This website serves as a set of notes to supplement studying for the MIT Astrophysics division Oral Qualification Exam. They are currently referred to as the "168".
## Structure
As you can see on the left-hand-side, the folders are used to break out the different sections covered the Oral Exam. Inside of each folder, there are details covering the overarching topics of each section. In addition to this, there is also a folder titled **Q&A** that contains the answers to each question associated with that section. There is also a **Flashcards** page that allows you to view all of the questions/answers of that section at once.
These **Flashcard** pages are linked in the interactive graph on the right and are listed here:
- [[A. The Solar System/Q&A/Flashcards|Solar System]]
- [[B. Exoplanets/Q&A/Flashcards|Exoplanets]]
- [[C. Stars & Stellar Evolution/Q&A/Flashcards|Stars & Stellar Evolution]]
- [[D. Compact Objects & Gravitational Waves/Q&A/Flashcards|Compact Objects & Gravitational Waves]]
- [[E. ISM & Emission/Q&A/Flashcards|ISM & Emission]]
- [[F. Plasma & Gravitational Lensing/Q&A/Flashcards|Plasma & Gravitational Lensing]]
- [[G. Galaxies/Q&A/Flashcards|Galaxies]]
- [[H. Cosmology/Q&A/Flashcards|Cosmology]]
- [[I. Instrumentation & Astronomical Methods/Q&A/Flashcards|Instrumentation & Astronomical Methods]]
- [[J. Lightning Round/Q&A/Flashcards|Lightning Round]]
- [[K. Bonus Questions/Flashcards|Bonus Questions]]
The answers (which may or may not be correct) for the questions are largely based on the study notes of previous graduate students taking the Oral Exam. These questions are linked to other files containing definitions and other shared ideas relating to the associated topic. For example, one will find many links to the [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]] note, the [[Instruments]] note, and the [[Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram|HR-Diagram]] note, amongst many others.
For a complete, consolidated list of all of the questions and answers, use the [[168 Flashcards]] file place outside of the folders. For a PDF of the original 168 questions written and provided by the MIT Astrophysics division, see [[168 Questions.pdf|168 Questions]].
Additionally, you will also find other files containing information that proved useful to us in our studies, like [[Mnemonics]], [[Units & Conversions]], and a variety of topics in the **"L. Other Physics"** folder.
## Recommended Usage
1. **Make your own notes.**
It is very strongly recommended to make your own full set of notes using these (and those of other students) to make your own study more efficient. These notes do not serve as a replacement. Some people make a set of more detailed notes as "first pass" through the content, then they make something shorter (like a 1-page-per-question notebook or flash cards) for a "second pass".
2. **Ask for help.**
If something is confusing, ask other grad students or faculty. You could spend a week on any question if you really wanted to, but there's no time for that. So to keep things moving smoothly, ask confidently and ask often.
3. **Consider working locally.**
You can use this website, but can also download this vault from [this github repo](https://github.com/AYelland/AstroWiki_2.0) and navigate it locally with the program [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/). This has the advantage of using canvases, editing, and greater customizability, but most importantly a full text search (rather than just note titles and headings as on the website version). It'll probably also be a bit smoother.
Additionally, this allows you to use the [[Dashboard.canvas|Dashboard]] feature (not visible on website) for tracking your progress throughout your studying experience - a very cool feature. For details on how to set this up and to see a preview of the dashboard, see [[How to Use the Dashboard]]. *(For other features and tips on how to best use a local version, reach out to Alexander Yelland, [
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected]).)*
4. **Contribute.**
You will find mistakes and perhaps even inconsistencies with other students' notes. Please fix them! Then you can submit a pull request on the GitHub repository linked above (best choice, requires downloading the vault in step 3), or reach out to Alexander Yelland ([
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected])) or Cian Roche ([
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected])) and we can update the notes :)
5. **Scheduling is your friend.**
The value of making a plan with the input of some older students is hard to overstate. Studying for this exam is very much a marathon and not a sprint. So working consistently and efficiently will make your life a lot easier. Watch out for the really long sections (Cosmology and Compact Objects primarily). Try not to leave them until close to the end, but also don't get bogged down spending too much time on them.
If you do find yourself getting stuck on some question/concept, considering moving on to other questions in the section and returning to the question/concept later. Many of the questions don't follow a logical order, and some of the more complicated questions are front-loaded in a given section.
## Direct Contributors
Cian Roche, Alexander Yelland, and Meredith Neyer, using and often copying directly material provided by Megan Masterson, Xiaowei Ou, Geoffrey Mo, and Rahul Jayaraman.
> [!note] Additional Resources
>
> Below, there are some additional links to specific notes or online resources that can be useful throughout your studying experience.
>
> - [[168 Questions.pdf|The ASTRO Oral Exam Questions]]
> - [[168 Flashcards|The ASTRO Oral Exam Answers]]
> - [AstroWiki 1.0 GitHub Repository - Cian Roche's Notes](https://github.com/CianMRoche/AstroWiki/tree/main)
> - [AstroWiki 2.0 GitHub Repository - Alex Yelland's Notes](https://github.com/AYelland/AstroWiki_2.0)
> - [Michael Reefe's Notes - Meme Edition](https://www.mit.edu/~mreefe/MIT_Astro_168_MAR_meme_edition.pdf)
>
> *(There is also a Google Drive containing other ASTRO graduate student notes and a list of questions asked in previous oral exams, but this is not linked due to privacy reasons.)*