Both the Partial Exam in the discipline of the Old Testament and the State Doctoral Exam (as defined in § 47, paragraph 4 of Act 111/1998 on Higher Education) are similar in content, differing only in the level of expertise and specialization required.

The exam typically consists of three parts (see below: A - B - C). Prior to taking the exam, at least one semester of participation in a doctoral seminar is usually required (see above, News). No later than one week before the exam date, the doctoral candidate must submit written preparations for part A (working translations of texts, explanatory notes with a summary, list of references) and a list of references for parts B and C.

A. Textual exegesis: Exegesis of two unrelated and genre-different sections of the candidate's choice (approximately 40 verses in total). Requirements comparable to the exegesis for the state final exam at the Master's level (see the Old Testament Department website). Beyond the requirements for the Master's exam, the candidate's overview of the history of research, knowledge of alternative hypotheses, and main variants of interpretive and interpretative approaches are particularly observed and appreciated.

B. Overview of Old Testament theology: Study of one of the comprehensive publications on Old Testament (or "biblical") theology from the post-1990 period; its critical characterization and placement in the context of the current international discourse in the field, placement in trends (critical presentation in context).

C. Individual thematic areas:

1. "Theology" (in the narrower sense; de Deo) of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament - specific features, uniqueness (possibly in contrast to the Christian theological tradition).

2. "Anthropology" of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (idem).

3. "Ecclesiology" of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament - various concepts of "Israel," "people of the Lord," etc., internal differentiation and external demarcation.

4. Adapted individually according to the focus of the research project

5. Adapted individually according to the focus of the research project

The candidate chooses the literature at their own discretion (the choice of literature is part of the evaluated aspects).

The exam is scheduled on an individual basis. Students should contact one of the teachers (J. Roskovec or D. Cielontko), preferably by e-mail.

The specific format of the exam is usually determined in relation to the student’s field of study and dissertation project. The general outline of the exam is as follows:

• The student prepares 2 research papers, each approximately 15–25 pages in length (students in biblical studies typically write exegetical papers; students in other disciplines can write topical essays—always in consultation with the examiner)

• The student reads 2–3 books in the field of the New Testament (totaling a maximum of 1,000 pages), which, if possible, are related to their dissertation project or the discipline being studied (the books are selected together with the examiner)

• The student submits the completed papers and a list of the literature read to the examiner no later than 5 working days before the exam; the exam is oral and concludes with a pass/fail grade.