Tips for the Tufts Philosophy MA Comps

I've encountered two very different perspectives on comp exams among faculty at Tufts. The first takes the exams to measure one's broad mastery of a field. The second takes the exams to measure one's ability to become familiarized with a philosophical topic in short order. If the first is correct, last-minute studying should not, in general, be sufficient to pass a comp. If the second is correct, last-minute studying should, in general, be sufficient to pass a comp.

I believe that last-minute studying is generally sufficient for passing comps. If I'm right, you can start studying at the time you get the comp questions---which is 48 hours before the time you have to take the comp---and still have a very good chance of passing.

This article gives some advice on how to pull this off.

1. Be prepared to completely ignore some study questions.
Only nine of the twelve questions you're given will appear on the comp. Since they're grouped in sets of three, you can skip two questions and still be certain that you'll have enough answers no matter how the questions are arranged in sections. Here's what happens if you skip more than two. The following lists the probability that you'll have answers to handle all test sections (these numbers were calculated by Dustin Feigerle---I haven't checked them yet):
• Skip 3: 98.64%
• Skip 4: 94.55%
• Skip 5: 86.36%
• Skip 6: 73.05%
• Skip 7: 54.55%
• Skip 8: 32.73%
• Skip 9: 12.27%
I had good results skipping 4-5 questions on each comp. Ignoring questions is extremely important because it frees up precious time to study for the other questions. I also found it difficult to remember everything I wanted to say when I prepared more than eight answers.


2. Be strategic about which questions you skip.
Ignore questions which you find to be hard to research. Try to identify which questions overlap in content and focus on finding answers for those---you make best use of research time when a single article covers more than one question. Try to find resources which directly address the exact question being asked (e.g., SEP on fictionalism about possible worlds, or SEP on Nietzsche's critique of morality). And be careful about ignoring too many questions of a single type. For instance, recent ethics comps have devoted an entire section to three questions about the position of important historical figures (e.g., Hume, Kant and Nietzsche). According to the above probabilities, you have a really great chance of coming out OK if you just skip three questions (over 98%). But if the three questions you skipped were the "history" questions on the Ethics comp, your actual chances of coming out OK will be much worse.


3. Do not try for excellence or originality.
You aren't awarded for brilliance in comp exams. (Put the effort into getting A+'s in your classes instead.) Your goal in the comps is to pass. And passing requires zero originality or creativity. Don't make your answers too involved. You'll have to remember 7-8 answers to pass the comp; if your answers are too detailed, you'll start to forget what you wanted to say. The important thing is to touch on major issues. Explain why the question seems interesting to some philosophers, talk about the most important approaches, and argue for one of them.

The Tufts professors are telling the truth when they say that performance on comps does not factor into how they assess students for PhD program recommendations. I had failed one comp (metaphysics) and passed none when I applied for PhD programs, and I had no problem getting in.

By the way, I think I failed metaphysics because I tried to do something original, and I also tried to be sophisticated, using Philosopher's Index and working off of research articles in prestigious journals. That clearly didn't work, and I switched to these methods, passing the rest of my attempts: Metaphysics and Phil. Science in January; Ethics and Epistemology in May. Since all the studying you are doing is just last minute, you can try two---perhaps even three---comps at a time and have a reasonable chance of passing all of them. Though be prepared for some exhaustion.


4. Stick with encyclopedias or textbooks when possible.
The three critical skills for passing comps via last-minute studying are 1) the ability to find a paper that directly addresses the question, 2) the ability to read a paper and understand it very quickly, and 3) the ability to identify the most important philosophical issues raised by the question. Encyclopedias are the easiest to search, especially online encyclopedias. They are (relatively) easy to read. And since they are usually brief, they already focus on the most important issues. I suggest the Stanford Encyclopedia, the Routledge Encyclopedia, and Borchert's 2006 update of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (Unfortunately Tufts doesn't seem to have a copy of the 2006 EoP. Someone should request the library to buy one or subscribe to it online. They are likely to be responsive. Tufts didn't subscribe to the online Routledge Encyclopedia until I made a request to the library.)


5. Take or audit the class before the comp.
Yes, you can pass the comps just by studying at the last minute, but that assumes a level of competence---being able to quickly understand the articles you read and identify the most important points. You might not get many direct answers for comp questions by doing the reading for and sitting through Ethics, Epistemology and Metaphysics. But the classes will give you skills you need to best use the 48 hours you have to study.


6. Try my guides
I've begun to collect answers for comp questions. I have (spotty) coverage for the three required comps plus phil. science. If you find useful resources, please write a comment to let me know: I'm actively editing these pages.
• Philosophy of Science
• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Ethics


7. Take the comps in the spring
There is, of course, no official line on this, but it does seem that if people are trying to graduate, the grading on the comps will be somewhat more lenient. Of course, some comps taken in the spring still fail, but it seems easier to pass in the spring.

Good luck!