The qualifying examination is usually taken just before the beginning of the fall semester of the student's second year. This examination deals with undergraduate material, with the contents of first-year graduate courses, and with information that a first-year student should have obtained from colloquia, seminars, and journals. The examination, considered together with the candidate's course work and other activities, has three possible outcomes: pass at the PhD level, pass at the MA or MS level only, and fail. If necessary, this examination may be retaken approximately a half year later.