How to prepare for an oral exam

Introduction

I’m about three weeks away from preparing for my oral specialty examination as the gateway into officially becoming a Ph.D. candidate. With that in mind, I am reflecting on my process for preparing for this important milestone, and figured by putting the process into a blogpost, I’d identify and potential issues while sharing my methodology with everyone. Even if you aren’t in a Ph.D. program, this might be a helpful blueprint for any presentation you may have to give as part of a conference or a course you are taking at any level.