Creative ways to study for an acoustics qualifying exam

Studying for a Ph.D. qualifying exam can be an imposing task for graduate students. Many students prepare for their qualifying exam by reading acoustics textbooks, reviewing class notes, and solving practice problems. The speakers synthesized these conventional modes of study into creative activities when preparing for their own qualifying exams: PGK recorded video derivations https://www.youtube.com/@AcousticsDerivations. and CAG assembled a website https://chiragokani.github.io/class/quals/. In this talk, the speakers share how these creative activities helped them review their fundamentals, deepen their understanding, synthesize new ideas, and acquire a more holistic view of acoustics. Since having passed their exams, the speakers continue to refer to the resources they created. First- and second-year students in the Graduate Program in Acoustics at the University of Texas at Austin have begun using these resources for their own study as well. The speakers highlight the value of creativity in the learning process and hope to inspire other students to find creative ways of studying for their own exams. PGK and CAG are supported by the ARL:UT Chester M. McKinney Graduate Fellowship in Acoustics.