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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



curve of error, with the failures as a separate group or species. In 

 the courses in mathematics and history the groups are more nearly 

 equal in size, except in the case of ' excellent.' Here the range of 

 ability is presumably greater in D and F than in B and C. The 

 distribution in economics is intermediate. The fact that the courses 

 in English, though given by different instructors, correspond closely 

 shows that within a department certain standards may be followed ; and 

 this would be possible for the whole college or for the educational 

 system of the country. It is only necessary to adopt the standards 

 and then to teach people how to apply them. 



I have also counted up the average grades assigned to 200 students 

 in their first ten courses. In the table and curve, A represents the 

 range between A and B -f y 2 , B the range to C + y 2 , etc. Here 



the grades tend to be bunched, the differences between the men being 

 partly obliterated by the combination of the grades in different 

 courses. 



In the next table and in the figure are given the grades of 15,- 

 275 papers assigned by the examiners of the College Entrance Ex- 



-2P.E. -P.E. + P.E. +2 P.E. 



Fig. 4. Distribution of Grades of the College Entrance Examination Board. 



amination Board in 1904. The grades are in this case given on a 

 centile scale. The curve is decidedly skewed in the negative direc- 

 tion, the most frequent grades being between 60 and 75. There is 

 a considerable variation in the different subjects. Thus 10.6 per cent, 

 of the candidates are given a grade above 90 in Greek and only 2.7 



