How to Study for Orals?

[relentless11]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for studying for orals. Although everyone has a different method, I am just curious if there are any other methods beyond just reading, and having practice runs with fellow classmates (and faculty). My committee members have defined where I should focus, so I'm planning to read up on the material first, make flashcards to test myself, and then read some more...over and over and over.

The questions can include clinically oriented questions (I have a clinically based PhD thesis), so are there any other resources which I can tap into? USMLE Step I/II? Any advice is appreciated...thanks again!

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[RxnMan]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for studying for orals. Although everyone has a different method, I am just curious if there are any other methods beyond just reading, and having practice runs with fellow classmates (and faculty). My committee members have defined where I should focus, so I'm planning to read up on the material first, make flashcards to test myself, and then read some more...over and over and over.

The questions can include clinically oriented questions (I have a clinically based PhD thesis), so are there any other resources which I can tap into? USMLE Step I/II? Any advice is appreciated...thanks again!

WHen you say oral exam, you're talking about your defense, right? Why are you studying for that? You know the material better than anyone, including your advisor. You did the project - how can they tell you that you were wrong?

 

[relentless11]

WHen you say oral exam, you're talking about your defense, right? Why are you studying for that? You know the material better than anyone, including your advisor. You did the project - how can they tell you that you were wrong?

Our oral qualifying exam is taken after completing our coursework where we defend in 3 subject areas and our research (proposal). I'm cool with the research aspect, but curious about how to study for 3 relatively large subject areas THanks!

 

[RxnMan]

Our oral qualifying exam is taken after completing our coursework where we defend in 3 subject areas and our research (proposal). I'm cool with the research aspect, but curious about how to study for 3 relatively large subject areas THanks!

I getcha. I didn't study for my defense at all, and I had pass by a unanimous (sp?) vote. W/r/t what you're describing, I'd think about talking to other grad students who took exams from the same profs. What did those students get tested on?

For example, I remember hearing that one prof in my department always wanted such-and-such derivation. Hard to do on the spot, unless you took 5 mins to look it up beforehand.

My best friend from undergrad took a class as a master's student that had an oral final. He knew the profs well and knew what type of questions they'd ask (i.e. a "thermo of cooling steel" question). Then he did a bunch of those problems beforehand. Lo and behold, it came up on the exam.

Also go over your fundamentals for those three subjects. For example, for thermo, remember the three laws and how to apply them. Remember your general heat transfer equation. If you're doing heat transfer, remember some 2-D heating problems, some fin-cooling problems, and some convection (free and forced). That's about it. If nothing else, if you apply the fundamentals correctly to a problem, and listen to your profs (who are your friends and will often coach you when you hit a snag), then you'll do fine.

 

[relentless11]

Cool thanks. Yea the fundamentals should be good to go. I guess it pretty much comes down to if you know enough of the fundamentals to work though the problems they propose to you...the real kicker is some of the questions may not have a right or wrong answer..lol. Thanks again RxnMan!

 

[RxnMan]

...the real kicker is some of the questions may not have a right or wrong answer..lol.[/qoute]If you have a good idea of how to approach the problem, know some of the problems between you and a solution (I'd need XYZ constant to calculate this, or, I'd have to make ABC assumption about this process), and justify your answer, you're golden.

I cannot stress enough to listen to your professors. They were up there once themselves, and they will help you if you get stuck.

Thanks again RxnMan!

Just doing my duty, citizen. Up, up and awayyyyy...