Student
Guide to the MPA Qualifying Exam
Students take
the MPA Qualifying Examination (MPAQE) while enrolled in PAD 700.
Students failing to take PAD 700 and the Qualifying Exam in a
timely fashion are subject to programming restrictions and may
be barred from registering for additional courses.
The following
guidelines apply effective Fall 2009. Students initially matriculated
prior to Fall 2009 will be offered the option to complete the
new version of the MPAQE, or the old version which will be administered
one more time in March 2010. After that time, the only MPAQE option
available with be the new version. The previous version of the
MPAQE Guidelines is available here:
The MPAQE
is a 2-hour examination. The exam involves answering an essay
question based on a journal article. Neither the article nor the
question is provided in advance, although sample questions and
the grading instrument are provided in advance.
At the time
of the examination, students are provided a reading from an academic
journal in Public Administration such as Public Admnistration
Review, along with an essay question. The question is designed
to the capacity of the student to:
- Demonstrate
reading comprehension of the article,
- Demonstrate
comprehension of the terms and concepts in the article;
- Critically
evaluate what the article says,
- Take a
position and defend it with logical reasons,
- Use references
from the article to illustrate and support the position, and
- Develop
a responsive, organized and coherently written essay.
The examination
design assumes that the student will take approximately 45 minutes
to read the article and conceptualize the response to the essay,
and another 45-75 minutes to write the essay.
Examination
Administration and Grading
Students enrolled
in PAD 700 complete the MPAQE duringa regular period for the course
section in which they are enrolled. The faculty member for the
section will announce the date of the examination. No application
or permission is required. Students who fail to take the exam
receive and INC grade in PAD 700 and are expected to complete
the examination during the standard time set by the Registrar,
during the subsequent semester.
Students taking
the exam who are not enrolled in a current section of PAD 700,
typically because they are electing to take the new version of
the MPAQE or are retaking the MPAQE after a failure, must contact
the Department Administrative Assistant for seating in a PAD 700
section that fits the student's schedule.
Students are
instructed to identify their examinatoin books using a a code
that is to be used in place of the student's name on the examination.
The examination
is graded by faculty members who are not aware of the identities
of the students completing the examination. Grading is completed
using the MPAQE Grading Instrument, which provides a framework
for assessing the following aspects of the essay:
- Responsiveness
to Question
- Key Terms
and Concepts
- Organization
- Argumentation
- References
to the Reading
- Vocabulary,
Sentence and Paragraph Structure
- Grammar,
Spelling and Punctuation
The first
reading of the examination is graded by the faculty members teaching
PAD 700 during the semester involved, rotated so that no faculty
member is grading the work of students in his or her class section.
Second readings, in cases where the examination does not receive
a passing score, are completed by a panel of faculty members designated
by the Program Directors.
Posting
of Results
Pass/Fail
results of the examination will be published on the date and time
specified by the MPAQE Coordinator. Results will be posted in
the MPAQE Advising section of the MPA Student Center which is
accessible on Blackboard. All results are coded to protect student
anonymity. Detailed results and counseling will be available after
the date and time specified by the test administrator.
Appeal
of Results
Grading of
examinations is blind. The faculty members do not know whose examination
they are grading. If a student fails any part of an exam, the
exam is assigned to a second faculty member for an automatic appeal
review. If the second reader passes the exam, then it is assigned
to a third reader and the determinations of two of the three readers
determines the result. This procedure constitutes the appeal process.
There is no additional process of appeal.
Second
and Third Retake
When a student
fails the MPAQE, the student is invited to contact the MPAQE Coordinator
who is a member of the MPA faculty. The Coordinator is available
to meet with the student to discuss the problems with the students
examination, as reflected in the grading sheets completed by the
MPA faculty members who graded the student's exam.
A student
is entitled to take the Qualifying Examination a second time.
The Coordinator will provide a prescription defining steps the
student might take to improve performance. These steps might include:
- Auditing
a section of the core course associated with the failed exam
part;
- Completing
another class such as PAD 755 Writing for Management; and/or
- Approaching
preparation for the examination in a different way.
If a student
fails to take the MPAQE for the second time during the subsequent
semester, the student will be barred from registering for classes
until the examination is taken and passed. For example, a student
who fails the exam in the Fall and fails to retake in the following
Spring may not register for classes in the following Fall semester.
A student
must receive the permission of the Program Director to take the
MPAQE a third time. For a student to be granted permission to
take the MPAQE a third time, the student's record my reflect counterbalancing
academic achievements.
The
MPAQE Question
The following
is an example of the kind of question you will be asked to answer.
This is NOT the question, but an example to brief you on what
to expect.
The question
is based on a short reading which you are provided, on paper,
at the time of the exam. In this case, the reading is an article
about organizational change. The article can be downloaded here:
QUESTION:
Fernandez and Rainey suggest eight factors associated with successful
organization change. The factors describe a sequence of recommendations
grouped as factors. Select two factors that you consider to be
related - so that success in a later stage depends on success
in an earlier stage. Relying on the article, explain the factors
and explain your position about their relationship.
The answers
to the question will be graded based on a which can be downloaded
here:
The ratings
with the enhanced border reflect the expected rating to pass the
examination.
Frequently
Asked Questions
I
started the MPA Program in Spring 2009 and I haven't taken the
Foundations Exam yet. Can the MPAQE replace the Foundations Exam?
Yes. You have the choice
of completing the three-part Foundations Exam or the one-part
MPAQE.
How
do I sign up for the MPAQE?
If you are
registered in a section of PAD 700, ask your professor to announce
when the MPAQE will be administered. It will usually be administered
several weeks after midterms. If you have completed PAD 700 but
have not taken the MPAQE and wish to take it, you should contact
the MPAQE coordinator,
Professor Judy-Lynne Peters to arrange to take the exam at
a time when an MPA course section is taking it.
How
do I find mys scores for the MPAQE?
Scores are
posted in the MPA Student Center in Blackboard, in the section
about the MPAQE. The section will include an announcement of the
dates when scores are expected to be posted, and the actual scores
are posted as a message inside the discussion forum of the MPAQE
section. If you took the MPAQE while attending a section of PAD
700, your professor will also circulate the results. All results
identify the student only by a 5-digit number.
