Welcome to the comprehensive exam.Below are some guidelines to help you with the completion of your exam.1. Make sure you answer the questions explicitly and clearly.The most common comprehensive examination mistake is failure to explicitly and clearlyanswer the question that was asked. Read the question very carefully and make sure thatyou offer an explicit answer to it. Do not rely on the readers to draw out implicit answers.2. Make appropriate reference to the literature.You will be expected to support assertions that you make in your answer with referencesto the appropriate literature. These should be documented in the form of citations and areference list, formatted according to APA style rules.3. Write full answers that are logically structured.As in all writing, structure and organization are important to effective communication.Just because there is a time limit is no excuse for jumbled, incoherent writing. Take thetime to think through and outline your argument and its structure before you write. As inall professional writing, an appropriate set of headings and clear explicit language canhelp communicate your ideas. Providing a concise conclusion for each response can helpyou summarize your central point and reassure the readers that you have, in fact,explicitly answered the question.4. Make an argument.As a scholar prepared to embark on independent dissertation work, it is important thatyou demonstrate an ability to effectively articulate your own views. The comprehensiveexamination is not just about knowing what is contained in the literature. It is also aboutdemonstrating that you can think about management and economic issues critically andcome to your own conclusions. Avoid wishy-washy answers that simply describe some ofthe ideas extant in the field and then conclude that they are all correct. Take a stand anddefend it with appropriate theoretical, analytical, and empirical material.5. LengthIt is expected that the answer to each question on the exam will range between 5 and 10pages in length.6. Allowed AssistanceD.B.A. students may speak or write to the Program Director for clarification on theexamination questions. The program director will not be available on weekends to answerquestions.Students may seek the help of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota library staff inobtaining specific resources.7. Not allowed assistance***Students may not ask librarians to perform general searches during the compexam process.***D.B.A. students may not discuss the questions, approach, strategy, or anythingpertaining to the comprehensive examination with any person, internal or external toSaint Mary’s of University of Minnesota at any time during the comprehensive examprocess until they have received their final outcome.