So, the way graduate school works is something like this. You show up, take 2-3 years of classes, and somewhere at the end of year 2 or end of year 3 write a master's thesis. Then somewhere in years 2-4 (after you are finished all your coursework and after you have finished your master's paper) you study for a few semesters and take exams. They are called various things: comprehensive exams, qualifying exams, general exams, area exams. Basically you read everything ever written in your two main fields of study then take a massive exam on it, unless you go to Princeton and then you read everything ever written in THREE fields and take a massive exam.
Well, years of coursework and 1 master's paper later, my exams are here! I recently numbered my reading lists and discovered I had around 250 books and articles that I was supposed to have read specifically for my two exams today. I did manage to make it through the vast majority of that reading, amazingly!
And now the test! I have 24 hours straight of open book essay writing fun, followed by an oral exam on Wednesday. I'm off to start in less than an hour. Woopeee!!!!!