Qualifying Exams

First page of the 2020 Physics
Qualifying Exam.

I have discussed the Oakland University Medical Physics PhD Qualifying Exam previously in this blog. It’s a series of three written exams over math, physics, and biology, plus an oral exam.

I’ve collected the written qualifying exams over the last ten years (2011-2020) in a single file that you’re welcome to download. These exams are broad but not deep. They cover material at a level similar to, or somewhat higher than, Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. Anyone working at the intersection of physics with biology should master these topics. The exams allow you to hone your problem solving skills. If you’re a student interested in applying physics to physiology, or math to medicine, but are stuck at home and not able to attend classes because of the covid-19 pandemic, you might want to try solving the 300 problems in this collection. (Slightly less than 300, because there wasn’t a math exam in 2014 and because we sometimes repeated questions from previous years.) If you want to try some of the exams from 2010 or earlier, you can find them at https://sites.google.com/view/bradroth/home/medical-physics-graduate-program/qualifying-exams?authuser=0.

Sorry, but I don’t have written solutions for these exams. You can always email me (roth@oakland.edu) if you’re stuck.

Enjoy!