Sample Prelims and Requirements

[TruDog]

Since we've had a couple of threads about prelims (or qualifiers and comps) lately, I think it would be worthwhile to compile a list of exams and requirements from different universities.

I'll set things up with the following template:

School: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Required prelims: Macro theory and micro theory

When taken: First attempt: End of July following first year

Retakes: Everyone gets a second attempt in the first week of January of their second year. Students can apply for a third attempt the following July, which is occasionally granted.

Score required to pass: 50% on both. You can pass them one at a time.

Link to old prelims: Sample Prelim Exams - Economics (dating back to 1997)

Field exams: No, a field paper is required instead.

For those of you starting PhD programs this year or in the future, this will give you an idea of what you're expected to learn during your first year at various schools. If you're getting ready to take prelims soon (like me), this could serve as a nice source of extra review questions.

[Golden Rule]

School: Columbia

Required prelims: Macro, Micro, and Econometrics

When taken: First attempt early May, less than a week after courses end. One chance to retake in September

Score required to pass: Allegedly an absolute standard. Graded on high pass, pass, marginal pass, fail. Marginal pass becomes a pass if the other two exams are passes (marginal fail - what it's called at UMich - is a much more accurate description)

Link to old prelims: Prelims available upon request (PM), they're all on a gated site.

Field exams: Pass prelims in May tied to five courses, of which some subset of 2 or 3 constitutes a "primary field." Same schedule as first-year exams. Also have to do an econometrics paper, a field paper, and a colloquium presentation all in the second semester of second year. (System is new this year, and could change -- last year we just had the usual two fields and one econometrics paper. I'm interested in what other schools are doing, since I'm more or less in charge of providing feedback to the faculty now.)

[asquare]

School: U-Mich

Required prelims: micro and macro

When taken: late August after first year

Retake: August after 2nd year. Exams are graded pass with distinction; pass; marginal fail; fail. If you pass one exam with distinction and marginally fail the other, you are granted a pass on the second exam and not required to retake it.

Score required to pass: Not set or announced. You also don't get your score after the exam. The faculty tell us that every year there is an absolute score required to pass (not that X percent or Y number of students pass and the others fail).

Link to old prelims: not available online; Mary Braun distributes a hard copy of old prelims to students signed up to take the exams.

Field exams: Two exams required; first attempt is early September before 3rd year begins and second attempt is early September before 4th year begins.

[jenizaro]

I am not at UC Davis so I don't know the institutional details, but past tests are online (and they look insanely hard):

Department of Economics

[commodore]

One thing I want to say -- well, two things. First, this is a great thread. Second, don't get scared if you look at prelims and they look really hard. I'm about to take mine at Yale, and I can't do a lot of the problems on the Wisconsin one. Tests are tailored to who taught you and how they taught. By the time your prelims come, you're prepared, and that's all that matters.

[andyecon]

School: Minnesota

Required prelims: Micro/Macro Theory

When taken: Early June after first year.

Retake: August before second year, June after second year, August after second year... can apply to take again in June after third year.

Score required to pass: Three grades- PhD pass, Masters pass, Fail. Never met somebody who got Fail, so Masters pass is the true fail grade. No idea how they score them.

Link to old prelims: The Prelim Archive

Field exams: Two required. June after second year, August after second year, June third year... etc

[P=NP]

School: Yale

Required prelims: Macro and Micro

When taken: First attempt: Mid-May, following first year

Retakes: Late August, before second year

Score required to pass: 60% on both, but this sometimes gets lowered. You can pass them one at a time.

Link to old prelims: ERIC M BECKER | COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS

Field exams: Two oral exams are required at the end of second year (or beginning of third). These can be taken any number of times, and one of the fields must have an empirical component. Also, there's a metrics paper due in the middle of third year.

[Weary]

FWIW here are Harvard exams:
Harvard Econ Department - Recent General Exams

[phdphd]

School: USC

Required prelims: Macro and Micro; if you fail one you have to retake both

When taken: First attempt: June

Retakes: August

Score required to pass: 2.5/4

Field exams: Second year paper instead of field exams

[Antichron]

School: MIT

Required prelims: None

Field exams: Must pass two general examinations in your selected fields. Essentially everyone passes. (This year and last, everyone passed on the first try.)

Links to past field exams: There aren't any online repositories of past MIT generals (that I am aware of), so I have attached some in pdf format. They may be a bit out of date, but it's the best I can do without getting myself into trouble.