If you’re going to compete this year, now’s the time to get in at the beginning of the season. Still undecided? Not sure if your skills are good enough? I’m gonna level with you. They’re probably not. You’ll most likely fail spectacularly. The competition is brutal and heart breaking but the experience is invaluable. You’ll dread the next round but won’t be able to wait. Just do it – your career will thank you.
Here’s some advice I’ve recently given to the Women in Financial Modeling Meetup Group to encourage them to compete in the Financial Modeling World Cup this year. But it’s applicable to anyone who’s thinking about entering for the first time so if you’re still on the fence I hope you find it helpful:
- You can register anonymously; they will not publish your name unless you want it shown
- It’s REALLY HARD. If you can finish one case in its entirety on your first attempt, you’re doing well
- Each stage has three cases so choose carefully which one you’re going to attempt first based on your strengths
- Look at how many points you get for each case and allocate your time accordingly
- Answer all the questions even if you haven’t finished the case. If (when!) you run out of time, just choose B.
- You will learn the most by attempting the case under time pressure, and then look through the solution to see how you could have done it differently. So make sure you put aside some time to go through the cases afterwards
- You will get better every single time you compete
- Yes you’ll probably wonder why the heck you put yourself through it but the next time you have to build a model under pressure at work you’ll perform so much better… that’s why.
If you’ve competed in the past, please feel free to add your advice below. The 2022 Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC) stages run every couple of months. See you there?
