These past few weeks I’ve been focused on keeping up with classes and exams. In this post, I’ll share my experience with exams in chemistry grad school.
What are exams in chemistry grad school like?
Last semester, I took a polymer physics and hard materials course. This semester I am taking two classes: polymer chemistry and rheology. Here’s one example of how exams or projects go in grad school:
- Polymer physics: Take-home exam with ~3 days to complete it, open notes, textbook, etc. Cannot consult classmates or professor. 4 exams total.
- Hard materials: No exams, only a final paper and 15 min presentation on an approved topic of our choice.
- Polymer chemistry: Take-home exam with ~1 week to complete, open notes, textbook, etc. Cannot consult classmates, but can consult professor. Midterm and final exam only.
- Polymer rheology: Take-home exam with 48-hour window to complete, but 2.5-hour timeline to complete once open. Open notes, textbook, etc. Cannot consult classmates or professor. Midterm and final exam only.
The content and style of the exam will vary by class and professor, but there’s definitely no multiple choice exams anymore. Exam questions are more open ended and there’s a generous amount of partial credit.
How my exams went this semester
Last semester, I spent more time with the material, so I felt more confident when I took the exams. The exams seemed more straightforward. This semester, I have not engaged with the material as much, mostly because I am more focused on research and TAing two classes.
In the past two weeks, I took my midterm for polymer rheology and chemistry. When I opened my polymer rheology exam, I immediately regretted opening it. I barely had a clue what to do, but the clock was ticking, so I had to come up with something.
The only thought in my mind was that “I have to keep moving forward,” even though I had no idea what to do. I tried my best, and submitted with 15 minutes left, because I had no idea what else I could do. I felt defeated, but there wasn’t much I could do until I got my grade back.
A few days later, my professor posted our grades. Somehow I got a 43/50 (very surprising!) The anxiety of waiting for a grade and the relief when you didn’t do as bad as you thought never goes away.
My polymer chemistry exam went a little bit better. Since I had more time, I worked through the exam over multiple days. At first, I read the exam and wrote down whatever came to mind. Afterwards, I took a break and did other stuff. When I got back to it, I added or revised my answer. Later, I scheduled time to meet with my professor so we could discuss what I had so far. During the discussion, my professor gave some huge hints which helped me find a solution. I don’t know how I did on the exam yet, but I’m slightly more confident that it went OK.
Up Next
There’s only one month left in the semester, so I’ll be glad when I don’t have to teach anymore. I’m planning to write a series about running a business while in grad school and my experience as a chemistry TA.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about my personal experience and takeaways from my chemistry PhD journey. If you’d like to chat more about what I’ve shared, feel free to send me an email at hello@brittanytrinh.com or send me a message on Twitter and Instagram @brttnytrnh.