As physics graduate programs adapt to an ever-changing world, it is important to update their practices of assessing students. We are interested in the variety of ways that physics graduate students' comprehension and progress are evaluated. We conducted a landscape study of university handbooks and websites documenting the ways in which students are assessed throughout their program. These practices were compared among departments to determine how diverse department assessments are. We also compared our findings with recommendations from "Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century" determined by a committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. This work will help to better understand what the numerous institutions across the country consider as necessary practices and requirements for graduate students. Understanding this landscape can provide a resource for graduate programs looking to update their practices and a foundation for further investigations into graduate education within physics programs.