Some students may not be able to choose immediately, but all students are encouraged to specify their partner field as soon as possible.
Students then begin preparing for the written qualifying examination.
The written examinations are each three hours long. A student must pass two of these written examinations. The examinations are designed to test the background mathematical knowledge that every student will need to succeed in the program, and will cover work at the advanced undergraduate level. Students have a maximum of thirteen months to pass two of the written examinations, with a maximum of three attempts for any single examination.