The qualifying examination as one piece (but not the whole) of the puzzle: Suggestions regarding thoughtful exam development

Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center 

As graduate programs in (bio)statistics re-assess the role of qualifying examinations as milestones toward degree completion, it is important to first consider the fundamental purpose of the qualifying examinations in the students' overall training. Although different programs may arrive at slightly different answers, many would likely say that the overarching purpose of these examinations is to enhance the rigor of the training. To that end, I propose a number of suggestions toward thoughtful exam development as we enter the era of pervasive generative AI. I approach this in two pieces: (1) exam development, and (2) exam assessment.