It’s only a few days after my comprehensive exam (taken June 27, 2008) and this blog is already getting hits from people looking for study tips. At the moment these posts are near the top, but that won’t last so I’m providing links below. Some of this is pretty specific to those folks getting an MLIS at OU, but hopefully it might give some of the rest of you a usable idea or two.
Start with a plan. Then follow through every week: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Throw in a little meta-analysis (1, 2, 3) and some specific topics (1, 2, 3, 4), add a bit of spice in the way of angst, then let stew. Oh, and don’t forget to taper!
The above links are just a record of what I did to prepare for an essay-style comps in the field of Library and Information Studies. If your comps focus on a few core classes, a similar study format might work for you. But if your comps truly are comprehensive, well…I feel for you. Good luck!
Updated July 16: I ended up having to defend one of my comps questions, which was a little nerve-wracking. But I passed! Woohoo! If you have to defend, check out these posts: 1, 2, 3.
Updated July 20: Linda at Letters from the Library has posted a comprehensive list of links to her own comps-related posts.
September 10, 2008 at 11:03 am
Hi Kirsten,
I see that Walt Crawford already has your blog on his preliminary list for his new book, which I think definitely makes you our first SLIS celebrity blogger. Congrats!
September 11, 2008 at 8:04 am
Well, given that his criteria seem to favor longevity and stick-to-it-iveness, I’m not sure that “celebrity” is quite the word. But I’ll take it!
December 3, 2008 at 9:35 pm
[...] be honest, I was hoping for a perfect score to be credited in part to my and Kirsten’s Comps guides
Kinda like I was hoping all the students in my Freshman Comp course would end the [...]