I know I few of you here have done PhD’s, or are in the process of doing one, I have a question about entering exams. (I know not all uni’s do this, but read below)
The specific program I am interested in, carries out oral and written examinations on “your ability to carry out research”. Admittance and scholarships are based largely upon examination performance.
Any good sources/books to prepare myself for these tests? (this coming fall) Has anobody ever taken a similar test?
I’d like to have the best scores… All feedback appreciated, thanks !
p.s. I know there are a LOT of PhD horror stories out there, please spare those… :rolleyes:
Never did anything like this myself before I did mine but here are some ideas…
There are all the books on how to “do a phd” etc, that might be useful. Apart from that you have to show commitment to studying for 3 (more like 5!) years. I would assume being able to talk about previous research - undergraduate, postgraduate would also be useful.
Skills would include writing abstracts, reading papers and critically appraising them etc - often this stuff is covered at Masters level. To be honest from my experience the best PHD candidates are those that tend to just get it done - at least from a university’s perspective as it gets them more papers and hence funding!
Gotcha, thanks !
Any specific book in mind that you think would be extremely helpful, that covers specifics, such as creating a hypothesis, selecting research strategies, evaluating data, reporting results, etc etc?
I’m just not sure how specific that written exam is going to get, and I want to have all the technical info down. I think I got the rest (abstracts, papers, “getting it done”)…
Go to your university library and go through what they have it’s been years since I used them. I think you need to speak to someone else who has done this entry exam to find out. Maybe find a research student via the Uni’s website and phone them to ask! Find someone you have something in common with and just call them!