Arithemetics

(Another message from another constellation to a humble academic on Earth.)

Dear Professor X,

Thanks for your application of the research grant. Your proposal has been reviewed by 3 external experts. The scores are as followings:

Reviewer #1: 5
Reviewer #2: 5
Reviewer #3: 4
Final score: 3

Therefore your application could not be funded.

Good luck next time, et cetera.

*******************
(By the way, the maximum score is 5 for each reviewer, and the final score should be the mean or median of the three individual score. When X showed this message to his friend, he got the following reply.)

Dear X,

I believe that's how they arrived at the conclusion:

5+5+4 = 14 = 1+4 = 3

Sincerely,
A malicious nephrologist on Earth

PS. No, one plus four does not equal three - except for aliens coming from a universe with different rules of physics.