2

I am wondering how difficult GRE Math Subject Exam is. I have tried the following two:

  1. http://www.math.ucla.edu/~cmarshak/GRE2.pdf
  2. http://www.math.ucla.edu/~cmarshak/GRE3.pdf

I am getting different claims. Some people say that these two tests are old and current test is way more difficult than them. Some people say that they are roughly the same. Any thought?

3x89g2
  • 7,542

1 Answers1

2

The current versions are significantly harder.

I would say that if you want to finish the current GRE in the $170$ minute time frame you need to be able to solve the ones from the $20$th century in about an hour.

Regards.

Asinomás
  • 105,651
  • This is on-point. The practice MGREs floating around online are nowhere near as challenging as the MGREs have been as of late, in my opinion. – Cameron Williams Jul 17 '16 at 00:51
  • 2
    My best students second this opinion. And I quote, "that was nothing like the practice tests... it was... mean". – James S. Cook Jul 17 '16 at 00:57
  • 1
    I'm planning on taking the GRE in the fall...if these tests aren't a sufficient indication of the difficulty level, do you know what would be? Thanks – GiantTortoise1729 Jul 17 '16 at 00:59
  • 1
    When I took it ~3yr ago, it was only people taking the math GRE that needed every last second -- even the physics people seemed to finish (or give up) with a few minutes to spare. It was pretty unpleasant. – pjs36 Jul 17 '16 at 01:02
  • Agreed to all of this. Hardest test I've ever taken.. –  Jul 17 '16 at 01:10
  • @CameronWilliams Like how challenging? Is it computationally intense or you have to know lots of theorems or it's just tricky? O_O – 3x89g2 Jul 17 '16 at 01:13
  • @Misakov, yes, yes, and yes. –  Jul 17 '16 at 01:20
  • I think you can safely break the test up into two pieces. For more advanced topics (topology, analysis, probability theory, etc), you basically just need to know a definition and a simple result. For the calculus/algebra/"real analysis" type problems, you need to really know your stuff. It's not just that it's computationally intensive - you need to understand the material fundamentally enough that you can extrapolate greatly from your coursework to derive results; most of these types of problems "suggest" a computational approach that you will never be able to complete in the time limit. – guest Jul 17 '16 at 01:23
  • 1
    @Misakov Tricky and there are a good number of out-of-left-field questions that you wouldn't really reasonably be able to prepare for. It's not a pleasant experience. – Cameron Williams Jul 17 '16 at 01:23