Tips and Hints for Passing the First Exam
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[edit] Hints and Tips for the First Qualifying Exam
[edit] Before the Exam
[edit] Remember your Teddy Bear
We all have something that makes us feel secure, relaxed, or confident. Whatever that might be (a blanket, a balloon, a couple martinis), try to keep it near you the week of the exam. Break out your lucky socks to wear with your comfortable yet professional exam outfit. Think about the moments in the past when you've felt most on-the-ball about your mastery of this material: Were you taking a bath, explaining a concept to a student, chatting over margaritas? The night before or morning of your exam, you might want to recreate that experience: indulge yourself in whatever will make you feel your best.
[edit] Study toward the Exam, Not Necessarily the Examiners
You know what study practices work for you, so try to figure out what will best help you in this particular type of exam. The good news is: there's a particular set of texts with which you should be familiar, so familiarize yourself with the list. Turn the titles into questions to help you study: "Why is the soldier good?" "How are pleasure and virtue reconciled?"
However, when it comes to trying to predict what the examiners will ask, clairvoyance will only get you so far. You certainly want to meet with and even get to know your examiners before the big day, but there's no way of truly predicting what they will ask you. Do try to get a sense of their exam "style"--ask them how they "see" this exam--but don't waste too much time trying to prophesy what they'll ask; instead, focus on what you do know and can know about the material and how your examiner intends to approach the exam.
[edit] Talk It Up, Part I
As an oral exam, you will be doing a lot of talking. It's good to get practice talking to whomever will listen. In study groups, make a concerted effort to give everyone a fair share of time to practice talking about the material and mock-examining each other is great practice all around. It's a good idea to practice answering questions by connecting as many texts as possible, even across lists. Pick up on the details of each other's answers and then ask the mock-examinee to expand on a particular detail in other texts. For example, if she mentions that during Mrs. Dalloway's party she learns that Septimus committed suicide, ask her what other texts involve suicide (or, better yet, parties).
Also, ask people outside your study groups to meet with you to give you a chance to talk about the exam. These "mini-mocks" can be as formal or informal as you like, but regardless, most people would be glad to do it. A few minutes over coffee could do a lot to direct your focus, straighten out your terms, and boost your confidence.
[edit] Practice I.D.'s
Regardless of whether you expect IDs from your examiners, practicing identifying passages is a great way to familiarize yourself with the nuances of particular writers. In study groups, make IDs for one another and after identifying the work and author, spend some time talking about the specific passage. Don't just give each other the most obvious passages. Challenge each other: getting used to that uncomfortable moment of not recognizing something right away is better to do now than during the exam itself.
[edit] Facts and Figures: Sparknotes, Masterplots, and Headnotes
Plan to spend a significant amount of time reviewing the names of specific characters, the plots, and general themes of the works on your lists. Although the examiners might not ask you lots of specific questions, your elaborate theory about the way that the purgatorial stage works in Hamlet won't get you too far when you're asked to discuss comic figures in Bartholomew Fair. In other words, the details of the works are the tools for doing on-the-spot analysis, and naming specific characters and moments of the texts (for example, your "favorite" dream from Freud) in your answers will convince them of your mastery of the material (even if you only got those details from Sparknotes).
[edit] During the Exam
[edit] Bring Water
For one thing, you'll be brilliantly answering a handful of questions for 2 hours, so your throat's bound to get a little dry; taking a few sips of water here and there will help alleviate any embarrassing voice cracks that could be interpreted (no doubt, incorrectly) as anxiety. Also, you may find the sip-nod-talk technique helpful. Having a bottle of water handy gives you a place to direct your nervous energy as they are asking you questions or as you're gathering your thoughts to answer a question.
[edit] Bring a Pen or a Pencil
Another great way to keep focused and to contain your nervous energy is to jot notes down, both as they are asking you questions and as you are thinking of how to answer questions. It is helpful to make some shorthand notes to keep you in mind of various directions you could go with your answer. (These notes are especially helpful if your examiner repeatedly asks you the same leading question: by having a note of everything that comes to mind, you have something to which to refer should your first response not receive the desired reaction.)
[edit] USE THE LIST!!!
They've got it and you've got it. They're probably looking at it to come up with questions so you should be looking at it to come up with answers.
Also, should an examiner ask you a question about a text which is not on the list, there's no shame in notifying him/her of that fact. It's also an opportunity to steer the exam in a direction you'd like to go: "Spivak is not on this list, but I'd like to answer your question using Irigaray..." Before the exam starts, make sure everyone has the right version of the list!
[edit] Remember: You Know More than You Think You Know
You can expect to get contextual questions, but they're not as bad as you may think. You've done a lot of work at this point and you know a whole hell of a lot. Horrified by the thought of broad questions like "Discuss Joyce and (post)colonialism"? Well, they probably don't expect you to cite articles and long, intricate theories of the post-colonial. You know that Ireland was a colony and Joyce was Irish. Tell them that and go from there.
[edit] You're a Great Teacher: Use It!
It's helpful to think of the exam as a series of teaching moments. You know how when you're teaching you can't just throw out that something is homoerotic or an example of a structuralist reading or an emblematic enigma of the author function without giving them some sense of what you mean when you use these terms. Define your terms during the exam too. You don't need to treat them like idiots--that doesn't help when you're a teacher either; rather, elaborate on the assumptions you are making as you are speaking: e.g., If you refer to The Faerie Queene as an epic poem, tell them why and how you're using that term (which opens up space for you to talk about Spenser's relationship with Virgil, to move on to Paradise Lost if you want, etc.).
[edit] Talk It Up, Part II
You don't have to buy that this exam is a "conversation," but there is certainly a lot of talking involved and you do have a great deal of freedom regarding what you say. With the rare exception of specific questions (the date of partition, the names of the "Sons of Ben," etc.), there is no singular way to answer a question. Because of this openness you can spin the exam in your favor by directing your answer toward what you are most knowledgeable: a simple, "I'd like to answer this question by referring to..." or "I'm glad you asked, since Bernardo was my favorite character because..." takes up a few extra seconds and helps you show off your knowledge and (ostensible) interest and enthusiasm.
If you find yourself in comfortable territory, take advantage of it as long as they let you.
[edit] You Can Pass and Still Pass
We can't all be part of the "at least I knew everything" school. It's great if you do know everything, but you might find some comfort in knowing that it IS ok to pass on a few questions. You certainly wouldn't want to defer answers to too many questions (and there's no strict algebra for determining how many times you can "just say no"), but in the case your mind should go blank or you get asked that one question you dreaded more than any others, just pass on it. At this point, most of us are pretty good at BSing, so if you're feeling in the groove, then, go ahead, answer that question that you're not so sure about. However, sometimes it's better to pass on a question before digging yourself into a hole, so your examiner can get straight to another question and you can show off your brilliance.
