Isn the Illinois Qual really hard?
The Illinois Qual is a test of undergraduate material, at the depth and level appropriate for Ph.D students. It is not a set of trick questions; it is designed to test fundamental understanding of basic principles. Comparing pass scores, the manner in which the Qual is administered, and the problems themselves reveals that the Illinois Qual is relatively standard, and certainly tests simpler material than that at some of our peer institutions. Students may make this comparison themselves by checking the on-line qual archive.
