Study.com Principles of Finance (FIN 101)

[kalishakti]

Completed this course today, passed the final exam with an 85. This was another requirement (along with the computer/info systems requirement which I also completed through Study) that I was nervous about. As I mentioned in previous posts about other Study.com courses, Study.com has been a very good way for me to learn and complete material that I would be very stressed about trying to complete via a single exam (DSST/CLEP/TECEP/UExcel etc). This is a good thing I find that I enjoy and retain the material better this way on certain topics.

The course and exam have a “big-picture” perspective and focus a lot on really understanding underlying concepts and principles rather than memorizing complex formulas. I liked this approach for what is, after all, intended to be an introductory/101 course. There are some calculation questions that are very straightforward, and many many conceptual questions. A basic calculator is allowed on the final. Be sure you understand the rationale and thought processes that go into financial decisions, and have a good awareness of the legal and tax environments businesses must operate within. A business law course and a financial accounting course would be very helpful to have prior to taking this course, although the lessons do a good job of explaining the material even if you haven’t taken those courses yet.

My only complaint is that this course was the first Study.com course I took that did not have flashcards. I studied the lessons, quizzes and practice exams, but would have liked flashcards to be available as well.