> > For example, students who come into a course with little prior knowledge earn lower grades at the start, which means they get a lower final average, even if

> > For example, students who come into a course with little prior knowledge earn lower grades at the start, which means they get a lower final average, even if they ultimately master the material. >For others who came in knowing it, they didn't have to 'really study'. And this still holds true for every successive test. Ya I see your point. The first test was the easiest and the most likely to get an A assuming I didn't know it. Of course if you study for the first test and get an A because it's the easiest and someone who already knows the material doesn't study and gets an A, then one isn't lower than the other. In other words, this gap only seems to apply if both groups (familiar and unfamiliar) don't study much or at all on the first test.