As senior scientists, we have navigated the challenging waters of the PhD qualifying exam—both as students taking it and as professors administering it. As students, both of us excelled academically, yet we anticipated the qualifying exam with anxiety and dread. How could we not? The professors judging us could inquire about any aspect on which they were expert. We prepared for the exam by revisiting our coursework, aware that even the most thorough review might not suffice, as some professors saw the exam as an opportunity to push students beyond core knowledge.
We recall preparing diligently for specific topics about which we were never queried, and thus we were unable to showcase our extensive preparation. We recall knowing the answers to some exam questions in retrospect, but in the pressure of the moment, we couldn’t remember them. What’s more, passing the qualifying exam left us no closer to defining our...
