Examus Maximus
Like an unwelcome mouse in a larder full of cheese the first performance measurement of the MBA is upon us. And what a palaver that was. The recipe for exam stress goes something like this.
300 Parts uber achieving MBA students
1 part microeconomics "quiz"
Allowance for one A4 cheat sheet
It's a simple and potent mix. Being the first assessment of any sort in the year, everybody is super keen to impress. And when I mean super keen, I am being polite. People start seeking all possible means of competitive advantage. One housemate stayed up till 3 (although admittedly he hadn't been to any microeconomics lectures yet, so perhaps that was wise). The talk of the campus turned to cheat sheets. How good is your cheat sheet? Mine was a handwritten affair with 5 formulas. Others, however, seemed to have discovered new techniques of microprinting and managed to squeeze the whole of Microeconomics theory discovered to date on a single side of A4. It's not clear whether those things are readable, but the feeling of efficient use of the cheat sheet space must be overwhelming. Never mind that we've only had about 5 lectures so far, so there just isn't that much things one can be tested on.
The professor's protestations that the quiz was really an exercise to see whether you're awake went completely unheard. In the event it was 7 questions that were so straighforward I didn't even use my cheat sheet. The likelihood of anyone scoring less than 100% is almightily slim. The important lesson for me - don't get sucked into the herd effect. Or else you'll have one almighty headache on your hands.
300 Parts uber achieving MBA students
1 part microeconomics "quiz"
Allowance for one A4 cheat sheet
It's a simple and potent mix. Being the first assessment of any sort in the year, everybody is super keen to impress. And when I mean super keen, I am being polite. People start seeking all possible means of competitive advantage. One housemate stayed up till 3 (although admittedly he hadn't been to any microeconomics lectures yet, so perhaps that was wise). The talk of the campus turned to cheat sheets. How good is your cheat sheet? Mine was a handwritten affair with 5 formulas. Others, however, seemed to have discovered new techniques of microprinting and managed to squeeze the whole of Microeconomics theory discovered to date on a single side of A4. It's not clear whether those things are readable, but the feeling of efficient use of the cheat sheet space must be overwhelming. Never mind that we've only had about 5 lectures so far, so there just isn't that much things one can be tested on.
The professor's protestations that the quiz was really an exercise to see whether you're awake went completely unheard. In the event it was 7 questions that were so straighforward I didn't even use my cheat sheet. The likelihood of anyone scoring less than 100% is almightily slim. The important lesson for me - don't get sucked into the herd effect. Or else you'll have one almighty headache on your hands.
posted by The Apprentice at 8:51 AM
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