Texas Tech University

Preliminary Examination Information

The Doctoral Preliminary Examinations will be administered twice each year (in May and in August) and are offered in the ten areas corresponding to the graduate core courses in the table at the bottom of this page.

Each examination is four hours long with content based on critical fundamental concepts in the area. Students should NOT infer that the Preliminary Examination is equivalent to a final exam over the respective core area. Instead, each examination is developed by a committee of faculty in the respective core area in consultation with the Graduate Committee. The topics over which a student can be tested are listed in the Preliminary Examination Topics List, which is available from the Graduate Advisor.

Preliminary exams are always administered the week before the first summer term begins in May and the week after the second summer term ends in August. The exam period is typically four hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The exams are administered in the Academic Testing Center.

At least three weeks prior to taking a Preliminary Examination, the student must inform the Graduate Advisor of the examinations they wish to take. Up to three different examinations can be taken in each administration of the Preliminary examinations. The student must pass a total of three different examinations by the deadline based on their prior graduate study. This includes a requirement that at least one of the examinations must be in one of the following subjects: Algebra, Complex Analysis, Real Analysis, Topology, ODE, or PDE. A grade of P (pass) or F (fail) will be given in each examination.

Students who choose Statistics as their area of specialization are required to pass the PhD preliminary exam in Probability and Statistics (STAT5328-STAT5329). The "typical" Statistics PhD student would choose the two Statistics exams and the Real Analysis exam. However, it would be within a student's discretion to choose to be tested over other subjects. Students who choose Mathematical Finance are required to pass the PhD preliminary exam in Mathematical Finance (MATH 6352 & 6353).

Any student who has received a Master’s degree in mathematics or statistics and does not successfully complete the Doctoral Preliminary Examinations before his/her third year in the doctoral program may not continue in the Doctoral Program in the Department of Mathematics at Texas Tech University. Any student who has not received a Master's degree in mathematics or statistics and does not successfully complete the Doctoral Preliminary Examinations before his/her fourth year in the doctoral program may not continue in the Doctoral Program in the Department of Mathematics at Texas Tech University.

Past Exams & Resources

Algebra (MATH 5326-5327)

Applied Statistics (STAT 5373-5374)

Complex Analysis (MATH 5320-5321)

Mathematical Finance (MATH 6351 & 6353)

Numerical Analysis (MATH 5334-5335)

ODE (MATH 5330-5331)

PDE (MATH 5332-5333)

ODE (MATH 5330) & PDE (MATH 5332) -- before 2022

Real Analysis (MATH 5322-5323)

Probability & Statistics (STAT 5328-5329)

Topology (MATH 5324-5325)

Department of Mathematics & Statistics

© 2025  Texas Tech University Oct 3, 2025 3:10 PM