Prelim Exams
General Information about the preliminary exam
Ph.D. students in the Berkeley mathematics department are required to pass this examination within their first three semesters. It is held every semester on the Monday and Tuesday mornings before instruction begins. The purpose of the prelim exam is to make sure that graduate students have sufficient working knowledge of undergraduate material to complete a PhD, and to give them some early feedback about how well prepared they are. The prelim exam is set and graded by the Preliminary Examination Committee, and questions about the exam can be sent to the current chair of the committee or room 910 Evans Hall.
The Fall 2012 Preliminary Examination
The Fall 2012 prelim exam will be held Monday August 20th and Tuesday August 21st, from 9:00-12:00, in rooms 736 and 740 Evans Hall, and results of the prelim should be posted here by late afternoon on Friday the same week. Please sign up for the exam in 910 Evans Hall to obtain your number (the exam is taken anonymously). There is a workshop for students who wish for help in preparing for the exam; ask in room 910 for details. Students who need special accommodation for the prelim must obtain a letter from the Disabled Student's Program and must contact the chair of the Preliminary Examination Committee ten days before the exam so that any necessary arrangements can be made.
What will be on the exam
On each day students are expected to do 6 out of 9 questions, which typically consist of one question on calculus, and two questions on each of the topics real analysis, complex analysis, linear algebra, and abstract algebra. The recent prelim exams and solutions and a detailed description of the syllabus and policy are available at the bottom of this page. The questions are intended to be routine applications of undergraduate honors course topics. Recently the committee has tried to make the questions easier and more straightforward, so older prelim questions may give a misleading impression of the difficulty of the prelim.
Grading of the prelim
There is no quota for the number of students who pass or fail, and the prelim committee will pass all students who have demonstrated that they have the required background, which is roughly the level of an A grade in an honors undergraduate course. The grading is strict, and little or no credit is given for partial answers that do not seem to be heading towards a complete solution. In recent years the passing grade has often been between 70 and 80 out of 120, and typically about two thirds of students pass each time, but these figures are not official policy and may sometimes change.
Options for those who do not pass
The prelim committee may recommend courses to take based on the performance in the prelim. Students are encouraged to take these courses to fill the gaps in their background knowledge, after discussing this with their advisor, rather than "train" for the next prelim. Students who do not pass may submit a written appeal to room 910 by Friday of the next week after the exam. Appeals are usually only granted for clear mistakes on the part of the grader, such as adding up marks incorrectly or overlooking part of the solution, and are not normally granted for a misprint in a question that the grader was aware of, or because the student feels that the grader was too strict. Students who wish to take the prelim beyond their third semester can appeal to Committee Omega, Students who score less than about 50 or who do not pass by their second attempt often find it hard to complete a PhD, and sometimes choose to do a master's degree instead. The Vice-Chair for Graduate Affairs can give advice about possible options.
