The GRE subject test in mathematics is a standardized test in the United States created by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), 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 come from calculus (including pre-calculus topics, multivariate calculus, and differential equations), 25% come from algebra (including linear algebra, abstract algebra, and number theory), and 25% come from a broad variety of other topics typically encountered in undergraduate mathematics courses, such as point-set topology, probability and statistics, geometry, and real analysis.[2][1]
 | |
| Type | Paper-based standardized test[1] |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Educational Testing Service |
| Skills tested | Undergraduate level mathematics: |
| Purpose | Admissions in graduate programs (e.g. M.S. and Ph.D.) in mathematics (mostly in universities in the United States). |
| Year started | (?) |
| Duration | 2 hours and 50 minutes[2] |
| Score range | 200 to 990, in 10-point increments[3] |
| Score validity | 5 years[3] |
| Offered | 3 times a year, in September, October and April.[4] |
| Regions | Worldwide |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | ~4,000-5,000 yearly |
| Prerequisites | No official prerequisite. Intended for mathematics bachelor degree graduates or undergraduate students about to graduate. Fluency in English assumed. |
| Fee | US$ 150[5] (Limited offers of "Fee Reduction Program" for U.S. citizens or resident aliens who demonstrate financial need, and for national programs in the USA that work with underrepresented groups.[6]) |
| Used by | Mathematics departments offering graduate programs (mostly in universities in the United States). |
| Website | www |
Up until the September 2023 administration, the GRE subject test in Mathematics was paper-based, as opposed to the GRE general test which is usually computer-based. Since then, it's been moved online. It contains approximately 66 multiple-choice questions,[2] which are to be answered within 2 hours and 50 minutes.[1] Scores on this exam are required for entrance to most math Ph.D. programs in the United States.
Scores are scaled and then reported as a number between 200 and 990;[7] however, in recent versions of the test, the maximum and minimum reported scores have been 920 and 400, which correspond to the 99th percentile and the 1st percentile, respectively. The mean score for all test takers from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014, was 659, with a standard deviation of 137.[8]
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. As a result, the test was reworked and renamed "The Mathematics Subject Test (Rescaled)".[7] According to ETS, "Scores earned on the test after October 2001 should not be compared to scores earned prior to that date."[7]
Tests generally take place three times per year, within an approximately 14-day window in each of September, October, and April. Students must register for the exam approximately five weeks before the administration of the exam.[9]
Test content
editThe scope of the test is the subject content of Mathematics major undergraduate level.[10]
- Differential calculus of one or more variables:
- Secondary school mathematical operations
- Linear algebra:
- Abstract algebra:
Other topics (25%)
editSpecialized topics taught in most universities.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "GRE Subject Tests Content and Structure (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ a b c d "GRE Mathematics Subject Test (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ a b "GRE Subject Test Scores (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "About the GRE Subject Tests (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests Fees (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests Fee Reduction Program (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ a b c "The GRE Mathematics Test (Rescaled)" (PDF). ets.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
- ^ "GRE Subject Test Interpretative Data" (PDF). ETS. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests Centers and Dates (For Test Takers)". www.ets.org. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ GRE Mathematics Test (PDF). Retrieved 2024-08-20.