Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a young graduate student quite like the preliminary oral examination. The term 'oral exam' in this article refers only to the preliminary oral exam, not to the final thesis defense. The oral exam, along with its cousins the cumulative or qualifying exams, is one of the first major hurdles that you will face in graduate school. Oral exams are usually taken during the second year of graduate school, after you have adjusted to the business of taking classes and teaching, and after you have done some amount of research. Practices vary among graduate schools and can also vary among different departments at the same institution. Most institutions have a written and an oral component to their qualifying exams.

Different schools will vary in the type of exams that are required, but most schools demand some combination of the tests described here. Obviously, all graduate schools require some amount of course work, which is usually concentrated in the first few years of the program. In addition, some schools have a set of preliminary examinations, which test basic undergraduate chemistry knowledge. These exams are usually given in the beginning of the first year, and you must pass them or take the appropriate undergraduate course. At some institutions, you may have two or three chances to pass the exam before being required to take the related class.

The second year is the most important year for qualifying examinations. Some graduate schools have a qualifying exam, which occurs over a few days and tests general knowledge. Other schools use a cumulative exam system, where you are required to pass a certain number of exams before the end of the second year, or to pass a specified percentage of exams. Cumulative exams, or "cumes," are usually given on one Saturday each month and you have a set time period in which to finish the examination. The topics of cumes vary from month to month, and they are designed to test you on a broad range of subjects. Professors usually write the exams on a rotating basis. Some schools allow the topic of the cume to be announced ahead of time, while others may not even divulge the writer of the exam. At the end of the second year, most institutions hold the oral examination, which will be discussed more specifically below. Some schools will require you to give a seminar about your research. Finally, there are some programs that assign a graduate committee at this point of graduate school who will remain with you throughout your school career. Yearly reports and occasional meetings with this committee may be required. You should determine all of the requirements of your own graduate program and know the general time frame in which your exams will occur.

The format and focus of the oral exam vary. A large component of most oral exams is a test of your general knowledge of chemistry. In addition, many schools ask you to write a research proposal or summary about your project. This paper is given to your committee in advance of the oral exam, and you orally defend it. Other schools may want you to write an original research proposal and orally defend that. Most oral exams last roughly three hours. Typically, you begin by giving a short presentation, during which your committee will ask questions. The faculty committee consists of three to five members, and may or may not include your research advisor. In some departments, there may be a requirement to have one faculty member from a different division. Additionally, in cases where you have the same committee for your oral exam as for your thesis defense, you may have a faculty member from outside your department.

Once you are aware of the types of examinations that you will face, the next step is to prepare for them. Most of the following discussion pertains directly to preparation for the oral exam, but can be extrapolated to preparation for other preliminary examinations. Dr. David Harwell, manager of the Office of Community Activities at the American Chemical Society and a former professor at the University of Hawaii, says that it can be overwhelming to prepare, because you feel the need to learn everything. He suggests starting with one broad textbook in your field, reviewing the material and working problems from the book. You can then look up related materials and information. He also suggests speaking with the professors on your committee about things that they consider to be important. Dr. Harwell cautions against being too specific, however, since you do not want annoy anyone by asking explicit questions.

When she was preparing for her oral exam, Dr. Heather Shafer, a visiting assistant professor at the College of the Holy Cross, remembers that she studied her old textbooks and highlighted aspects that were pertinent to her research. Looking back now, she says it would have been a good idea to "thoroughly focus on general chemistry, and especially review topics that were specific to my project."

In general, it is a good idea to try to stay current with the literature in your field. Knowing the research that is happening at the moment may also help you on your oral exams, in case a professor asks you a question about other work that is related to your research. In addition, reading the current literature might help you to think of an idea for an original research proposal. Dr. Harwell suggests starting with Accounts of Chemical Research, which is geared toward graduate students and contains broad reviews. Next, you might want to browse the Journal of the American Chemical Society or the premier journal for your area of chemistry. Keeping current with the literature does not mean reading every article in a journal; rather, familiarizing yourself with the abstracts and reading a few articles that interest you should be sufficient.

In addition to having an idea of the research that is currently happening elsewhere, you should be familiar with the research in your own department. It is particularly important to have a general idea of the research and techniques of the members of your oral exam committee. A member of Dr. Shafer's committee was upset that she did not know more about the work in his laboratory. It is also important to attend your divisional and departmental seminars. During seminars, note the questions that professors ask; Dr. Harwell points out each faculty member will usually ask the same types of questions. Paying attention during seminars may also benefit you for cumulative exams, as many professors like to ask questions about recent seminar topics.

Another good way to prepare for your oral examination is to have a practice exam. Dr. Shafer's research advisor and group held a practice oral exam session for her. She claims that while it was humiliating, it was also very helpful. She was able to see how the process would work before being in the exam, and learned the approach to use when answering questions. If your advisor is unable or unwilling to stage a practice oral exam for you, you may want to ask friends or older graduate students to help you.

Whether it involves your own research or an original idea when writing your proposal you should:

Organize your proposal so that it makes sense and is more persuasive. Remember the basic rules of English grammar and composition. Dr. Harwell advises reading the proposal like a reviewer would, looking for any possible gaps in your arguments.

Try to start early so that you are able to write the paper over a longer period of time. Assuming that your graduate program allows it, Dr. Shafer suggests having your advisor proofread your proposal in case you have addressed an issue that you might not understand, and so that you are sure that you have an appropriate focus. If your advisor cannot read the proposal, ask someone else read it for you. Besides gaining insight into any problems that your proposal might have and correcting any grammatical mistakes, you learn how to handle criticism in a friendlier environment.

Keep an idea file where you put notes about ideas as you think of them if your oral exam involves defending an original research proposal, recommends Dr. Harwell. Periodically looking back through your file may help you to come to a more concrete plan for your proposal.

After planning and studying for your oral examination, the big day will eventually arrive. Here are some techniques to help you maintain your confidence during the exam.

1) Spend more time answering questions that you know, and go into detail about the facts you know. Even if you are having trouble answering a question, it is important to remain calm and keep the conversation going. Repeat the question if necessary. Your committee members may try to help you, but it is key to attempt to correctly answer their questions given to help you.

2) Dr. Harwell notes that one of the most important factors for passing a student is whether she can see the big picture. You don't go through your work like a technician, but you really know your project and why you are doing it, go beyond rote memorization of facts, and really show ownership of the project. You should know what you have done, where you are going, and why. You should have an understanding of what the numbers in your data mean, as well as the errors you have or expect.

3) Dr. Harwell advises that any pressure you feel about the exam is internal, and it isn't as big of a deal as you might think. Dr. Shafer adds, "It is only three hours of your life."

After your oral exam is finished, most committees send you out of the room to confer upon your fate. There are usually three outcomes. The best option, of course, is to pass unconditionally. The worst option is to fail, although the end result may differ at different schools. In many cases, if you fail your oral exam, you may still receive a master's degree. In this case, it is important to remember that not all master's degrees are awarded because of a failure to succeed in graduate school, and that in some fields, a master's degree might be more desirable than a doctoral degree. There may be situations where you would not receive a degree at all and would simply leave the program, however. The third outcome of an oral exam, to pass with conditions, has several possibilities. One common result is to be required to return to your committee at a later date for further questioning about a particular area. Another possibility is to write a paper about a subject that you did not defend well. In the end, hopefully you will come out with a better knowledge of your research as well as a passing result.

Sarah L. Roberts received a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame in 1994, and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2000. She now lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

Related Reading

Here are some sample examination requirements from different universities so you can see how they vary:

SUNY at Bingamton
Northwestern University
University of Denver
UCLA
New York University
Boston University