02-02-2015, 07:50 PM
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.
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.
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