Could you survive a Master's degree?

 Could you cope with writing an MA thesis? Take this quiz and find out!

1. To begin a Master's degree you must be

A. mad
B. crazy
C. wahnsinn
D. all of the above

2. To finish a Master's degree you will need

A. a healthy dose of stubbornness and a thick skin
B. a sense of humour
C. long-suffering family and friends who will provide cups of tea as required
D. all of the above

3. Lovely friend asks "And how is the thesis going?" on a day when it is going terribly. You

A. Fling yourself onto their shoulder and weep bitterly.
B. Smile a smile of rigor mortis and lie through gritted teeth, "Fine, thanks!"
C. Curl up into a little ball of misery.

4. Someone with whom you are distantly acquainted asks, "But what will you actually do with an MA degree?" You

A. Fix them with a death glare.
B. Rub your chin reflectively and say, "Do you know, I really haven't thought!"
C. Recite the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English (backwards).
D. Tell them you are thinking of becoming an anchoress.

5. Helpful person asks, "And when is your thesis due?" You

A. Pretend not to have heard.
B. Scream.
C. Say, "I really have no idea."
D. Laugh maniacally. 

6. You are at a party and a stranger asks you what your thesis is about. You

A. Gulp and wonder where to start.
B. Give a glib little precis and hold out your glass for a refill.
C. Panic. "Ummm... actually... what is my thesis about?"
D. Explain your topic with energy, enthusiasm and passion... to a listener whose eyes have glassed over long before you finish.

7. Your chapter draft comes back covered in red ink and your supervisor's indecipherable scrawl. You

A. Cry.
B. Sulk.
C. Think, "Well, at least he read it."
D. Cry for three hours, sulk for three days, then sit down and make drastic and sweeping changes with a martyred and wounded expression.

8. You are suffering from writer's block. You

A. Try free-writing! Try mind-mapping! Try diagrams! Try bullet points! Try eating chocolate!
B. Go for a walk.
C. Google "how to cure writer's block."
D. Start a blog.

9. You are proofreading your 'final' draft for the third time, looking to hoover up those elusive last remaining typos. You feel like

A. Screaming!
B. Screaming!!
C. Screaming!!!
D. Screaming!!!!

10. You have handed in your thesis, opened the champagne and life is looking rosy. What do you do next?

A. Look for a job.
B. Look for a social life.
C. Look for a PhD supervisor.

Answers:
1. A, B, C = 1 point, D = 3 points
2. A, B, C = 1 point, D = 3 points
3. A, B =  2 points, C = 1 point
4. A = 2 points, B = 1 point, C = 3 points, D = 4 points
5. A = 1 point, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = 4 points
6. A = 3 points, B = 1 point, C = 4 points, D = 2 points
7. A = 1 point, B = 2 points, C = 3 points, D = 4 points
8. A = 1 point, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = 4 points
9. A = 1 point, B = 2 points, C = 3 points, D = 4 points
10. A = 2 points, B = 1 points, C = 3 points

Results:
30 - 35 points: Welcome to the club! Start looking for a supervisor! Oh... you already have.
20 - 29 points: You are well on your way to Masterhood, but maybe finish your Bachelor's first.
under 20 points: Congratulations... you are a normal human being!