Class – Fundamentals of Investments

Topic – Bonds, Options, Futures, and Mutual Funds

Test Type – 40 Questions—20 True/False, 20 Multiple Choice

Time Permitted – 1 Hour 20 Minutes.

Percentage of Grade – 30%.

Amount of time studying – Approximately 20-25 hours, including group tutoring and group study

In this class, we are allowed a single 3×5 index card to utilize as a cheat sheet on each test.  The best way to utilize this card is to type all your formulas and relevant info on a computer and shrinking it down, printing it out, and stapling it to the card, since writing is imperfect. A good tip I always give people is to place a big star beside places in your notes where your professor either explicitly or implicitly lets you know that the information you’re learning will be on the test.  It helps me pick out the right info to put on the card.

I did well on the first test, but a few of my peers damned me for the second. Some morons got a hold of past tests which were identical to ours and, for whatever reason, decided to staple the answers from the past tests directly onto their index cards.  As a result, one student heard from our teacher, while he was in his cups, that we should “expect an ass-whooping for the second test” I was very worried, and for good reason, as you will see.

True/False Questions

These questions were only worth 2 points each, so they weren’t as important as the multiple choice questions. Unfortunately, the questions were worded cryptically and the answers to many questions were not covered in class. My professor expected us to take what we’d learned of the basics and extrapolate.

Multiple Choice Questions

These were worth 3 points each. Luckily, multiple choice questions lend themselves to formulaic questions more often, so I was able to use my index card to help me. However, the teacher is near retirement, so he does not have the greatest memory.  Because of this, he added several questions concerning material we had not yet covered.

Final grade: 80/100 B-.

What I Learned:

I learned that this professor is an automatic grader (AG).  He leaves his grading to the computer, and allows only one indisputably correct answer for each question.  Despite 20+ hours of study and a history of performing well in finance, I got an embarrassingly low 80, my worst test grade ever in college.  Nonetheless, this was the top grade in the class. The class average was around a 55. 

If you ever get into a situation where a professor plans on taking revenge on your class, strongly consider whether to cut your losses.  For example, this test I was able to drop and take the final instead.  I was still able to get an A in the class as a result.  Some other options might be to drop the class if you know you can’t afford a bad grade, or to go to the professor’s office and ask specifically for test advice, as he will often offer greater hints than he did in class if you show interest.

Have a test/paper/etc. you want to discuss? Send me your assignment info in the same format from above. The best way to learn what professors want is to see how they grade assignments.