Preliminary Examination (Prelim)

Successful completion of a preliminary examination is a requirement of the Graduate School for “Advancement to Candidacy,” the process by which a student is officially deemed a candidate for a Ph.D. In the Department of Biochemistry, the prelim consists of two parts: a written proposal describing the student’s thesis research and an oral exam administered by the Prelim Committee.

1. Prelim Exam Format

The goals of the written portion of the prelim exam are as follows:

  1. To demonstrate proficiency in the student’s field of interest with respect to knowledge of the pertinent literature and the applicable techniques and the ability to pose incisive questions or hypotheses and design experiments to address them.
  2. To familiarize the student with the process of preparing an NIH-style grant proposal like that required for a post-doctoral fellowship.

In accordance with these goals, the written portion of the prelim exam should conform to the guidelines for an NIH research grant proposal, included with the instructions for the PHS 398 grant application form. Please follow these guidelines exactly. The section headings should be the same as those described in the instructions and in the same order. All of the items listed in the instructions under each section should be addressed in the proposal.

The student’s mentor is encouraged to participate in the preparation and editing of the written proposal. Students are urged to ask their advisor to read the proposal prior to distribution to the committee and make suggestions to improve style, language and clarity of the document. The advisor may also provide assistance to assure that the proposal conforms to the NIH guidelines. Such participation will increase the probability that the proposal will be acceptable to the committee and will minimize the need for revisions after submission. However, it is anticipated that the committee may often request specific revisions.

3. Scheduling the Oral Examination

The biggest logistical problem with taking the prelim is finding a date for the oral exam that is acceptable to each member of the committee, including both the Advisory Committee Member who will serve as the committee chair for the prelim (the ACM) and the mentor (PI). Therefore, the student should have the oral exam date set before September 30, whether or not the written thesis is complete. This lead time should make it easier to schedule the exam and also give the student a deadline for preparing the proposal. The student is responsible for informing the committee and the Biochemistry Graduate Studies Office (BGSO) of this date.

4. Preliminary Exam Forms

Prior to submitting the written prelim proposal to the committee (at least one month before the oral exam), students register to take the prelim exam with the BGSO and pick up copies of the following:

  1. Written Preliminary Examination Cover Sheet
  2. Written Prelim Evaluation Form

These are included with the written proposal when it is distributed to the committee.

5. Written Proposal Submission

On the day students distribute the written proposal to their respective committees, they should fill in the date that comments are due to the ACM (1 week later). Students should also fill in the oral exam date, which they should have arranged with the committee. They should make copies of this Cover Sheet and attach it to each copy of the written proposal. Students should also submit a copy of the prelim proposal (and any subsequent revisions) to the BGSO, along with cover sheets that record the actual date that each committee member received the written proposal. If a student is asked to revise the written proposal, a new cover sheet should be obtained and attached to the revised versions with appropriate dates.

6. Written Proposal Approval Process

Within one week of receiving the written proposal, the Prelim Committee should read the proposal and contact the ACM with respect to its acceptability as a NIH-style research proposal. Any specific requests for revisions should be made through the ACM, who will then compile the committee’s revisions and communicate them to the student. The student will make the requested revisions, usually within one week, and resubmit the revised proposal to the committee. If this revised document is acceptable to at least three members of the committee, the oral exam will proceed as scheduled. If not, the student will be informed of any further revisions that are required.

7. Oral Exam

After the committee has approved the proposal, the student will meet with the committee for an oral examination. During the first 30 minutes of the exam, the student presents a seminar primarily on the research project already accomplished. This is followed by the questions from the committee, at which point the student’s mentor will not be present. It should be emphasized that the range of questions in this oral exam is in the general area of biochemistry; they are usually centered on, but are not restricted to, the student’s proposal. At the end of the examination, the student will leave the room and the mentor will usually join the committee for further consultation.

NOTE: Students are encouraged to arrange a “mock” oral to prepare for this examination. Such practice may involve members of the student’s lab and other graduate students. The student is informed of the committee’s decision and advice at the conclusion of the examination. In addition, the student and advisor receive the written and oral evaluation forms from each committee member, which they jointly read and discuss, then submit to the BGSO for inclusion in the student’s file.