GRE Mathematics Test
Encyclopedia
The GRE
subject test in mathematics
is a standardized test
created by the Educational Testing Service
, and is designed to assess a candidate's potential for graduate or post-graduate study in the field of mathematics. It contains questions from many fields of mathematics. About 50% of the questions are on calculus (including multivariate calculus), 25% on linear algebra, and 25% on a broad variety of other topics typically encountered in undergraduate mathematics, such as abstract algebra, point-set topology
, elementary number theory
, probability
and statistics
, as well as real and complex analysis.
This exam, like all the GRE subject tests, is paper-based, as opposed to the GRE general test which is usually computer-based. It contains 66 questions, which are to be answered within 2 hours and 50 minutes. Scores on this exam are required for entrance to most math Ph. D. programs.
Prior to October 2001, a significant percentage of students were achieving perfect scores on the exam, which made it difficult for competitive programs to differentiate between students in the upper percentiles. So the test was reworked, made much more difficult, and renamed "The Mathematics Subject Test (Rescaled)." It is now considered by many to be the hardest of the GRE subject exams. One contributing factor to this is that there is a shortage of practice exams available, as the test in its current format has only been around since 2001.
Tests take place each school season one Saturday in each of October, November, and April. Registration for each season of testing begins in July.
Graduate Record Examination
The Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide...
subject test in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
is a standardized test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
created by the Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
, and is designed to assess a candidate's potential for graduate or post-graduate study in the field of mathematics. It contains questions from many fields of mathematics. About 50% of the questions are on calculus (including multivariate calculus), 25% on linear algebra, and 25% on a broad variety of other topics typically encountered in undergraduate mathematics, such as abstract algebra, point-set topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, elementary number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
, probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, as well as real and complex analysis.
This exam, like all the GRE subject tests, is paper-based, as opposed to the GRE general test which is usually computer-based. It contains 66 questions, which are to be answered within 2 hours and 50 minutes. Scores on this exam are required for entrance to most math Ph. D. programs.
Prior to October 2001, a significant percentage of students were achieving perfect scores on the exam, which made it difficult for competitive programs to differentiate between students in the upper percentiles. So the test was reworked, made much more difficult, and renamed "The Mathematics Subject Test (Rescaled)." It is now considered by many to be the hardest of the GRE subject exams. One contributing factor to this is that there is a shortage of practice exams available, as the test in its current format has only been around since 2001.
Tests take place each school season one Saturday in each of October, November, and April. Registration for each season of testing begins in July.