Strategic Management TECEP

[bricabrac]

I know it's been years, but do you by chance still have those notes handy on TECEP Strategic Management?

Check your PM

[iwant2stalku]

Back to update...I took the TECEP last night. I don't know my score, but I feel like I passed. I studied heavily for about 2 weeks.

1. I have taken several TECEPS and the exam descriptions consistently match what is on the exam. This one was on par too. I always suggest getting the textbook and focusing your study time on information in the exam description.

2. I absolutely would not attempt to take this exam without background course work. Take Organizational Behavior, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics first. I was able to get 7/10 of the m/c practice questions right based on prior study alone. I came with prior knowledge of economics, organizational structure, centralized/decentralized decision making, corporate culture, acquisitions, mission, vision, SWOT, benchmarking, and a few other tidbits that cut down on my study time.

3. With that said, a couple of the essay questions are deep. I had the suggested text, but I HATE that they pull answers from information that isn't in diagrams, bulleted list, italicized, SOMETHING to indicate that it is important enough to be tested on. Anything in a list, you'd better study. Almost all of the essay questions (and they are 3-4 part questions) come in the form of "list the 5 steps of this" or "Give 4 reasons for blah blah blah". There were 2 parts in the essay questions I could not answer. When I went back to find the answers in the textbook, sure enough, it was buried in paragraphs; not highlighted as a core concept, not a learning objective, not even bold printed. Probably lost 10 points on too-deep test material. I felt really good on almost all the other essay and short answer questions though, so I didn't sweat it. Just annoyed that they designed the test that way. I keep reminding myself I only need 60% to pass.

4. My test was very heavy on corporate culture, strategic alliances, strategy for competing internationally, diversification strategy (specifically: strategic fit, mode of entry, industry attractiveness). Saw a good chunk on internal and external environment.

[passit1]

Hi - I'm getting all of the lower level tests done first to get my base knowledge set and will be done with them in March. And then I plan on taking the Strategic Management TECEP in April. I agree with iwant2stalku that TECEPs overall are very true to the outlines on the TESC website. AND they will throw a question from deep in the info at you.

I will be getting the book to study but any notes or study guides would be greatly appreciated.

[bricabrac]

I will be getting the book to study but any notes or study guides would be greatly appreciated.

Sent you a PM.

[OfficerA]

Just took this CBT today, minimal studying due to work and life stuff that came up.

iwant2stalku nailed it in the head for the background info you should already know and the lists; some questions are pure definition, although there was one very insultingly simple math/finance question I ran into (if you can pass Principles of Finance, which you already should have, this should be a joke). Either way, it's a capstone for a reason, so treat it as such. Much of the textbook is review/"fluff", but where I got caught up in taking the exam is that all of the essay questions involves lists, and at times whole sections (broken down as learning objectives in the recommended textbook). My original plan to overkill this exam was to write down all lists and memorize them, but illness and what I listed above got in the way and I felt like giving the exam my money's worth, if nothing else.

That said, I used the previous edition of the textbook, finished within an hour, and despite cramming for two days (although I studied most of what bricabrac has early on), don't really feel like I was sweating the exam much. Some of the essay I flatout didn't know, but either way I could answer/BS everything, so I have that satisfaction at least. Either way I'll find out in two weeks if my money was wasted on this TECEP or not.

Stuff I still remember:

Graphs and other illustrations (but not cases/examples of other companies doing things; there was not a single specific instance of any particular company mentioned in any of the questions) can be asked about, in both multiple choice and short answer form.
Mission vs Vision
Diversifying business tests, kinds of new businesses to pursue, and questions to ask (i.e. the list of lists)
Strategic alliance (practically everything about it; if there's a list, guess what? Yup)
Corporate culture definition, and every list about it. (I BSed everything about this one, as I ran out of time cramming before the test could start)

Oh, and for those who have the textbooks, you know how there's a counterargument for practically everything? You'd want to know that too.

Last but certainly not least, bricabrac, thank you once again; even if I failed this exam, this was a joy to study through, and your stuff really made the actually enjoy reading through it.

Now if y'all don't mind, I'm going through my tub of chunky mint chocolate chip ice cream and seeing how much I can down in one gulp.

[colbyjack]

Hello everyone!
I have been working on my BSBA in Computer Information Systems for a while now. My last requirement for me to graduate is the TECEP Strategic Management.
Any help would be appreciated. Did anyone spend a bunch of time on the flash cards? Should I mainly concentrate on a lot of reading in the TESC recommended text book?
Thanks!

[PaintTheSunset]

Okay, first I should apologize. I know I should post feedback as soon as I take the exam, but I am superstitious and feel that if I get too confident about the exam results then I will jinx myself. Completely and utterly irrational, I know, but that's how it is. So I don't talk about the exam until I get the results. So I waited to post this until I got the results... and I passed!

I used the textbook Crafting and Executing Strategy. I read the entire textbook. I would strongly recommend that anyone studying for this exam read the recommended textbook. I don't think it needs to be the most recent edition for this exam. I used an edition from a few years ago (much, much cheaper), and I don't think it made any difference. I would strongly advise against substituting any other textbook.

That being said, the InstantCert flashcards and Saylor course were both helpful as supplements and reinforcement. The feedback on this forum, both for Strategic Management and for its predecessor Business Policy, were also helpful.

I also need to give a heartfelt expression of gratitude to bricabrac, for sharing notes for this exam. That was a tremendous reinforcement and certainly helped my score. Thank you very, very much!


Here's my take on the exam...

Multiple-choice section: For me, these were very easy, very basic questions. Some overlapped with other business courses, but I finished the section confident that I had at least 27 correct out of 30. This was a very good start to the exam, since I only needed 60 points to pass.

Short-answer/short essay section: Also pretty easy. Some definitions, with comparing and contrasting. Some "list the reasons why _____" questions. Some "list the steps to ______" questions. I felt very confident on four of the questions, and semi-confident on the other question.

Long essay: The word "essay" here is a little misleading. It's not really "write an essay about whether _______, be sure to include a thesis statement, and give examples to support your argument" type of essay questions. They're more like several consecutive of the short answer questions that are all grouped around a common theme. For example, an essay question might be comprised of three parts along the lines of "define ______ and _______ and explain the difference between them," then "what are three advantages and disadvantages to each?" then "list the questions that should be asked when deciding ________". I just wrote my answer to each portion of the essay question as its own paragraph, which looks like an essay in the end even if a freshman composition instructor would argue that it didn't really qualify as such. I felt very confident with one of the questions, and felt semi-okay with the other two.


Some tips:

Anything that is a list of steps, memorize.
Anything that is a vocabulary word, then be able to give a brief definition.
Any vocabulary words that are similar in concept, be able to compare and contrast.
Anything that is a list of anything... steps to a procedure, reasons for, reasons against, questions to ask, etc. ... if it's numbered, bulleted, whatever... at any point in the text, including but not limited to the chapter summaries... then be prepared to repeat each step or reason or question.

Partial credit is awarded for the short and long essay questions. Even if you can't completely answer it, throw in as much as you can. Partial credit can add up.

Keep in mind that there is a LOT of writing for this test. I type quickly but write slowly, so I chose to take this online with ProctorU. This reduced pressure over the time, because I didn't need to rush. I finished with about 45 minutes left. If I had tried to write the essays by hand, I would have been crunched for time. Consider your strengths when deciding on the online or paper-and-pencil version.

[OfficerA]

@PaintTheSunset - How long did it take you from the day you tested until you found out you passed? And how did you receive word that you passed?

[PaintTheSunset]

@PaintTheSunset - How long did it take you from the day you tested until you found out you passed? And how did you receive word that you passed?

I took the test on Friday, Jan. 23rd, late in the afternoon. I found out Monday, Feb. 2nd that I'd passed. It was only a week, and that was even with TESC closed one of those days for weather issues. When I took a pencil-and-paper essay test (Environmental Ethics TECEP), I had the results in just over two weeks.

I've found that the fastest way to check results is through the TESC Online Student Services. The grades post there in the Grades section, and passing scores are posted to the Academic Evaluation the same day. They probably get posted to the Unofficial Transcript section, too, though I didn't actually check there. I confess I've been obsessively checking the Online Student Services every weekday since taking this test, and that's how I found out my results. TESC does mail out a notice of the exam result (just "credit" or "no credit," not a percentage or letter grade), but that takes weeks to receive, and I'd prefer to know my results as soon as possible.

I once sent a Help Desk ticket to confirm paper-and-pencil exam had been received, and they sent me an update on it being graded within a couple of business days, but also sent me a form that I could fill out if I wanted the exact percentage. I don't care about that, just happy I passed this one, but if anyone's curious about their results than that is an option. Also, the TECEP's that are only multiple choice questions will give the percentage correct at the end of the test if taken via ProctorU.

[laughter]

I once sent a Help Desk ticket to confirm paper-and-pencil exam had been received, and they sent me an update on it being graded within a couple of business days, but also sent me a form that I could fill out if I wanted the exact percentage. I don't care about that, just happy I passed this one, but if anyone's curious about their results than that is an option. Also, the TECEP's that are only multiple choice questions will give the percentage correct at the end of the test if taken via ProctorU.

Would you mind posting a link to the score-released form? Also, who should it be submitted to?