Quarter 5 - Week of Exams

This is probably the first quarter where I wasn't in shivers/fervently praying that I should pass. Probably due to a lack of quant based electives (either in finance or operations), I had quite little to actually mug up and run over. It was just about going over readings, trying to remember important notes/learnings, and second guessing where the questions might come from. Was wrong on all of them. But the exams themselves were quite different, one due to a prof with an innovative style of testing, another due to a prof who's serious about reflection, and a third due to a prof who's just had plain misfortune despite setting a remarkable paper.

MSP - Despite going through all the articles, I wasn't ready for what was about to happen. We actually had a case study that we had a full two hours to analyse. I confess that somebody who'd done brilliantly in our Strategy course in first quarter would probably have aced this test. I mean, we had the standard set of metrics with some additional ones that we learnt out here during this quarter. I was really expecting some brief answer types on "What's your take on Software Testing?" (To which I was not prepared), and "Give some spiel on Agile and when you would recommend it against Waterfall?" (To which I was vaguely prepared) etc. Anyway, I just submitted my scores and prayed to God that I get atleast a B. I'll need that for my electives going forward! Oh, and of course, it will tell me that I can be a halfway decent 'manager' who can blind his superiors by throwing numbers in their face while telling them why we estimated so high for the project.

LOC - Again, reading through all the articles, I was so sure that I was gonna be caught stunned (like the proverbial deer in the vehicle's headlights... why dont they run away again?) and that I'd have to rely on my inordinate ability to manufacture and string together words that would somehow convince the prof that I had an inkling of understanding of what I was saying. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we were asked to (amongst other options) summarize our learnings from the two books assigned to us for reading. We had already had enough time to reflect on our learnings, so we were able to easily make stuff up and put it on that. In addition, there was a simulation, if I can call it that, asking us to prioritize certain actions that we would take with regard to a situation. This used quite a bit from all our learning, so I could get away by saying that it was a "holistic experience" (Look Mommy, big words!). Writing this blog really helps me write spiel(hey, it's meaningful too!) a little more comfortably.

PM - Now this paper was more like what we've been seeing over the past four quarters. Some kind of mixing of whatever we've learnt and even then absolutely no clue on how to best attempt it (Caution: Average student talking here. Best students have already decided what marks they're getting when they see the paper, and are tweaking here and there to get more). Interestingly, the most important part of the paper, the exhibits, had mysteriously gotten delayed. This hasn't happened before! So our poor prof sitting in the New Delhi airport terminus doesn't have a copy that he can scan and send across, assuming he can find an internet connection there to send it from! So he came up with a different solution. One of the questions revolved around a case study (for which he had told us that he'd be expecting we prepare thoroughly and come forth with insights based on the question he phrases). This didnt need any other exhibits. So the whole paper was now only one question. And he clearly stated to go the entire mile, and explain in a detailed and yet direct manner as to what steps ought to be taken. Now this isn't an unheard solution. Some profs give question papers with only one question. It's a different thing altogether that the prof was forced to take this option without considering it as the actual paper.

Obviously, when the prof says study "THIS case", I misheard it as "THAT case". So when the case name is different, I spent half an hour reading the given case to analyse it. Time was enough, so I'm not complaining.

A very different exam week, one that will remain in my mind atleast till the next quarter begins. Oh, btw, 50% is done. I can tell my manager that I'm half-baked and ready to give half-assed solutions to all his problems. I can't wait to set the revenue to half of what it used to be! Wish my luck, half-heartedly! (Yes, I know, I'm just half-mad).