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Mathematics Subject GRE scores | 4 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
[new] my experience (none / 0) (#1)
by sormani on Sun Jan 15, 2006 at 09:56:50 PM PDT

When I went to grad school I scored 91 percentile on the math subject GRE and was told this was top notch. I got into Courant and MIT with fellowships but not Harvard. This is not because Harvard was more competitive but because my coursework was strong in analysis and geometry (including graduate work) and was weak in algebra and number theory (only the two 400 level courses required for the BA). I had a 4.0 in the math major and letters from top notch mathematicians. This is not meant to be obnoxious. But notice with these creds I had only a 91 percentile. I finished the exams with time but skipped all problems in number theory. Back then, that was the recommendation: double check what you know skip what you don't. It was more important in the old scoring system to get everything you did right than to do every problem. That was a paper exam not a computer exam. The higher percentile grades pretty much go to foreigners whose bachelors require many more math courses. So they know all the subjects on the GRE. Joining with these crowds of amazing foreign students was quite intimidating and overwhelming. The GRE was only a hint at what was to come. Ultimately I think graduate courses and quality of letters from well known mathematicians makes a much bigger difference than GREs.


Mathematics Subject GRE scores | 4 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
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