Program in Linguistics, College of Information
Linguistics and ESL Comprehensive Exam Information

When is the Comprehensive Exam offered?
     The exam is scheduled once every fall (October) and spring (March) semester. You will need to register for the exam at least 1 week before the date of the exam. You can register by submitting this online MA Comps registration form. Once your registration has been received you will get a confirmation email, and shortly after that we will email you a copy of a practice exam. If for any reason you will not be able to take the exam on the scheduled day and time you must notify the COI Advising Office at least one day in advance of the test date. A “no-show” without prior notification will be counted as a “take” with a failing score.
 
When should I take the MA exam?
     We suggest that you take the exam after you have completed your required courses. You may take the exam earlier, but you run a higher risk of not passing it the first time. You can take the exam twice, so make sure you’re comfortable with the material before your first attempt.

How do I prepare for the exam?
     The exam requires that you study. We suggest that you thoroughly review notes and texts from your courses. If in reviewing you realize that there are areas and ideas that you feel you only vaguely understand or need more help on, consider speaking with one of the Linguistics faculty members. One week before the exam we will email you the data associated with specific questions. Remember, you will not see the questions, only the data, and you will also not receive information about essay questions.

What topics are on the exams?
     There are three sections on the Linguistics exam. Note: the topics included in sections 2 and 3 are based on the courses that have been taught in the previous 4 semesters.
  1. Phonology (choose one) — Choices typically include one essay question and one data problem.
  2. Syntax/Typology/Semantics/Morphology (choose one) — Choices may include essay questions or data problems.
  3. Breadth Essay (choose one) — Choices may include essay questions or data problems about SLA, Sociolinguistics, Language and Gender, Pedagogical Grammar, Poetics, Historical Linguistics.
There are three sections on the ESL exam. Note: the topics included in sections 2 and 3 are based on the courses that have been taught in the previous 4 semesters.
  1. ESL (choose one) — Choices may include essay questions or data problems about ESL Methods or Pedagogical Grammar.
  2. Phonology/Syntax/Semantics/Morphology (choose one) — Choices may include essay questions or data problems.
  3. Breadth Essay (choose one) — Choices may include essay questions or data problems about SLA, Sociolinguistics, Language and Gender, Poetics, Historical Linguistics.
How is the exam scored?
     Each question is scored out of 100 possible points and then all three scores are averaged. To pass a student must (1) score at least 80 on the average of the three sections and (2) score at least 80 on two of the three sections. This means that a student cannot fail two of the sections and still pass the exam.

What do graders look for in a passing MA exam?
     The single most common problem with an answer that is scored low is that it doesn’t address the given question. It does not matter how good or how long an answer is; if it does not directly answer the question it will not be a passing score. In addition, graders look for a full answer; an answer that is too short will probably not fully answer the question and will be scored low. Relevant examples and integration of concepts from various courses are highly valued by graders.

What are the possible results?
There are four possible results:
  1. Pass with Distinction: A student must have an overall average of at least 90 and score at least 90 on two of the sections.
  2. Pass: A student scores an overall average of at least 80 and at least 80 on two sections.
  3. Conditional Pass: These are very rare and are typically given to a student who fails the exam on the third try due to failure of a section passed on the first and second tries. A conditional pass may require additional course work.
  4. Fail: A student scores lower than 80 on two or more sections and has an overall average of less than 80.
When do I get my results?
     Your MA exam will be graded within two weeks after you take it, so you will receive your score within that time frame. While the overall grade of “Pass” or “Fail” can be communicated to you via email, we cannot email the individual comments and scores for each section due to privacy rights. You can, however, make an appointment with the Linguistics Program Director, Dr. Patricia Cukor-Avila, to go over your exam.

What if I fail?
     The Linguistic Program’s guidelines allow you to take the exam twice, no questions asked, and if necessary, you may appeal for a third try. If you fail, the most important thing for you to do is to understand why you failed and determine how to adjust your study preparation. The Linguistics faculty encourages you to review the exam with the Linguistics Program Director and ask any questions you might have before taking the exam a second time.

Can I appeal my grade on the MA exam?
     You have the right to appeal any grade. Should you choose this option, we suggest you thoroughly review UNT’s appeals process. The Linguistics’ faculty cannot advise you on whether you should appeal the exam grade. Likewise, they will not discuss this issue with you after you’ve initiated the appeals process or counsel you on preparing your appeals argument. All communication related to an appeal needs to be with the Linguistics Program Director.
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