Finance Goo

Helped QE with his finance "quiz" last night. It was more like a full blown exam. Instructor said it wasn't timed and the system wouldn't kick him out unless he was idle (i.e. didn't answer any questions) for 90 minutes. Well, the system submitted his "quiz" after 90 minutes. He got a 40. Yup. 40. As part of this "quiz", he had to submit his backup work in excel, so the instructor could award partial credit. QE spent quite a while structuring his spreadsheet, copying questions/answers (multiple choice), which left him less time to actually take the test. So after he got his score, we continued to solve the problems. Hopefully the instructor will review the backup spreadsheet and see that QE could have completed the test if given the time. He gets full blown panic attacks during these weekly tests, and I must say I would too. Of course, it would help a lot if QE knew that the debt ratio was liabilities/assets and not the other way around. Copying formulas down correctly would do wonders in getting the right answer. His other 'flaw' was instead of linking to the given information, he would type it in, which leads to more room for errors and typos, especially if one is already freaking out and panicking. And rather than using trial and error to get the answers for ratios, the Goal Seek function in excel would simplify things. The less typing and the more formulas/links he uses, the less likely there will be mistakes. He sort of listened to me. Maybe next week he will follow my advice more.

These tests are actually kind of neat. I enjoy working on the problems with QE. It's sort of like marital therapy. We're solving problems as a team. He's not stupid by any standard. He just panics and then loses all sensibility. If he calms down, he knows how to think things through and can get the right answers. The grunting, slamming, and profanity does nothing except scare the cats and further fluster him. Again though, he waited for over 80 minutes before asking me for help. This is a master's program. Certainly the problems aren't going to be plug-and-chug, where they give you the formula you need and all the elements of the formula. They expect students to take things a few steps further, and possibly research things, before being able to solve the problems. QE doesn't seem to accept that. Last night's quiz was way easier than my CMA exam, for sure. At least his was open book. Math isn't his forte, so I am proud of him. Heck, for a guy who doesn't know how to balance a checkbook, taking a graduate finance class must be like me trying to be a size 2. Impossible.