View Full Version : Longest final exam ever....
DcifrThs
10-21-2005, 09:27 AM
well its official...
i'm about 3/4 way through the longest final exam ever (yes that subtracts time on 2p2 in the past 2 days).
ive worked a solid 9hrs on this thing so far and still have a good ways to go. sweet.
good news is, the hard parts are over...now its time to refine and value the takeover
FINAL: Fronteirs of Valuation. 6 questions. main question (#4)...using the sales forecasts of Q1, and your assumptions in Q3, build an integrated, proforma financial model of XXXXXXX. B/S data should begin for th eyear XXXX, and IS data should begin for year XXXX+1. Forcast model out XXXX+10....
sounds so easy.
WHat is your longest final exam? Dont vote if you've never taken a >=College level final exam.
Barron
PS- why is it in OOT that when i use the double quotation mark, i get "??
diebitter
10-21-2005, 09:29 AM
6 hours - chemistry.
That was bad enough.
drewjustdrew
10-21-2005, 09:31 AM
Was this a take home exam? That doesn't count.
jakethebake
10-21-2005, 09:43 AM
[ QUOTE ]
FINAL: Fronteirs of Valuation. 6 questions. main question (#4)...using the sales forecasts of Q1, and your assumptions in Q3, build an integrated, proforma financial model of XXXXXXX. B/S data should begin for th eyear XXXX, and IS data should begin for year XXXX+1. Forcast model out XXXX+10....
[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell? This is what I do for fun! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously though, if you're studying this because it's what you want to do for a living, expect to be doing it day-after-day for 10-14 hours at a stretch. This final will seem like nothing.
mslif
10-21-2005, 09:54 AM
My longest exams (That I actually had to sit down in a classroom for) were about 6 to 8 hours. (some of the toughest ones were the tests that were given to me for my scholarships and admission into a foreign university)
Take home tests are different because you can get up and do other things, then actually get back to it when you feel like it. I have studied on those for days.
SL__72
10-21-2005, 10:31 AM
My longest final took me about 20 hrs. It was a takehome final and we had two days to do it. I wasn't doing very well in the class and needed to do well on the final to pass. I made damn sure I was getting as good a grade as possible on that thing... Didn't really help.
Longest in class final was 4 hrs.
arod15
10-21-2005, 10:40 AM
Certified Financial Planner is a long exam too i see on my horizon. Good luck with yours hope it went well....
stigmata
10-21-2005, 10:41 AM
I had 8 hour chemistry practical exam. Going to the student union during the lunch hour for a pint (or two...) and getting back an hour late was what is know as a "Bad Idea." That wasn't a final, mind.
Good luck with the finals man!!!
samjjones
10-21-2005, 10:53 AM
A "take home" final? WTF?
DcifrThs
10-21-2005, 12:19 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
FINAL: Fronteirs of Valuation. 6 questions. main question (#4)...using the sales forecasts of Q1, and your assumptions in Q3, build an integrated, proforma financial model of XXXXXXX. B/S data should begin for th eyear XXXX, and IS data should begin for year XXXX+1. Forcast model out XXXX+10....
[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell? This is what I do for fun! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously though, if you're studying this because it's what you want to do for a living, expect to be doing it day-after-day for 10-14 hours at a stretch. This final will seem like nothing.
[/ QUOTE ]
i enjoyed the exam.
interesting stuff...my main problem is theoretical implications of the "plug" ... he said use debt as teh plug...but debt is used in many other things, including WACC calculations (theoretically the plug changes nothing but its still affected financing levels on a year to eyar basis).
the non-dividend/interest paying income is used to pay down the 70mm in debt taken on to finance the acquisition...when debt becomes a plug its value as a line item deteriorates.
i have a meeting w/ prof in 30 mins so i'llg et that quiestion answered.
EDIT: wrt my career i'll be using excel and other programs to be piecing together portfolios of mortgages for structuring and packaging for sale to investors if i take the job at Nomura (i'll likely be doing this till god knows when in the morning and sleepa few hours and get back to it) NOW...if i GET the job im interviewing for next weekend i may not have to use my back up...and in that case i have to go through the routine sales and trading training and placement process which may or may not end me up in structured finance.....aint life grand /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Barron
samjjones
10-21-2005, 01:33 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
FINAL: Fronteirs of Valuation. 6 questions. main question (#4)...using the sales forecasts of Q1, and your assumptions in Q3, build an integrated, proforma financial model of XXXXXXX. B/S data should begin for th eyear XXXX, and IS data should begin for year XXXX+1. Forcast model out XXXX+10....
[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell? This is what I do for fun! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously though, if you're studying this because it's what you want to do for a living, expect to be doing it day-after-day for 10-14 hours at a stretch. This final will seem like nothing.
[/ QUOTE ]
Or, you can just get a Bloomberg terminal.
jakethebake
10-21-2005, 01:34 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What the hell? This is what I do for fun! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously though, if you're studying this because it's what you want to do for a living, expect to be doing it day-after-day for 10-14 hours at a stretch. This final will seem like nothing.
[/ QUOTE ]
Or, you can just get a Bloomberg terminal.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have one. It doesn't build models for you.
samjjones
10-21-2005, 01:36 PM
Do you want it to? Talk to your sales rep.
jakethebake
10-21-2005, 01:37 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Do you want it to? Talk to your sales rep.
[/ QUOTE ]
That's just silly.
I just did an assignment last week that was similar to yours. It took me between 15-20 hours. It wasn't a final though.
edtost
10-21-2005, 01:53 PM
10-day take-home exam for introductory real analysis; i spent ~35-40 hrs on it, finished in the bottom area of the grading curve.
J.A.Sucker
10-21-2005, 02:14 PM
That's nothing. My first year of grad school, I had a quantum mechanics final that took 25 hours, and we were required to do all of the math by hand. Mine was 73 pages long, and typical for the class. It was only 6 problems, and completely miserable.
This wasn't even my longest final, though. That same year, my Stat Mech final was only 5 problems, and it took 40 hours. This thing was incredible, though. I learned so much, I actually wanted to do it, unlike the quantum final, which I just wanted to piss on. Most interestingly, there wasn't any real math grinding required - just some elegant tricks, and mine was only 15 pages. Nobody got it all correct, not even this Korean guy who was the Valedictorian at the most prestigous tech school in Korea, and who taught Stat Mech for several years before coming to Stanford. The prof who taught that class is the dude who does folding@home, that many of you guys have as your screen saver.
shadow29
10-21-2005, 02:19 PM
[ QUOTE ]
A "take home" final? WTF?
[/ QUOTE ]
We have "take home" aka "self-scheduled" exams (midterms and finals) and tests here (Davidson).
Honor Code baby. Works extremely well.
My Ph.D qualifying exam was take-home and we had a week to do it-- the questions were pretty silly, but extremely complicated and difficult to solve. It took over 80 hours to finish.
colgin
10-21-2005, 02:24 PM
[ QUOTE ]
WHat is your longest final exam?
[/ QUOTE ]
In law school I had a 48-hour take home final in Torts. I spent about 40 hours on it from the time I picked it up. /images/graemlins/frown.gif
Got an A+ though. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Hermlord
10-21-2005, 02:26 PM
10 hours for abstract algebra...it was NOT a takehome!!!!!
At least we got some pizza.
Dominic
10-21-2005, 02:30 PM
[ QUOTE ]
FINAL: Fronteirs of Valuation. 6 questions. main question (#4)...using the sales forecasts of Q1, and your assumptions in Q3, build an integrated, proforma financial model of XXXXXXX. B/S data should begin for th eyear XXXX, and IS data should begin for year XXXX+1. Forcast model out XXXX+10....
sounds so easy.
[/ QUOTE ]
what the hell IS this??
J.A.Sucker
10-21-2005, 02:37 PM
H0mo.
Skipbidder
10-21-2005, 05:16 PM
I voted based on a 7-hour History of Western Civilization essay exam I took as a freshman (1989).
I excluded take home exams. If I counted them, I'd change my vote to reflect a weekend spent nearly continuously on an upper level econ course.
I also exluded licensing exams (as not quite in the spirit of the question).
Honors Bio in high school. We had a couple month meal-worm final exam project - started at the beginning of the semester. Along with a 20 page paper to conclude it all up.
So I'd go with 21+
Jeff W
10-21-2005, 05:35 PM
I don't remember exactly how long my quantum mechanics midterm took, but it must have been upwards of 20 hours. The final probably took ~11 or so. Both take-homes of course(trust me...you'd rather have an in-class exam).
The MCAT, 9 hours.
All this bullshit about 20+ hour take home exams. Just STFU. It's a take home exam. You don't get up at 630AM, Check into a test center at 715 AM with a bunch of obnoxious, gunner, kill or be killed pre meds spouting worthless facts like Did you know Alexander Flemming discovered Penicillin on Oct 14, it was a Thursday. You sit down can't talk, eat, drink and just take a multiple choice test THE WHOLE DAY. You get a one hour break for lunch.
Skipbidder
10-21-2005, 07:59 PM
MCAT. Blah blah blah.
Just wait. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Sponger15SB
10-21-2005, 08:40 PM
I think I win for taking the shortest final exam ever.
It was a class I barely went to and had no idea why I hadn't even dropped the class before the deadline. Anyways, I am looking over the test as I get it and realize I'm going to fail no matter how hard I try, so I write "have a nice day" on the test, hand it to my TA and walk out.
No kidding, going into Medicine you will begin a series of insanely long MC exams, each longer than the one before, USMLE Step I down so far for me, next is Step II in a year or so...
silkyslim
10-21-2005, 09:01 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I think I win for taking the shortest final exam ever.
It was a class I barely went to and had no idea why I hadn't even dropped the class before the deadline. Anyways, I am looking over the test as I get it and realize I'm going to fail no matter how hard I try, so I write "have a nice day" on the test, hand it to my TA and walk out.
[/ QUOTE ]
gg
jason_t
10-21-2005, 09:06 PM
Final exam in October?
wacki
10-21-2005, 09:13 PM
[ QUOTE ]
WHat is your longest final exam?
[/ QUOTE ]
18 months.
jason_t
10-21-2005, 09:16 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I think I win for taking the shortest final exam ever.
It was a class I barely went to and had no idea why I hadn't even dropped the class before the deadline. Anyways, I am looking over the test as I get it and realize I'm going to fail no matter how hard I try, so I write "have a nice day" on the test, hand it to my TA and walk out.
[/ QUOTE ]
I win in the opposite way. After destroying an undergraduate course in linear algebra, I went to the final exam review session for the course. As I arrived for the review session, the professor was standing outside smoking a cigarette. He said "You definitely don't need to be at this review session. In fact, don't even bother showing up tomorrow you've already demonstrated that you deserve an 'A.'"
Sponger15SB
10-21-2005, 09:23 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I win in the opposite way. After destroying an undergraduate course in linear algebra, I went to the final exam review session for the course. As I arrived for the review session, the professor was standing outside smoking a cigarette. He said "You definitely don't need to be at this review session. In fact, don't even bother showing up tomorrow you've already demonstrated that you deserve an 'A.'"
[/ QUOTE ]
http://www.spam-revolution.com/chatter/mailbag/ogre.jpg
NERDDDDD!!!!!!!!!
ps, that story rules. why aren't you online, I want to IM you little heart smileys.
jason_t
10-21-2005, 09:27 PM
[ QUOTE ]
ps, that story rules. why aren't you online, I want to IM you little heart smileys.
[/ QUOTE ]
/images/graemlins/heart.gif
I'm still at school studying. I'm such a loser. /images/graemlins/frown.gif
On a different note, I keep telling Carlo I want to go to Santa Barbara soon to party with you guys. Tell me when you're not having a party where guys get defenestrated and stuff.
Are you coming to Vegas in November with us?
Sponger15SB
10-21-2005, 09:43 PM
[ QUOTE ]
On a different note, I keep telling Carlo I want to go to Santa Barbara soon to party with you guys. Tell me when you're not having a party where guys get defenestrated and stuff.
Are you coming to Vegas in November with us?
[/ QUOTE ]
Any weekend is good. You'll have fun. Its only a 2 hour drive nancy.
And unless I hit some sort of incredible luck streak I will not be able to afford going to Vegas. ADHOC #2 could happen soon though, but I'd say 90% chance no.
edit- wtf am i thinking. halloween is coming up, which means there is going to be able 5 days straight of massive partying the likes of which you can't imagine.
fluorescenthippo
10-22-2005, 03:02 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Was this a take home exam? That doesn't count.
[/ QUOTE ]
i agree. this poll is bs. an actual exam is in class and there is no way anyone would be over 6 hours. this poll sucks.
ethan
10-22-2005, 03:39 AM
In-class, only 3 hours, but most of the tests in my upper-level classes were take-home. You'd generally get the test towards the end of the week, set aside a block of usually either 3, 6, or 24 hours (whatever you were allowed), and turn it in before the next class period. Of the 24 hour tests, I'd say the most time I spent on one was 14 hours or so. I had a couple 6-hour tests I couldn't finish in the allotted time, so if we're only counting continuous work I guess I'd have to go with those.
Man. Thinking about take-home tests is making me nostalgic. I'm such a nerd.
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