene_2075 20h ago
^^^^^Oh yeah this guy gets it! I considered myself to be a low IQ student too. Yeah, brute force those practice exams. A dumb guy in motion is better than a genius at rest.
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u/CatchSpecialist7732 3d ago
Make more time to do practice problems. The concepts aren’t hard. The challenge is to make time to absorb the material and practice lots of problems. It’s hard when we’re overloaded with assignments.
A professional EE looked at the Purdue ECE 2k1 course description and said when he took it at another university, the material was covered in 2 courses.
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u/uhnoooooo 3d ago
I did so well in calc 1 and 2 and calc 3 totally screwed me over. Its okay. At the end of the day we just need to pass the class :)
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u/LeoJGreyson 3d ago
I used Pearson’s by-subject practice problems to practice all topics and then spammed practice exams until I could do them in 20 minutes.
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u/Comfortable_Sport963 3d ago
It’s okay I got an 8/100
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u/Pie_Alarming 3d ago
And I’m sorry, I know it probably hurts. Remember that your grades do not define you
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u/Comfortable_Sport963 3d ago
The average was like 65-70 I think. I genuinely don’t believe I got an 8/100. Like that’s actually insane lol
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u/Pie_Alarming 3d ago
What was the average, out of curiosity (if that was shared)
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u/Jamalmatdaryl 3d ago
What were your other scores and how did you bounce back?
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u/bassclarinet_97 3d ago
I got a 40%. high five I’m basically going to live in the Math Resource Room the next few weeks. How about them double integrals?
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u/wowzeroonies CEM 2025 3d ago
What I did to study for the math exams was go on their website and do old exams. They have almost all the exams for the past 30 years. Do at least 10 of them starting ~2 weeks before the actual date
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u/minecon1776 2d ago
I did bad on the first one too, but got 100 on the second one. With a little bit of Rust-eze™ (and a whole lotta luck), you too can be like me!
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u/Odd_Huckleberry_1542 2d ago
wait i also got a 48 :(( isnt that like the C cutoff though? since a C cutoff is 48%-64%? so does this mean we're chilling? hopefully yes. i also need to pass this class with a C. i heard tho that if u lock in for midterm 2 and final like we're gonna be so chilling
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u/DDDragon___salt 2d ago
I got the same as you and I don’t get it. I spent the entire weekend before just spamming practice tests. It’s not even a blanking issue, cause on the exam I knew how to do everything except for 1 question. Albeit I did guess on two more questions other than that one but that and what I suspect the rest of my incorrects are just due to the algebra
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u/Fit_Match_1318 2d ago
Calc classes here are heavily curved, so getting a 48 is not the end of the world. Check where you went wrong and redo those topics, or try similar questions. For the next exam, go over the topics (either your personal notes, lecture notes, or the textbook). I prefer the Chenflix notes. After that, do the homework right away so you know what kinds of questions are related to the topic. And lastly, solve at least 5 previous exams so you get the hang of it. Analyze your weak spots and work on them. Calculus is mostly practice heavy learning. If you have any questions, feel free to dm me. I am in Calc 3 right now also :)
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u/Adam_Selene_2075 20h ago
Oh for pete's sake you'll be fine! Keep at it. You know how many tests I failed? A lot.
I am assuming that you are a high functioning student who has maintained a good GPA throughout their school career. Guess what? Those days are over! Failure, my dear high functioning friend, is a part of life. You will get your teeth kicked in multiple times. One day, you might get divorced, get into a car accident, get fired, or your dog might die. Life is filled with setbacks. You just have to keep rolling with the punches and keep moving.
You think your future prospective employer at Lockheed, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, or Westinghouse Nuclear is going to care what you got on your calc 3 midterm? Here is a hint: They won't.
As long as failure doesn't kill you, it's not failure. It's just another data point. Learn from that. What can you change about your study habits? In the beginning, it was my unwillingness to work example problems before an exam. Go back and look at the answer key for the test. Use the math resource room. Ask your friends for help. Find a tutor.
And yes, dear reader. You can take the class again. Do not make yourself wear a hair shirt because of one test. Okay, you have to add another semester on to the end of senior year or take a summer school class? Big whoop. The jobs will still be there when you graduate.
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u/Impossible-Set-3522 16h ago
I took calc 3 recently and got a B+, genuine strat use claude and put all the past exams in there for midterm 2 and start doing targeted practice cause they repeat similar question types.
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