GRE Math Subject test

[spoonyluv]

Hello,

I graduated 10 yrs ago with a BA in Math from a US liberal arts college. I am looking to go back to do my Masters (preferably in Applied Math) in Math. I am undecided as to whether I should take the GRE Math test. There are some universities whose Math programs I like but they require or highly recommend taking the GRE subject test. The problem is that I do not remember all of my linear algebra or analysis or abstract algebra, and I am not sure that, without having to retake these classes, that I would be effective in reviewing all this course work just by buying a couple of books from Amazon and studying for it. I mean calculus and linear alg and diff eq are fairly easy for me and I should be able to review them with no problem, but Elem Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra were never my strong points....hell I didnt even take topology and Complex analysis..and then you add a 10 yr absence from doing math..you get the picture....so I am not sure how to effectively study for all these courses again, short of actually taking them.

I am not looking to apply to any highly elite schools like MIT or the UC system of schools (aka UCLA, UC-Berk, UCSD etc)...just some easy going simple grad program in Math will do for me. Yet there are universities like U Vermont, Oregon State etc whose programs intrigue me and I would like to give them a shot in applying there as well, but they require the GRE subject test. Just out of curiosity, why do some universities require the subject test and some dont? is it because the ones that do require the subject test think of themselves as high calibre? I mean ok I can understand Harvard and MIT requiring the subject test, but I am noticing that even some low tiered places require it, which doesnt make sense.....

so what do y'all think? is it worth it for me to undergo the pain of learning for the subject test, give my situation?

PS: I also have a follow up question about which are good easy going non Harvard like schools to apply to, but maybe I'll put that in separate topic..still any and all suggestions are appreciated

[eldar373]

I think you shoulddefinitely try to pass Gre Subject,

Mainly because - if you want to make applied math, you should anyway be familiar with all math courses necessary fot that - and preparing for gre math is a good way.

[frankdux]

i was in a similar boat. i was/still am looking into getting a PhD in applied/interdisciplinary math and i was out of school for about 3 years before i took the GRE math subject test.

i applied to 10 schools this year and only 4 required the GRE subject test. i don't necessarily think that just the schools that think they are more 'prestigious' require the GRE subject test. if anything, its really a mixed bag. and i think its more about the philosophy of the department and whether they have faith in the GRE subject test as an accurate indicator of success. then again, some schools just have a certain "official protocol" that requires it, but that it is usually not taken as a serious indicator of succss. what i can say with confidence, is that it does seem that schools whose applied math track is a part of their math department are more likely to require it. whereas schools that have separate applied math departments seem to be less likely to require it, since the GRE is almost entirely pure math and very little applied math.

anyways, i studied pretty hard for it and i ended up doing very poorly. just like you, modern algebra, analysis, and topology are not my strong points, and that was more than a third of the test. thankfully, only 4 of the schools i applied to required it.

unfortunately i had a really tough year and was rejected all across the board. so perhaps my advice on whether or not YOU should take it isnt all that reliable. however, taking it and doing well can certainly never hurt, whereas taking it and doing poorly probably wont help either.

[spoonyluv]

frankdux,

Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it. Sorry to hear about the situation you are in. Keep plugging away. All you need is passion for math. There are close to 3000 Univ and colleges in the States, you are bound to get in someplace. I live in Canada right now, and its pretty rough getting in here, as there are only like 20 universities that offer graduate programs in Math, so they are very very restrictive about who gets in. Just out of curiosity, were you restricting your choice of schools based on a certain factor, like region or ranking or something else?

I agree that studying for the GRE subject will be like trying to move mountains, given my situation. I'm gonna see if I can find some private tutor or professor to give me a crash course on some of these topics and see how I fare, but if by the end of summer I feel like I not made much progress then I am defaulting to applying to schools that only require the GRE general. Im only looking to do Masters. Hopefully schools arent too fussy about that.

[frankdux]

quick and happy update:

one app which i had assumed at this stage of the game to be a rejection (based on zero communication until and past april 15th) turned out to be a fully funded offer!

[kdilks]

Nice! Where at?

[zygote]

Do the Math GRE. One place to start is a book called "All the Mathematics You Missed [but need to know for Graduate School]" by Thomas Garrity. It's a small paperback and you can flip through it and get re-acquainted (briefly) with some of the topics you forgot.

The Princeton Review book on cracking the Math GRE is solid as well.

In the end, though, you already said the answer: best idea is a tutor. Make sure you leave yourself at least one or two practice tests clean (or get more from the REA book). Don't take the test if your practices give you less than mid-700s. The prep will still be useful for your own knowledge and getting you used to studying for tests again

[thefrightfulmuse]

Don't take it. Just apply to places that don't require it. A 10 year lapse in background is going to make that test almost impossible to succeed at. It's not that the material on the test is very advanced, but that many of the questions are subtle.

Consider a person that takes 4 years of a foreign language in HS, then goes 10 years without speaking it, and then is dropped in a conversation with a latin country's top government officials on policy and budget restructuring. You'll be lost. You need time to get back up to speed and I don't care how much you study, you won't redevelop the deep intuitive grasp you'll need in less than 6 months-1 year.

That's just my opinion.