Measurement of Students' Intelligence - Part 1

I just found out my FIN300 (Introduction to Managerial Finance) mid-term grade on Monday. I had given the exam last Wednesday, for which I should've been studying rather than thinking to write my blog creatively (oh, by the way, thank you everyone for giving me positive feedback :))

I also found out my MGT402 (Management Economics) grades today. How much I got? Well, let's just say much, much, much better grade than Finance for sure!!!

Here's the thing, in MGT402 there's a lot of derivation and calculations. Of course, calculation is an integral part of Finance as well, but if the right formulas are used with the input of right number then there are less chances of getting the answer wrong. But, in MGT402, BASIC CALCULUS comes in the picture. Now, it's not like I hate math...NO, NO, NO!...Oh good God, I LOVE MATH, especially Algebra. But in Algebra, if one variable gets messed up, the whole equation is messed up, and you end up solving it incorrectly just to get a different answer than the right one! Yea, most of us do that, I'm damn sure! There are gazillion ways to make mistakes when solving a mathematical problem!

There could be many reasons why these mistakes take place. Here are some:
1. Not thinking properly
2. Exaggeration on "Overly-thinking" (hahahaa!...try stressing your brain to get this reason in your head!...)
3. Tangent topic taking place in the mind...(seems reasonable)
4. Background music is being played in your head (don't think this doesn't happen, because IT DOES HAPPEN, and don't deny it!)
5. Too nervous about the test/exam/quiz....
6. Not having memorized the formula properly
7. Um...let's see....Oh, I can't come up with any more because I just had an exam yesterday and I'm still not over the fact that it didn't go too well :(
NO WAIT, here's the ultimate reason: YOU DIDN'T STUDY PROPERLY, or just simply DIDN'T STUDY AT ALL!! Yes, this seem the most reasonable!

So, these COULD be the reasons for making mistakes, amidst others. So, in Finance, it's easy to get the numbers confused which in turn could get your screwed up, but in MGT402, it's worse because you have to know the formula and sometimes derive the formula to get another formula or combine formulas to get one formula and then find the answer and then also explain the answer(in the short-answer questions)! IT'S CALLED MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS. Economics and numbers play a very important role in this subject because we the students, so-called 'potential future managers', have to learn how to apply principles of Economics and understand numbers, let's simply say, 'to become a good manager'.

Well, let me not get carried away on a tangent topic explaining about MGT402.

Coming back to the topic...

I had studied well for the MGT402 and could've studied better for FIN300. It's not like I didn't study, I just didn't study "enough".

Now, the prof of FIN300 had posted the mid-term from last semester online, along with the answer key (multiple-choice, of course), for us so that we can practice from that and get an idea about the up-coming mid-term(20 multiple-choice questions). Well, Neha spent hours to solve each and every problem in that "mock mid-term".
Neha's tactics to solve a 'mock test' with answers provided:
1. Read the question.
2. Take some time to process the question in the mind
3. Underline the important information, along with what the question is really asking for
4. Stress brain: "Hmmm.....How do I solve this?"
5. Solve the problem with the best of your knowledge and get an answer
6. Check your answer with the Answer Key.
7. Now, after checking the answer, 1 of the following possible situation takes place:
(a.) if you get the 'right' answer, your reactions could vary here. Usually, content feeling arises. Neha throws her hand in the air, waves and dances like an idiot on the spot in happiness and grins to herself....
(b.) if you get the 'wrong' answer, then depending on the person the reactions could vary here as well. Most of us get upset, confused, or angry! Neha curses: &!*#^%)#$&*\#%....hahahha....No, I'm just kidding, I don't curse(not yet, anyways).

8. If in step 7, (a) took place, then move on to solve the next question. But, if in step 7, (b) took place, then you either try again to solve the problem, or curse after trying to solve the problem several times. If the latter one takes place, then some of us just leave that question with curses it deserves, while others feel like (sometimes Neha as well) 'killing' the question. But it's impossible to kill/destroy something that is intangible, which results in 'inflation' of frustration and a rise to BP level!

Neha tries again to solve the problem, and after a several attempts if I don't get the right answer, then I just skip it and move on to the next question and come back to the skipped questions to 'try' to solve them later at the end!

WOW! 8 simple steps! Pshh! SIMPLE, right?

Don't get excited, this is just a simple 'mock test' method that I use. I'm pretty sure it varies with others.

Okie, so this was my tactic of solving the problem. After the whole night of practice (more frequent breaks in between than studies, of course), I had got 22/30 questions right and had understood all those 22 questions. What about the rest? WHO GIVES A F*CK! I had solved 22 out 30 on my own. My opportunity cost, of course, was sleep!

Well, actually I had looked up on the Discussion Board online and there were a lot of students who participated in that discussion asking questions, solving(most of them tried to explain it properly but had failed as it was the wrong approach, or had the right formula but didn't get the right answer), correcting others, etc! I looked at the discussion board to find the ones that I couldn't do on my own, and I had found most of my missed question there, out of which most of the questions beinng asked didn't have a 'proper' reply. So it got me even more frustrated. But anyways, I was content with myself that I had understood and solved 22 out of 30 questions. I was pretty confident about the test. I just had wished that I had 1 more day to study more in details from the notes and to read the chapters from the 'fat and expensive' textbook.

Anyways, Exam in the morning. Some familiar questions (with numbers changed around, of course) and some out of the blue(didn't have any idea what to do, or how to solve or even where to start), so I had skipped and at the end just guessed and circled any of the option, either A, B, C, D, or E....)

Exam over. YEY! 1.5 hours just flew by like a wind...woooooooossssshhhhhhhhh!

Came back to my room, and slept! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! :D

So how does all this relate to 'Measurement of Students' Intelligence'?

(A, B, C, D, or E : MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS!)

Read the next blog, "Measurement of Students' Intelligence - Part 2" later this week to find out how! :)

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Blogger's Last Remarks/P.S.

• Sorry for the BIG blog. It's very necessary to explain things on this EXTENSIVE subject. If you still haven't figured out the 'main' idea of this topic, then just wait for the upcoming one, it will be very clear then. Until then, just enjoy reading about Neha's misery and steps in solving a 'mock exam' :P
  


• Neha's exhausted and dreaded by writing all the steps! Phewwwwww! :-s
  


• While we're on the topic of Exams....YEY! no more exams, until a week after! :) oh no....boo-hooo! i better study for this one! **worried**
  


• Haven't been able to watch any new movies this month :(
  


• Missing Rashi, haven't talked to her for the longest time! :(
  


• Missing Anup too much these days, my poor bro! :(
  


• Also missing Hubby :( (don't ask who he is cuz I'm not telling! :D hehehehe! )
  


• Why do I miss so many people all at once? **confused**
  


• JAI BAJRANG BALI! :)