The Truly Hardest Exam in the World
The examination consists of nine papers. Its questions are of three kinds: one-line provocations that admit no formulaic answer; technical problems, anchored in real open or recently resolved problems, that a strong doctoral candidate would find genuinely difficult; and interdisciplinary questions that force two fields together. Where a question touches live science it is anchored to the true position: open problems are presented as open, established results as established, and retracted claims as retracted. No paper contains any moral, political, or value-philosophical content.
Conduct of the examination
Every candidate sits Paper I (General) and at least one specialist paper in the candidate’s field; any paper may be attempted. The strongest candidates, identified from the written papers, are called to a viva voce. The examination selects for depth of understanding and originality under constraint, not for coverage.
| Paper | Title | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I | General | 30 |
| II | Mathematics | 30 |
| III | Physics | 31 |
| IV | Chemistry | 30 |
| V | Biology | 30 |
| VI | Philosophy and Logic | 30 |
| VII | Engineering | 30 |
| VIII | Computer Science and the Study of the Mind | 30 |
| IX | Social Mathematics | 30 |
| Total | 271 |
Questions, once set, are never altered or renumbered. Additions are made by numbered amendment or expansion: Amendment v2.1 appended Question 31 to Paper III; Expansion v3.0 added Paper IX — Social Mathematics, bringing the examination to 271 questions. The full version record is kept in the Records.