Mathematics
The Preliminary Examination is a written assessment designed to evaluate a student's proficiency in graduate-level Analysis, Algebra, and Topology. It covers material from the following core courses: MAT 201AB, MAT 250AB, MAT 215A, and MAT 239. The exam is administered annually in June and September.
Ph.D. students are required to pass two of the three subject areas before the start of their seventh academic quarter. Successfully passing two parts also satisfies the Comprehensive Examination requirement for the M.A. Plan II degree. Students may attempt the exams multiple times, with emphasis placed on the timing of successful completion rather than the number of attempts.
Applied Mathematics
Ph.D. students must pass either both subjects in Area A (Analysis and Applied), or one subject in Area A and one in Area B (Data Science, Numerical Analysis, Probability, or Theoretical Computer Science) before their before the start of their seventh academic quarter.
M.S. Plan II students must pass the MAT 207A/B/C Applied subject area, which fulfills the comprehensive exam requirement for the M.S. degree. Students may attempt the exam multiple times, with emphasis placed on the timing of successful completion rather than the number of attempts.
Exam Preparation & Oversight
Preparation for the preliminary exams is managed by either the Mathematics Graduate Program Committee (GPC)—for the Analysis, Algebra, and Topology exams—or the Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics (GGAM) Executive Committee—for the Applied Math and "Area B" exams.
- These committees solicit exam problems from instructors who most recently taught the corresponding courses.
- They review and revise submissions, selecting appropriate problems for inclusion in the exams.
- The same instructors are responsible for grading the exams.
- The GPC or GGAM Executive Committee then reviews the results and determines the passing cut-off scores.
Cut-off scores may vary from year to year and across exams to account for differences in grading styles and question difficulty. This ensures that the scores reflect whether students have sufficiently demonstrated mastery of the material.
Importantly, the committees do not impose any distribution of passing scores—there is no requirement that some students fail in order for others to pass.