How to Study for the MS HRM and MS M&L Comprehensive Exams
Randy McCamey, PhD
2-1-05

This guide will provide you a general philosophy for preparing for the Comprehensive Exam at the completion of your MS HRM and MS M&L program.

General Guidelines

A graduate student in the field of Management, Leadership, and Human Resource Management must be able to:

Utilize the theorists/theories of the various fields of HRM, management & leadership to support your arguments, statements, or positions made as you respond to the questions on the examination. This should include theorists/theories in the areas of: HRD including needs assessment and evaluation, organizational development, change, leadership, compensation, labor relations organizational behavior, organizational design, and other areas specifically related to your field of graduate study.

Use recent research articles to support your position. This should include making projections on future directions in HRM, Management & Leadership, trends in the research literature, and implications for research and practice.

Describe research, statistics, and measurement tools appropriately in research study design.

Probably the biggest problem seen in comprehensive exams is Omission. Students seem to leave out a lot of important information about the concepts they are describing. When answering comp questions, define or describe the concept fully, give examples of the concept, relate the concept to other theories, models, or concepts, tell the reader why it is important to know the concept, and tell how a person in a management or leadership position would use or implement the concept you are describing.

Other Study Suggestions

Begin your study by reviewing your course materials. This is a beginning point not an ending point. Your courses only serve to facilitate your learning. The courses in a graduate program are not meant to provide you with all of your information for the comprehensive examination. You need to read, read and re-read. Recent research articles or conferences will give you hints of the future trends and issues in the field.

You must have a broad understanding of the issues in your field. Don’t worry (as much) about the little details.

The qualifying examination is designed for you to demonstrate your knowledge about the field.

Adapted from the Qualfiying Exam Guide, Jeff Allen, the University of North Texas, 2004 http://www.coe.unt.edu/allen/qualifying.htm