Guidelines for Comprehension examination

 Pre-preparation:
1. Three subjects: Applied Ergonomics, F.E.M and Biomechanics
2. Primary subject of expertize: Biomechanics
3. Choose subjects, which you have already read during your course-work. This
reduces all your efforts by half.

4. Detail your syllabus as much as possible. Each subject syllabus should be listed in
detail for at least a page. I think this is the key to the success of a successful
compre exam. Examiners use this as the guideline to question you, so list topics,
where you are good, comfortable and confident.
5. Prepare a one-page abstract about your research work. (Put a picture in the
abstract which would explain your idea)
6. Take a printout of the syllabus and printout of your abstract and attach along with
the application form.

 Preparation:
1. Plan your preparation with a calendar
2. Strict to your deadlines
3. Keep yourself ready at least two weeks before your exam.
4. Create a finite knowledge store (based on your syllabus) in your brain. For every
finite question from your syllabus asked, you should be able to pick the right tool
from your store and apply it.
5. Once you have finished your preparation (read all three subjects), revise your
knowledge (and syllabus) by looking at the syllabus copy, which you submitted
along with the application. Do not open your note or textbooks while you are
revising, note down the topics you are weak. Revise them later along with the
book. Do this multiple times a day. This exercise builds a strong and solid
knowledge store.
6. Ask your lab mates or friends familiar in these subjects to probe your knowledge
through mock interviews. It is a very useful exercise, in the first round of mock
interview you will come to know all famous and general questions that would be
asked. Ask them to probe in-detail in some random sections of the syllabus.
7. Regarding the presentation of your research work, prepare intuitive slides, rather
than mathematical slides. Bring out the big picture, importance of your research
work and your research contributions in the presentation. Also show a roadmap,
where you are headed to in your research in next 6-8 months. I would say
presentation and questions in presentation goes for an hours. Ensure your
presentation does not go beyond, 30 minutes.
 On-the-day-of-Exam:
1. Ensure the multi-media projector is in-place at least one hour before the exam
time, in the exam room.
2. Copy your files at least an hour before the exam in the computer connected to the
projector. Ensure, all symbols, notations and colors are clearly visible as you
expected. My suggestion is to prepare a PDF format file from PPT, so all symbols
will be visible irrespective of the projector quality.
3. Take 6-7 handout of your presentation.
4. Success of the exam is 60% - Good presentation and Research Work, 40% -
Confident delivery of studied syllabus content.