Retaking Calc 2 Exam: Is it Worth the Effort?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a calculus exam where students performed poorly, prompting the professor to offer a retake option. The exam covered topics like integration by parts, trigonometric substitutions, and partial fractions decomposition. One student scored 76/100 and is uncertain whether to retake the exam, citing the tricky nature of the problems. The consensus suggests that retaking the exam is advisable, as it provides a learning opportunity and the potential for a higher score, especially if only the best score is considered.
benEE2018
Messages
27
Reaction score
1
hey everyone so i just took my calc 2 exam and the whole class basically bombed it. the professor is giving us a chance to retake the exam or to keep the score we had the first time around. the exam is on integration by parts, trig sub, trig integrals and partial fractions decomposition. i got a 76/100 the first time and don't know if i should try for a higher grade. the thing is i know how to work the problems out but the exam problems are a bit tricky and can confuse. eg instead of the integral e^2x sin 3x dx he'll put a 26 insde which comes back because u have to multiply the 26 to get back the original integral and it gives very big numbers questioning if u did it right. should i retake the exam in hopes of a higher grade or keep the 76? thanks sorry if this isn't a homework question
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Yes, retake the exam. All tests are learning experiences. Look to the Monte Hall three-doors problem.
 
Rule of thumb: If they will only accept the higher score (most do it like this), then ALWAYS retake the test. It can only help!
 
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
Hello, I’m an undergraduate student pursuing degrees in both computer science and physics. I was wondering if anyone here has graduated with these degrees and applied to a physics graduate program. I’m curious about how graduate programs evaluated your applications. In addition, if I’m interested in doing research in quantum fields related to materials or computational physics, what kinds of undergraduate research experiences would be most valuable?
Back
Top