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The Computer Engineering prelim exam is administered twice a year: once in fall and once in spring. By default, the Associate Chair acts as the prelim coordinator but may delegate this responsibility to another CpE faculty.
(New for Spring 2017) New rules for CpE prelims are
- Form one standing committee per subject area (architecture, OS, algorithm). Each committee consists of three faculty.
- Responsibilities of each standing committee: make the written exam for that subject, grade, and serve on the oral exam committee if necessary. Exactly who on the committee participates is up to each committee to decide.
- (Original plan but on hold)
If a student has passed the prelim on a particular subject, he/she won't have to take it again.
Here is the procedure for the prelim coordinator.
- By the first week of fall or spring quarter, confirm with the graduate coordinator (Amy Pham) the dates of the written and oral exams. Traditionally, they are scheduled one week apart on Monday around week 5 or week 6, but can be shifted by a week or so. (starting Spring, we are doing it on Wednesday) The written exam is scheduled first in CalIT 3008, and oral one week later in EH 4106. The start times of the written exams are usually 9:30, 11:00, and 1:30 or 2:00, and they last 1 hour each with a 30-minute break in between in the morning and a longer lunch break. The oral exams usually start at 9:00am and are 20 minutes each.
- At the same time as scheduling the exam dates, schedule the meeting after the oral exam to discuss the prelim results by working with the administrative coordinator (Elvia). The week of the oral exam should be chosen so that a faculty meeting takes place on the same week or the following week. Usually we try to meet about half hour to 45 minutes before the start of the regular faculty meeting and hope to bring up the results for a vote by the whole faculty.
- Work with graduate coordinator (Amy) to schedule an information session. Pick a date, preferably a month before the written exam, for the students to ask questions about the prelims.
- Notify CpE colleagues and nominate the exam writers for the three subjects: algorithms, architecture, and OS. Since the exams are on those three undergraduate courses (114, 112, and 111), the default option is to ask those who teach those undergraduate courses to write the exams. (From Spring 2017) the standing committees decide themselves, for who does the written and who does the oral parts. Confirm their availability on those dates and times.
- One week before the written exam, send reminders to the written exam writers to start collecting the exams. They should be sent to Amy('s assistant) to print out copies. Also remind them that by default exam writers are also proctors. If the faculty has a schedule conflict, they may appoint some TA or graduate student as proctor.
- 2 days after the written, ask exam writers to provide scores on the exams and return hard copies to Amy to be scanned by her work-study students. Start the discussion on which students to advance to oral exam. All those who are taking the prelim for the second time should advance to the oral. However, as of Spring 2017, each standing committee decides who to recommend for oral. It is unrelated to the passing or failing of each student.
- Upload the scanned exams to a server such as webfiles and share them with EECS faculty.
- Once the list of students is decided, determine a schedule of the exams. Notify students of their exam time at least 2 days before the oral. Notify those that do not advance to oral. Schedule the orals to avoid advisor-advisee conflict of interest.
- During the meeting (step #3 above) to discuss the prelim results, discuss why each student should pass or fail.
- In the faculty meeting immediately following #9, bring up the recommendations for whole faculty approval.
- Give the recommendations to grad coordinator (Amy) so she can notify the students of the outcomes of the exams.
- Post outcomes of CpE prelim on EECS intranet, including the dates of the exams, the faculty and students, scores, and outcomes.
Rules and Conventions
- The passing threshold (pass, marginal, fail) are recommended by the exam writer and oral committee members. (Spring 2017: by each standing committee)
- Each student has two chances total, but constrained by the time limit (rule and conventions #3)
- (Spring 2017 - but on hold)
If a student passes a subject for the first time, he/she does not have to take it again the second time. Previously,if a student fails the prelim once, they must still take all three subjects again the second time even if they pass a particular written exam last time. - PhD. students have 1 year since coming to UCI to pass their prelim; MS/PhD students have 2 years.
- If a student fails two or more written exams and is taking the prelim for the first time, they do not pass.
- (Spring 2017) A student who takes it for the second time must be discussed and possibly scheduled for the oral. Previously, they always get the oral exam.
- A no-show at an exam counts as forfeit and fail.
- There should be 3 faculty memers at a given oral exam, preferably able to question the student on each subject. Spring 2017: each standing committee sends one faculty for each oral exam slot.
- The oral exams should be scheduled to avoid advisor-advisee conflict of interest
- During an oral exam, the committee members should look at the graded exams and ask students about the problems they got wrong to give them a chance to show they know the subject
- The oral exam committee members should be scheduled to match the subjects that the students need to be questioned the most.
- During the meeting to discuss results (before fauclty approval), the student's advisor can advocate for the student. If the advisor really wants the student, then it is still possible to pass the student, but be ready to defend the recommendation during the faculty-wide approval.
For information purpose, there was an older prelim procedure page on the EECS intranet.