Help! Understanding the O.W.L.s

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 102826

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "~Maitresse" <ciceronian at h...>
wrote:
> Bill and Percy both received twelve O.W.L.s, I assumed Hermione 
> would be on par with Bill and Percy but as to my calculations she is 
> only taking ten classes so how would you get twelve O.W.L.s from 
> that? 
> 
> Did Bill and Percy take that many more classes? Why wouldn't 
> Hermione take the max amount, although I do understand that the one 
> O.W.L. would have been dropped for Divination. Though how anyone 
> could get an O.W.L. in Divination, I don't know.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,
> 
> ~Maitresse

Asian_lovr2:

Actually, there are TWELVE available classes at Hogwarts, not counting
Quidditch and Flying class.

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/classes/classes.html

But it would be very unlikely that anyone could take all these
classes. Even Hermione's class load, which is less than total, is more
than any student could handle without magical help (time turner).

Beyond the core classes of Potions, Charms, Transfigurations, History
of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, and Defense against Dark Arts,
Hermione is taking Ancient Runes, Arithmacy, and Care of Magical
Creatures. Total: 10 classes. At the end of PoA, she dropped Muggle
Studies and Divination to make here schedule more manageable.

So at one point, Hermione was taking every available class; 12 total.

Harry and Ron are taking the 7 core classes as well as Divination, and
Care of Magical Creatures for a total of 9 classes. 

Someone else worked this out in a past discussion, but some classes
are Theory plus Practical, others are theory or written test only, and
other still are practical only.

Classes like Astronomy appear to have a Practical only test. They go
to the top of the Astronomy Tower and identify stars and their location. 

History of Magic on the other hand is a written test only. 

Classes of Charms, Potions, Transfigurations, and DADA are all
practical and written.

Based on this analysis, I estimate that there are a total of 16
possible O.W.L.s.

Based on previous discussions of O.W.L.s and the real world GCSE
tests, it is possible to take a test in a class you have never taken.
For example, if you have a natural interest in history, you could take
the History GCSE and receive certification in that subject without
ever having taken any advanced history classes. When I entered College
I took what are called CLEP tests, and much to my amazement, I
received a full college credit in biology without having to take
college level Biology classes. Don't have a clue how that happened,
but take it when you can get it.

Example, if one was very good at Potions, one could apply that
knowledge to Herbology and pass the Herbology test without having
taken the class. Or, Harry and Hermione could take the test for Muggle
Studies and gain an OWL in that class without ever having taken it. 

The only problem would be conflicting test schedules. As we saw from
Hermione's example, she had to use the Time Turner to take two tests
at once on more than one occassion. I suspect for a brilliant student
the teacher might be willing to make some accomodations.

I estimate that Harry and Ron are eligible for 13 possible OWLs and
Hermione is eligible for 14. I further estimate (or speculate) that
Harry and Ron will get between 8 and 10 OLWs (very respectable), and
Hermione, of course, will get a full 14. 

Just one man's opinion.

Steve/Asian_lvor2