1. EE Prelim Q&A Laurent El Ghaoui
Chair, EE Graduate Study/Prelim Committee
Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences
University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
Fall 2012 EE Prelim Orientation
August 14, 2012

2. The Prelim Oral Exam Statement of Purpose: Timing: Format:
An advisory role in a student’s graduate studies program
Students must be able to demonstrate an integrated grasp of the exam area's body of knowledge in an unstructured framework
Timing:
Offered the first week of every semester
Admits with B.S. must take by 3rd semester or earlier
Admits with M.S. must take by 2nd semester or earlier
Format:
60-min. oral exam w/ a committee of 3 faculty examiners

3. EE Prelim Oral Exam Areas
Communications (Comm)
Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
Electromagnetics(EM)
Integrated Circuits (IC)
Linear Systems (LS)
Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Optoelectronics and Photonics (Opto)
Semiconductor Devices (SD)
Semiconductor Processing (SP)
For syllabi and old exam questions, go to:

4. GPA Distribution As of Fall 2011
For students in the Ph.D. program, GPA must be >3.5 to take prelims
EECS Threshold (3.5)
Campus
Threshold (3.0)

5. The Prelim Decision Process
Score
 6.0
Ph.D.
Program
Prelim Breadth
Requirement
Attempt #1
Exam Comm
Score
 6.0
Score
 6.0
Attempt 1 + Attempt 2
Pass Rates
~ %
for the last 20 years
Attempt #2
Exam Comm
Research
Advisor Input
Score
 6.0
Prelim
Committee
Department Goal
(100-  )%
Not Pass
$$$
BMW
……..

6. Tips to Ease Prelim Anxiety
Before the Exam:
Get plenty of white board Q/A practice, especially with old exam questions
If you do not know an examiner at all, ask for a 10 min. appointment to introduce yourself before the exam
If you need clarification with the syllabus, contact the exam group chair
During the Exam:
Browse over the exam questions before you start answering
It is ok to ask for clarification and hints during the exam
the examiner may streamline the question for you
Your answers don’t have to be perfect to get a pass

7. Feedback Is Important
In the unfortunate event of not passing the first attempt, take it as a wakeup call
the world doesn’t end
read the exam report in your student file
take steps to improve your understanding of the material, your ability to answer questions on a white board, your English skills, …
Inform EEGSA reps your exam feedback and complaints
faculty do listen to your suggestions
For petitions, start with the EE Graduate Office, 205 Cory Hall, (510)

8. Appendix

9. Prelim Pass/Fail Stats Overall
More students taking prelims in the fall

10. Prelim Pass/Fail Stats Per Semester
More students taking prelims in the fall