Artiscence

It is true. Passing the qualifying exam is no easy feat. The process of studying for the exam is more daunting and challenging than the two hours spent taking the exam itself. So, how do you reduce stress and maximize your studying potential while preparing for the Quals? I have 10 suggestions based on MY personal experience to share with you. 1. Start thinking early 2. Select your committee members ( more info? click here ) 3. Have a "pre-exam meeting" with your committee members ( more info? click here ) 4. Read foundational materials in your field 5. Build your study around your thesis (if your exam is thesis-focused) 6. Read articles, then, read them again 7. Prepare an outline for the written AND oral exam 8. Practice, practice practice 9. Give yourself a break every now and then 10. Take your exam Breathe deeply, introduce yourself and start. It helps if you include a biography slide because spending the first minute or so giving them your academic backgr...

I passed my Qualifying Exam! What is Quals? Qualifying Exam (Quals) or Preliminary Exam (Prelims) or Generals is THE examination that qualifies/transitions a graduate student to continue graduate studies. The quals varies based on institutions, but there are some basic concepts that they all follow. Most Bio-med programs (Bio-med might include STEM: Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) follow these concepts. These concepts include some or all of these: 1. A Written Thesis Proposal (or a proposal based on something other than your thesis project) 2. An Oral Examination (Presentation) (might be chalk board or powerpoint) 3. You must have completed some basic requirements such as classes, lab rotations, TAship, ... 4. You should have a good idea what your short term and long term goals are, as far as your research goes. Although this might be tentative (that's ok), you should be able to back up your reasoning. My quals process started in January wit...