<p>I am a student at a large state school. I have 160 credits completed (120 are required to graduate at my school) with a 4.0 and am taking another 30 this year. I receive top marks even in combined undergraduate/ graduate 500-level courses. I have studied in exchange programs at 6 other universities over summers and two semesters, and have been one of the top students in these classes and programs (for example, having the highest score on a final at a large state school on the opposite coast). I have completed two minors, my major, and thirty electives in another specialized area. So overall, on paper my transcript looks good. </p>
<p>Now for the problem. My program at my uni requires that I pass an oral interview exam before proceeding to my final internship. I’ve taken it twice and failed. Any topic from my major coursework or even related to it is fair game, and there are no study guides for this exam. I’m allowed only one retake, and my chances don’t look good. Despite my stellar transcript, my program is not willing to be flexible on this exam. I’m in my second to last semester, and normally the internship is taken in one’s last semester. Without the internship I will not be licensed in my program field, which is necessary to finding a job in that particular field. </p>
<p>Is my university being unreasonable enough that I should appeal my department’s decision to bar me from the internship? In my train of thought, if I can have such a good transcript, clearly either the program’s expected score on the exam or the preparation for the exam needs adjustment- would an outsider to my situation agree with this? Any tips on how to handle this, or how to manage stress on oral examinations in general? A lot of the problem for me is the oral format of the test. Unfortunately, it’s a little late in my undergrad to transfer. Finally, any tips on handling the emotional stress of failing such an important exam?</p>
<p>" My program at my uni requires that I pass an oral interview exam before proceeding to my final internship. I’ve taken it twice and failed. Any topic from my major coursework or even related to it is fair game, and there are no study guides for this exam. I’m allowed only one retake, and my chances don’t look good…"</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you feel your chances aren’t good. Seems instead of being pessimistic, you could get tips from professors and from students who have passed the exam. Unless you cheated to get your straight “A” average, it seems that you should be able to pass the exam.</p>
<p>It also makes perfect sense to me that the university is requiring the exam before you go on internship. If you can’t pass the oral exam, I think the university would be correct in assuming you wouldn’t be able to do well on internship.</p>
<p>While you have two majors, many electives, etc., it seems that what your program cares about is what you know about your major coursework, so that’s what you need to study to be able to pass the exam.</p>
<p>What you are expected to do is what was expected of graduate students in my doctoral program. Before the students were able to work on their dissertations or go on internship, they had to pass an exam covering all of grad school. It didn’t matter if students had straight “A” averages: They still had to pass that exam to proceed in the graduate program.</p>
<p>Yes, unfortunately, this is a career where licensing is controlled by the government, so it is necessary for me to have an internship through my university to graduate with a license to practice. </p>
<p>While I have been preparing to pass the test- meeting with my advisor weekly, meeting with tutors, etc, this test content is secretive- there are no test study guides out there, and the oral format makes the content somewhat unpredictable. </p>
<p>While I want to believe I will pass this test, the statistics do not look good. Within my small program, 1/4 have not attempted the exam yet, 1/4 have passed, and 1/2 failed the last test date along with me. I talked to a prof over the program, and in 48 states the average score seniors in my major make on the test (with very few outlying scores above or below) is the score that I received, which my school considers failing. So realistically, I am trying to pass but know it is not likely.</p>
<p>Just curious-why are you still in school? And what program is this?</p>
<p>I’d say drop the class before you ruin your GPA. Or in the alternative, use your pass/fail option. And never, EVER, take a class like that again even if you’re really interested in the topic. If you’re interested, sign up, get the syllabus, then drop the class and study it yourself. But then again, I’m the type of person who if I find an easier class, I’ll drop the first class without a second thought.</p>
<p>If dropping the class (or the program) is not an option, study, study, study. Study like your life depended on it.</p>
<p>I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I don’t think the university is being unreasonable at all.</p>
<p>You’ve already shown you can master each of many parts of the discipline, whatever it is. Now they want you to show that you can master the field as a whole.</p>
<p>What they’re doing is the equivalent of asking a student who has aced quizzes on each chapter of a textbook to take a final exam; of asking someone who has a wonderful track record in law school to take the bar exam; of asking someone who has done well in each class of a doctoral program to take a comprehensive exam before moving on to the dissertation. In all of these cases, you’re expected to have a body of knowledge and/or skills that you’ve amassed, piece by piece, at earlier stages of your education. They’re not testing the same thing that each of your professors has tested in the past, so having done well on those professors’ assessments doesn’t mean you deserve to be exempted from this test.</p>
<p>I know it’s scary and overwhelming, and I don’t envy you as you face this. And if you want to appeal, go ahead (although it will probably have a negative effect on the references your professors are willing to give you in the future). But I don’t think you will succeed with your appeal, I don’t think you ought to succeed with your appeal, and I think putting your efforts into appealing the exam instead of trying to go over everything you have learned so far and trying to get it all into your head at once is only going to hurt your chances.</p>
<p>I won an appeal based on the fact that this score was not required until graduation when I entered the program- which I documented with old major requirement sheets. I will get to do my internship regardless of my test score. </p>
<p>Lesson learned for other students: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>The requirements you enter school under are not allowed to change on you when in your program- your department cannot add requirements on you your junior or senior year. </p></li>
<li><p>Due to the above, always, always keep any advising sheets, course catalogs, major and minor bulletins, program requirements booklets, etc. You never know when you may need them.</p></li>
</ol>