Oral Examination Procedure - cs.fit.educs.fit.edu/~kgallagher/Schtick/oral.pdf · 112 April 2007...

112 April 2007

Oral Examination Procedure■ S.D. Mason

In these brief notes the purposes of anoral examination are set forth and prac-tical rules for conducting one are given.

Careful attention to the elementary rules isnecessary in order to assure a truly success-ful examination. From the standpoint ofeach individual examiner the basic purpos-es of the oral examination are: to make theexaminer appear smarter and trickier thaneither the examinee or the other examiners,thereby preserving his self esteem, and tocrush the examinee thereby avoiding themessy and time-wasting problem of post-examination judgment and decision.

Both of these aims can be realizedthrough diligent application of the follow-ing time-tested rules:1) Before beginning the examination,

make it clear to the examinee that hiswhole professional career may turn onhis performance. Stress the importanceand formality of the occasion. Put himin his proper place at the outset.

2) Throw out your hardest question first.(This is very important. If your firstquestion is sufficiently difficult orinvolved, he will be too rattled toanswer subsequent questions, no mat-ter how simple they may be.)

3) Be reserved and stern in addressing theexaminee. For contrast, be very jolly

with the other examiners. A very effec-tive device is to make humorous com-ments to the other examiners about theexaminee’s performance, commentswhich tend to exclude him and set himapart, as through he were not presentin the room.

4) Make him answer each problem yourway, especially if your way is esoteric.Constrain him. Impose many limita-tions and qualifications in each ques-tion. The idea is to complicate an other-wise simple problem.

5) Force him into a trivial error and thenlet him puzzle over it for as long aspossible. Just after he sees his mis-take, but just before he has a chance to

explain it, correct him yourself, dis-dainfully. This takes real perceptionand timing, which can only beacquired with some practice.

6) When he finds himself deep in a hole,never lead him out. Instead, sigh, andshift to a new subject.

7) Ask him snide questions, such as,“Didn’t you learn that in FreshmanCalculus?”

8) Do not permit him to ask you clarify-ing questions. Never repeat or clarifyyour own statement of the problem.Tell him not to think out loud, whatyou want is the answer.

9) Every few minutes, ask him if he isnervous.

10) Station yourself and the other examin-ers so that the examinee cannot reallyface all of you at once. This enables youto bracket him with a sort of binauralcrossfire. Wait until he turns away fromyou towards someone else, and thenask him a short direct question. Withproper coordination among the exam-iners it is possible under favorable con-ditions to spin the examinee throughseveral complete revolutions. This hasthe same general effect as item 2 above.

11)Wear dark glasses. Inscrutability isunnerving.

12)Terminate the examination by tellingthe examinee, “Don’t call us; we willcall you.”

Reprinted from Proceedings of the IRE, vol. 44, no. 5, p. 696, May 1956.

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