Qualifier Exams

Guidelines and Requirements

For any questions, contact the qualifier exam committee chair, Richard Oberlin.

General Guidelines

Mathematics qualifier exams are open only to currently enrolled mathematics graduate students.

Qualifier exams are normally only taken after having completed the required coursework. All other situations must be discussed with the director of your major's program (major here means pure, applied, financial or biomathematics).

Incoming students with advanced coursework prior to FSU can attempt qualifiers exams at entry, with the approval of the director of your major's program. Only passes are recorded.

Rules

  1. There is a cap set at two attempts: a qualifier in a given subject will not be given again to a student who has failed it twice.
  2. A student must comply with his/her own major's stated requirements concerning the process toward qualification.

Major Requirements

For the requirements in the different majors, consult the pages below:

Qualifier Exams Topics

The following links list topics currently covered by the qualifying examinations.

The topics are periodically revised, and the style of the examinations may vary over time, therefore students are advised to consult with the major program directors for up-to-date information.

Exam Dates

Qualifier exams are given in January (spring session) and August (fall session) before and during the beginning of the semester.

  • Spring session exams are usually scheduled on the weekends before and after the first week of the spring semester.
  • Fall session exams are usually scheduled on the weekends of the two weeks before the beginning of the fall semester.
  • The sign-up period for January 2026 qualifiers is open until Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
  • Spring 2026 qualifiers will be held on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Saturday, January 3,4,6 and 10 (1-5 p.m.) in 101 LOV

Signup

There is no restriction on the number of exams you can sign up for, but please be advised that signing up for more than two exams in the same session is discouraged. If you really need or want to sign up for more than two exams, you should discuss this with your advisor or area director.

Instructions

The form will require the following data:

  1. Your Name.
  2. Your FSUID (that's your username part of your @my.fsu.edu email address).
  3. Your preferred email address. That can be your @my.fsu.edu email address, or some other.
  4. Your area—to be chosen from the menu.
  5. If you are an incoming student or not (please answer this before proceeding).

Then choose the exams you want to sign up for. Many of the exams are divided into two parts: sign up for the part of your choice. If you want to take the whole exam then click both parts. For example, if you plan to take Topology, both parts, then click both Topology I and Topology II.

Finally, scroll to the bottom of the form and click Submit.

Click HERE to Sign Up

Sample Exams