Comprehensive Exam starting this spring-summer - tips?

[adel9216]

Hello everyone,

So I'm a few weeks away from the start of my comprehensive doctoral exam!!! To be honest, even if I am a little bit nervous, I'm also very happy to be almost done with coursework.

I am in the social sciences. I was wondering if you had any tips or suggestions in terms of going about it. What was your process when you were doing your comprehensive exam back in the days?

I have already identified a list of most of the major publications/books/articles on my topic and made an annotated bibliography that I updated on and off all throughout this semester. I have brainstormed over the last few weeks two potential questions for my exam that I have to discuss with my thesis director and doctoral committee (my questions will be chosen in consultation with me and them). I don't know if this is the best way to do this, but I just wanted to have "something" to discuss with them, and not start from scratch. I am totally open to their comments and suggestions. I'm actually very happy with my committee and my thesis director, I have very good feelings about the people that will guide me through this journey.

[archaeo42]

How long do you have for responding to your questions?

My social science grad program had 3 options. We had to produce two annotated bibs for our committee to create questions from (note: we did not know what our questions were in advance).

Option 1: 8 hours to respond to Qs per bib. This was over 2 days - so 1 day for bib 1, the next day for bib 2. Most people in my sub-field were expected to do this one (and I did it as well). We were put in an office or conference room in the department and the grad secretary oversaw when we picked up/turned in our responses. In doing this I made sure I had all possible snacks/beverages I might want, as well as lunch (we could only leave the room for restroom trips). I found that in the morning I wanted salty/greasy (e.g. chips) while in the afternoon I opted for healthier (fruit).

Option 2: 48 hours to respond to Qs per bib.

Option 3: 2 weeks to respond to Qs per bib.

The more time a student had, the more polished answers were expected to be. Very rarely did someone do 2 weeks because that stretched comps out over a month. Most other sub-fields did option 2.

When my cohort was going through comps everyone was very supportive. I was lucky in that my cohort got along really well and most of us were friends. Some of us ran practice sessions - e.g. a friend in something related would write you a question and vice versa and then we'd do a practice run (with a shortened clock). The general recommendation was to be kind to yourself. Things like be in comfortable clothing when you have to write, have whatever snacks you need, take breaks, work out an outline before you start writing, and also DON'T PANIC.

And, if you're given a printed copy of your answers do not read it right away. You'll be stressed and probably overtired and will only see the flaws/mistakes/etc. I learned that the hard way and had a bit of sob session in my room at home. :/

Then once that written portion was over and read by your committee we had an oral exam to review. There was usually about a month in between the written and the oral parts.

[adel9216]

How long do you have for responding to your questions?

My social science grad program had 3 options. We had to produce two annotated bibs for our committee to create questions from (note: we did not know what our questions were in advance).

Option 1: 8 hours to respond to Qs per bib. This was over 2 days - so 1 day for bib 1, the next day for bib 2. Most people in my sub-field were expected to do this one (and I did it as well). We were put in an office or conference room in the department and the grad secretary oversaw when we picked up/turned in our responses. In doing this I made sure I had all possible snacks/beverages I might want, as well as lunch (we could only leave the room for restroom trips). I found that in the morning I wanted salty/greasy (e.g. chips) while in the afternoon I opted for healthier (fruit).

Option 2: 48 hours to respond to Qs per bib.

Option 3: 2 weeks to respond to Qs per bib.

The more time a student had, the more polished answers were expected to be. Very rarely did someone do 2 weeks because that stretched comps out over a month. Most other sub-fields did option 2.

When my cohort was going through comps everyone was very supportive. I was lucky in that my cohort got along really well and most of us were friends. Some of us ran practice sessions - e.g. a friend in something related would write you a question and vice versa and then we'd do a practice run (with a shortened clock). The general recommendation was to be kind to yourself. Things like be in comfortable clothing when you have to write, have whatever snacks you need, take breaks, work out an outline before you start writing, and also DON'T PANIC.

And, if you're given a printed copy of your answers do not read it right away. You'll be stressed and probably overtired and will only see the flaws/mistakes/etc. I learned that the hard way and had a bit of sob session in my room at home. :/

Then once that written portion was over and read by your committee we had an oral exam to review. There was usually about a month in between the written and the oral parts.

Hello, thank you for answering.

I think my comps is actually dooable. I've heard stories about people in other programs and other departements who have it so much worse than I do.

I have the entire summer to read, and then I've got one month to write my exam in the Fall term. And an oral defense in the Fall term after that (about a month after I have submitted the written part). But I will probably read and write at the same time since day 1, and won't wait to the Fall term to start writing.

I feel a little anxious, for sure, but also confident, I think I can do this and there's no reason for me to fail. I just have to do what I have to do. I'm not so much worried about the writing part, I don't have writer's block or anything like that. I'm more concerned about organizing the amount of information I will read. I think I will use a combination of N'Vivo and Zotero to read my articles, I am unsure yet if it's the best strategy but since I already know how to use both, I don't want to re-invent the wheel lol.

[archaeo42]

I think I will use a combination of N'Vivo and Zotero to read my articles, I am unsure yet if it's the best strategy but since I already know how to use both, I don't want to re-invent the wheel lol.

Considering I just used a word doc and organized my bibs by major sub-themes and my sources alphabetically within those, I think you'll do just fine. What matters is can you find the information you need when you need it.

[adel9216]

I think I will use a combination of N'Vivo and Zotero to read my articles, I am unsure yet if it's the best strategy but since I already know how to use both, I don't want to re-invent the wheel lol.

Considering I just used a word doc and organized my bibs by major sub-themes and my sources alphabetically within those, I think you'll do just fine. What matters is can you find the information you need when you need it.

Yes, so you recommend organizing my library into themes?

[archaeo42]

I think I will use a combination of N'Vivo and Zotero to read my articles, I am unsure yet if it's the best strategy but since I already know how to use both, I don't want to re-invent the wheel lol.

Considering I just used a word doc and organized my bibs by major sub-themes and my sources alphabetically within those, I think you'll do just fine. What matters is can you find the information you need when you need it.

Yes, so you recommend organizing my library into themes?

I recommend whatever is most useful for you. That's what was useful for me.

[Sun_Worshiper]

My comps were 8 hours each, taken in a computer lab on campus.  My strategy for studying was to do timed practice tests with old questions (obtained from more senior students).  By the time the exam came, I had done so many practices that I could go on auto-pilot answering any question put in front of me.  There was also an oral exam - not sure if/how I prepared for it, but it went fine.

This probably won't be so helpful for OP, since their exam format is quite different, but maybe for someone else.

[adel9216]

So, I've almost got my two questions finalized! As soon as they're formally approved, I am going to draft a research strategy and consult the librarian to have his input!

I can't wait to be reading and writing this summer. It's going to be very interesting and I'm sure I'll feel even more equipped for the rest of my path afterwards.

[adel9216]

Hello!
So I completed the first version of my reading list for question no1, and am almost done for question no2.

I am trying to balance between books and articles, as much as possible.

Do you have any tips when it comes to the finalization of readings lists?

[traductio]

Do you have any tips when it comes to the finalization of readings lists?

Talk to your supervisor. This will vary by field and department.

[adel9216]

I did! I thought I might have extra tips :)

[adel9216]

Okay, so I completed my reading lists. My supervisor made two minor changes to them, and we've sent the list over to my committee. I also made a calendar for when I'll be reading what during the summer. I also planned to not work on week-ends and to take a week of vacation at the end of the summer.

So by the end of May, I should begin. I've also imported all of my references to Zotero (I still have to fix the references that are not accurate), made sure I had access to all of those references either electronically or in physical paper. I've ordered one book that's going to arrive later in the summer (thanks to COVID-19) but otherwise, I'm almost all set.

[Caracal]

Okay, so I completed my reading lists. My supervisor made two minor changes to them, and we've sent the list over to my committee. I also made a calendar for when I'll be reading what during the summer. I also planned to not work on week-ends and to take a week of vacation at the end of the summer.

Make sure to talk to older grad students. It can be really important to have a sense of how comps actually work in practice and their importance. At some places, they are actually a weeding out mechanism, but at many places advisors don't allow students to take comps if they think they aren't ready, and it is expected that anybody who is having trouble should be handled before you get to the actual exam.

The larger point is that often a lot of unnecessary anxiety goes into comps. When I finished, I almost immediately realized that the whole thing wasn't as big a deal as I had made it out to be. Obviously, you should work hard, but you usually don't need to be at the library in the middle of the night.

Also, it is worth getting a sense from older grad students of what it means to "read" something  for comps. At least in my field, there were a relatively small number of things that you really needed to know all the details about. Often, you could just read the intro and get what you needed.

[adel9216]

Yes I did talk with older grad students and they've said exactly the same thing !

[traductio]

It sounds like you've prepared the best you can. It will be impossible for people who don't know your program to give you advice any more concrete than "talk to people who've taken the exams before you." I know that the advice I received for my comp exams would be terrible advice (at a practical level) for the students in the department where I now teach, despite the fact it's the same field. And advice for the department where I did my PhD would have been useless for people in other departments at the same university. (Holy crap, but did comp lit people have a lot to read! I was glad I wasn't in comp lit.)

Good luck!