The Qualifying Exam Committee determines exactly which areas will be covered in a particular year. The content is based on the core, introductory courses, Ling. Students should be aware that if the core courses for their program are not taken within the same two-year cycle as they take the qualifying, their information may be dated. The exam is normally given annually in January. The Qualifying Exam is evaluated by the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Committee or their designee in the case that a particular exam is out of the committee members' areas of expertise.
Evaluation proceeds as follows.
The numbers assigned for each section of a student's exam are averaged, yielding an averaged grade for each section of an individual exam. Then an overall average for the exam is obtained by averaging the scores for each section of the exam. Must earn an overall grade average of 1.60 or higher on the exam. May not earn an averaged grade lower than .80 on any section of the exam. If the overall grade is between .80 - 1.59, the Exam Committee may allow a student to retake a failed question.