Grading Scale and Academic Standards

Numerical and Grade Point Equivalence

In prelicensure nursing programs, students are required to earn a 74% testing average before any other weighted assignments are factored into their grade. A student who does not achieve a 74% testing average on examinations will fail the course, regardless of other assessment grades.

Students must obtain a cumulative average of 74% to pass a course. Rounding does not occur until a student reaches a 74% average.

Protocol for Administration of Exams

Nursing Examination Protocol is based on the NCLEX Examination Candidate Rules

• All books, papers, pocketbooks, turned-off cell phones, electronic devices (other than the student’s laptop), etc., are to be left in a designated area outside the testing room. Students are encouraged to secure belongings, especially valuables, in their cars; the college is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Students are encouraged to take care of their physical needs before the exam.
• After the student completes and submits the exam, the student may leave the testing room quietly, but may not reenter the room until all students have completed the exam.
• During an exam, the proctor will clarify typographical errors only; no questions related to the content will be answered.
• Students who arrive after the start of the exam or who are absent from the exam will follow the missed exam policy, located in the course syllabus. Exceptions to this rule are reviewed by the Dean or designee.
• Pencils, paper, calculators, highlighters, earplugs, and any other items needed for testing are provided by the exam proctor.
• No food or beverages are allowed in the testing area.

Exams will have questions in a variety of formats for students to answer.

Testing Policy

Nursing students are required to earn a 74% testing average before any other weighted assessments are factored into their grades. A student who does not achieve a 74% average on examinations will fail the course, regardless of other assessment grades.

Missed Exam Policy

General Exam Information

• The MCHP nursing department determined not to allow makeup examinations for students who are late or absent from an exam, except for the HESI examination.
• The policy defines examinations as regularly scheduled assessments.
• The policy designates the HESI exams as the final exam.
• Regularly scheduled examinations have a separate grading system from the HESI examinations.
• The HESI exam has a proprietary conversion system to convert earned points into percentages, i.e., 850 points = 74%.

Absence from Regularly Scheduled Course Examination

• Students must notify the course faculty of absences before the start of the exam (following the instructions provided in the syllabus for contacting faculty).
• Examinations begin at the scheduled time. Students who arrive late will be marked absent and will not be permitted to take the examination. Note: Students are required to follow the standard procedure for missing an examination, regardless of the reason for their absence.
• If a student misses a regularly scheduled exam for any reason (not HESI), their HESI grade will count for the missed exam and the HESI grade. For example, a student is absent from the second examination. There is no opportunity to make up the second examination, but the student earns 74% on the HESI exam. Therefore, the grade for the HESI and second examination is 74%.
• Students who miss more than one regularly scheduled exam will earn a grade of zero (0).
• Students who do not miss regularly scheduled exams will have their lowest regularly scheduled exam grade replaced with their grade on the HESI exam. However, the original score will remain if the HESI exam grade is lower than the regularly scheduled exam grade.

Absences from the Course HESI (Final Exam)

• Students will complete two HESI exams during the semester. However, students who obtain a conversion score of 74% or higher to create a passing grade in the course and testing average are exempt from completing the second HESI exam.
• Students are required to complete the HESI examination.
• No matter the reason, students who miss or are late to the HESI examination will receive a ten (10) - point deduction from the conversion score.
• Examinations begin at the scheduled time. Students who arrive late are marked as absent and will not be permitted to take the examination.
• Students absent or late to the HESI exam must complete the exam within five (5) business days of the exam date and time of the missed HESI examination, or the earned grade is zero (0).

Assignments

Assignments must be submitted by the due date. Failure to submit work by the deadlines will result in the student receiving a zero (0) on the assignment. Clinical paperwork must be submitted according to written rotation guidelines. Failure to submit clinical paperwork as required will result in an unexcused absence from the assigned clinical rotation.