- #1
- 609
- 3
Hello. I've enrolled Chemistry Graduation program last year, and I will finish my courses, ready to be "challenged" by PhD proficiency examination. In our country, some instutitions like mine prefer to do this examination by asking EVERY branch, regardless of what subject (or main branch) I'm working on. This style has been adapted for a year, before that time only the branch of graduate study was the object of the examination. For example, I am a student of Inorganic Chemistry (rather regarded as Metal-Organic Chemistry in our working style), but we will be asked Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry (this is OK, but still a different branch), and Analytical Chemistry as well as Inorganic Chemistry. The examination scheme is like this, you'll be given eight hours for sixteen questions (four questions for each branch) to solve them, and the next day you are required to pass an oral examination.
I don't like this type of examination; in my opinion this type of treatment would be better instead: A student chooses TWO branches of chemistry, say, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry as I would do without thinking, and is asked 16 questions, 8 each, with more detail. I hate to memorize formulae which I will forget several minutes later the examination, this would only test my memorizing ability, not interpretation of and solving the problems.
I am deeply in the need of knowing your ideas, and especially what you are doing in your country. I hope something changes, since I believe that this is a pretty silly way to measure one graduate student's knowledge potential.
I don't like this type of examination; in my opinion this type of treatment would be better instead: A student chooses TWO branches of chemistry, say, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry as I would do without thinking, and is asked 16 questions, 8 each, with more detail. I hate to memorize formulae which I will forget several minutes later the examination, this would only test my memorizing ability, not interpretation of and solving the problems.
I am deeply in the need of knowing your ideas, and especially what you are doing in your country. I hope something changes, since I believe that this is a pretty silly way to measure one graduate student's knowledge potential.