 Most classes rely on a combination of lectures , recitations led by associate professors or graduate students , weekly problem sets ( " p @-@ sets " ) , and periodic quizzes or tests . While the pace and difficulty of MIT coursework has been compared to " drinking from a fire hose " , the freshmen retention rate at MIT is similar other research universities . The " pass / no @-@ record " grading system relieves some pressure for first @-@ year undergraduates . For each class taken in the fall term , freshmen transcripts will either report only that the class was passed , or otherwise not have any record of it . In the spring term , passing grades ( A , B , C ) appear on the transcript while non @-@ passing grades are again not recorded . ( Grading had previously been " pass / no record " all freshman year , but was amended for the Class of 2006 to prevent students from gaming the system by completing required major classes in their freshman year . ) Also , freshmen may choose to join alternative learning communities , such as Experimental Study Group , Concourse , or Terrascope . 
