I know every study and project is different, but what would be the general consensus on achievable or acceptable goals for the end of second year of a PhD program? My PhD is in the biological sciences. Is two experimental chapters by the end of the second year acceptable or achievable? What would be the norm?

Thank you very much.

I think it totally depends on the project and how the PI likes to run the projects. My PhD is in molecular biology and I have been working on all three data chapters simultaneously over the last 2.5 years and only in 1 is the data collection near completion. For the other two I may as well be back at square one...

Most people in my lab are set up with projects like this, but some have sequential projects whereby the success of one depends on the completion of another, and in that case I think one data chapter should aim to be completed each year, with emphasis on the word 'aim'.

That's exactly my case - my future goals are formed automatically when the previous ones are completed, so I'm being lucky I guess.