Course 2: Can you skip Macro and still pass?

[archie1112]

Does anyone know if Exam 2 is graded strictly by # of questions answered correctly, or do they break it down by section and not pass you if there's one area you're obviously deficient in, even though you may have answered enough questions correctly to pass. Thanks

[Michael]

In some ways your method makes some sense....but, you could pass this exam without ever reading Macro, sure, provided you were exceptionally sharp on everything else. I spent some time on it, though, and scored very well on the last test -- in no small part, I think, because of my macro performance.....There was more on the test than you might think....

[Mathlete]

Archie, to answer your question less pompously,

The exam is not broken up by section (although, if you do fail, afterwards they will give you a breakdown by subject), so, IMO, you could skip over the Macro and still have plenty of hope for passing. The stats I have heard for the composition of the exam is 1/3 Interest Theory, 1/3 Finance, and 1/3 for Micro/Macro. So, if you're going to choose a subject to disregard, this is probably a good choice.

[Michael]

Apologies....that didn't read too well, did it!! I just meant that macro can give you an edge over other candidates because it is often neglected, often suggested as the best thing to ignore.......No pomp intended

[drctypea]

i think you can pass without the macro, however personally I would not feel too confident taking the exam without it. it can account for about 8-12 questions and they usually arent that hard. you might want to give it a quick look through even though time is running short. Im trying to think off the top of my head what was important from macro. I certainly would know the formula for GDP, things that increase and decrease the money supply, the exchange rate formulas..im sure there is other stuff but that is all i can think of now...

[retaker]

.....There was more on the test than you might think....

Yeah! There was more than usual on last sittings! :evil:

I skipped Macro.

Check out my name. :oops:

[Mathlete]

.....There was more on the test than you might think....

Yeah! There was more than usual on last sittings! :evil:

I skipped Macro.

Check out my name. :oops:
The question is: did you skip it again this time? ;)

[Michael]

I bought several beers for the wise, older actuarial student at my company who said "don't neglect the macro.....don't neglect the macro...."

These exams are hard to pass, but they're even harder if you concede 7 questions out of the gate.....

The study note is painful, yes, but you need to think about return on your time, as well, which can lead to some surprising goals

For example, if you've studied interest theory for several months and are getting about 70% correct, how much will you really improve in one week? On the other hand, if you've ignored macro completely, you can probably raise your odds from 20% (average guessing) to say 50%.....Now, the number of questions on the exam vary by topic area, but your learning curve on macro could be very steep.....just a thought.....

[retaker]

Hell no I didn't skip it this time! I'm the macro man, this time. Ask me anything... In fact, ask me anything at all on course 2. :)

I'm embarrassed to say that I kind of like the Macro now.

[Macroman]

you should at least get the low hanging fruit.

get yourself an easy to read macro text from a used bookstore and do a little skimming thru chapters that cover Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply. It is inconceivable to me that 2-3 hours spent this way would not be enough for you to get at least 3-4 of the 8-12 questions you can expect to see on the exam confidently correct, especially if you have done a good job with your micro. That should mean that you get 50% of macro right (with average guesses on the others).

You will then be in very good shape to pass if you are well prepared on the other topics.

A final piece of advice, if you have skipped a significant portion of the syllabus and get to a question and are saying to yourself "what the #$&^ is that" when you get to a question then it's time to skip that question rather than sit there and try to puzzle it out using the tools that you do not have.

[VernSchil]

I would definitely memorize some of the easier formulas, Government expenditure multiplier, interest rate parity, Investment/Savings identity,etc. Questions that use them are pure gifts most of the time. I'd also have a very good understanding of the IS/LM model and how it affects the Aggregate Demand/Supply. I think that's all I'm going to study myself. I hope it's enough to correctly answer over 50% of the macro questions.

[Cynic]

I don't think it's a good idea to skip the Macro part. If your exam is next week and you haven't studied any Macro yet, well...good luck! At least get something out of that study notes. It looks like a pain, but it's not that bad if your read it slowly and attentively.