“Comps,” or comprehensive exams, often loom as the boogeyman of PhD programs. Following two or three years of coursework, graduate students undertake a process aimed to show their “mastery” of subject matter. While other authors in this series have focused on what comps are, how to read and take notes for comps or how to use your comps list to craft your dissertation prospectus, this piece will focus on how to take the exam itself—both in written and oral form.
Before Your Exam
Take your comps meetings seriously
Before your exams are scheduled you will most likely have a series of meeting with the professors on your committee. Use this time wisely. Be sure to take note of questions or themes that seem important to committee members, as these will likely surface during your exam. Be honest about what you’ve understood and not understood from your readings. Foreground what you’ve found interesting. You should also use these meetings to talk to committee members about how they view comps and “mastery.” Are there certain questions they want you to be able to answer? Is there a certain format they’re looking for? Are examiners timed for the oral section? You should also use comps meetings to raise your own questions and make sure you understand key concepts. These meetings are spaces where you can gain a better grasp of the material and make sure you’re prepared for the upcoming exams.
Understand the rules
Comps vary from department to department. Ask as many questions as you need to so you understand what is—and is not—allowed. Can you use your own computer for the written portion? Are you allowed to have your lists with you for either section of the exams? Much of this information is not readily apparent in PhD programs, so do not feel shy about asking as many questions as necessary to get the information you need to be prepared.
Written Exam
Pace yourself
Before the written exam, ensure you understand how much time you have. Since this varies from department to department, make sure you know what applies to you. During my exam, I had 4 hours to compose and edit three essays, one each on Early America, the 19th century, and the 20th century. While it may be tempting to jump right in to writing when you receive your questions, take a moment to slow down and think through how you’ll compose your answers, how you’ll put works in conversation, and how you’ll express your own thoughts on the readings and their importance. While it may seem like you’ll be up against the clock, taking a few minutes to think through your approach will help calm your nerves and set you up for success.
Focus on being complete, not comprehensive
Although it may be in the name of the exam, few professors will expect your written section to be comprehensive. With a limited amount of time, it is near impossible to trace all the various turns in the historiography of enslavement over the past hundred years, to give one example. Instead focus on being complete in your ideas. Use specific examples from the works on your lists to show major turns in subfields and highlight distinct debates that exist in the literature. Put these works in conversation to show their influence on future works. But do not feel like you need to address every work—or even every important work—on your lists. Instead focus on making a clear, cohesive and tight argument that answers the question with a closed set of works.
Oral Exam
Slow down
Much like pacing yourself during the written portion of the exam, it is important to take your time during the oral portion. While it’s tempting to launch into an answer the moment an examiner finishes speaking, slowing down can help you collect your thoughts. For my oral exam I brought a notebook and pen along with my lists. When a question was posed to me, I took a brief pause to jot down the essence of the question, glance at my list, and write brief bullet points for answering. This short time allowed me to collect my thoughts and then launch into a well-thought-out answer that addressed the question. This process also allowed me to ask my examiners to clarify something if I wasn’t clear on what was being asked. I’ve subsequently imported the same process to podcasts and conference presentation question and answer session as well.
It is okay to revise your answers
Try though you might to answer with well-thought-out answers, there may still be times when you misspeak. This is ok! It is fine to correct yourself or revise a previous statement. Taking time to write brief bullet points to help you think through a question can help minimize this problem, but it is ok to say “I’d actually like to take back what I said about…” or “on further reflection, I’m not sure that I believe…” It is also worth noting that oral exams are also a great opportunity to verbally revise something you wrote in the that you have had time to reflect on. It is ok to say “If I could rewrite that essay, I’d add…” or “If I was writing the essay again today, I’d emphasize…” You won’t have “points taken off” for this
Questions you weren’t prepared for might be a good thing
Every grad student dreads getting questions in the oral exam that they didn’t prepare for. This, however, isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, as I was told heading into my oral exam, getting questions that you might not have been prepared for is a sign that the exam is going very well. When you start to get questions from your examiners that stretch your fields and your understanding, it can signal that your examiners are pleased with your answers and want to see you think on your feet. Challenging questions may also mean that your examiners sincerely want to further discuss your ideas about history. Welcome these questions you weren’t prepared for as a sign that all is well.
The written and oral portions of your comprehensive exams may seem daunting, but try to remember that when you get to this step you are ready. In fact, there is an adage in history departments around the country—a mantra I repeated to myself numerous times leading up to and on the day of my exam— “professors will not let you sit for exams until, and unless, you are ready.” By the time you take your exam you are ready. You’ve read (enough) of the works. You’ve taken notes. You’ve survived graduate coursework that tested your written and oral skills. You’ve thought deeply about the arguments presented by historians. You’ve put arguments in conversation and thought deeply about the development of certain subfields in the discipline. Give yourself permission to show that to your committee and pass your exams.
Clio and the Contemporary 
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