Below are the instructions for carrying out the BCB comprehensive examination. While
the procedure follows all rules outlined by the Graduate School’s General Guidelines,
BCB has a unique format with three components:
1. The Research Proposal - the student will prepare an NIH-style research proposal based on the interests of
their chosen laboratory. This will not be graded as the written exam. Instead, the
advisory committee members will create essay-style questions that are based on the
proposal, and the student’s responses in a classical sit-down examination will be
graded as the written examination. The proposal will also be used by the BCB study
section following approval by the student's mentor. Upon receiving the proposal, the
Major Advisor will request 2 questions from each advisory committee member based on
their expertise, and ensure that the questions cover the following 5 categories:
1. Big picture knowledge (Clinical picture, benefactors if project is successful)
2. Knowledge of their chosen focus area (Information considered essential for those in your field)
3. Basic knowledge (e.g. as mastered in the Biomed core curriculum)
4. Methodology (Proper controls, strengths/weaknesses and alternate measures/approaches)
5. Statistics
2. The Written Exam - After submitting the proposal, the student will coordinate with their major advisor
and the BCB program to identify a proctor, and to arrange a date/time for both their
written and oral examinations to take place (*see below). The first choice for the
written component should be the first-floor conference room, where Kim Lord will serve
as proctor. Alternate arrangements should be made with the advisement of the program
director. Ideally, the written examination should take place within a few weeks following
submission of the proposal, which will allow the advisory committee sufficient time
to read the proposal and write the questions for the exam.
On the date/time of the written examination, the student will bring writing materials
that are sufficient to answer eight of the 10 questions in the exam. At least one
question must be answered from each category. The student will have up to 4 hours
to complete the examination, and no electronic devices should be available during
this period. The exam will be collected by the proctor for duplication and distribution
to members of the advisory committee for grading. Ideally, the graded examinations
will be submitted to BCB within 2 weeks following the exam.
3. The Oral Exam - A passing grade on the written exam must be obtained prior to proceeding to the oral
component. The program director will serve as chair of the Oral Examination, where
they will ensure that all procedures are conducted within the policies and guidelines
of the Graduate School. Advisory committee members will sequentially address the student
with questions relating to their written examination, and student performance will
be recorded on a grading rubric sent by email immediately following the oral examination.
The anonymous grades for both the written and oral portions will be compiled and distributed
to the student and advisory committee. The student is responsible to have the Exam
Grade Reporting form signed by all members and returned to The Graduate School.
*The student is responsible for communicating with their advisory committee, the BCB
program, and their Graduate Program Director to arrange an appropriate time/date for
the components of their comprehensive examination (use of doodle poll is recommended).
The Graduate School requires receipt of the Pre-approval form containing the time/date/place
at least 2 weeks prior to the written examination. While the student can set the dates
for the written/oral exam components right after submitting the proposal to their
committee, they need to consider the time for their committee members to read the
proposal and for the mentor to collect questions for the exam. Furthermore, the oral
component must be completed within 4 weeks after the written component. If you have
any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to respond to this email, and if
necessary arrange a meeting with the program director.
