Make Sure to Do This If You Plan to Take the GRE Mathematics Subject Test

[@OleJoe]

I remember when I took the Math GRE in the early '80s. About half of the stuff I had never seen before in my classes. I basically "flat-lined" the test. My graduate advisor told me not to worry, that the universities were aware of the difficulty of the test. (I was going for an MA, not a PhD). Sure enough, I got into all three of my local universities. The ones I actually would go to. One thing I've noticed on standarized tests, is that a lot of times they will ask questions "backwards" of the way you are used to working problems out. Or they will ask questions that will appear to require an excessive amount of calculations, but can be worked out by reasoning, rather than brute force. They give you a 6x6 matrix and ask for the determinant. It would take an hour or more to calculate it by hand and then you'd probably get it wrong, but if you notice that one of the columns is a constant multiple of another, you know that the determinant must be zero. Or they give you the value of a definite integral and ask what was the function. Better yet, they ask when is a function Riemann integrable. They expect you to know that it's Riemann integrable iff the function is continuous almost everywhere. (ie, except on sets of measure zero). Of course, I never studied Lebegue measure as an undergrad. I don't think a lot of people do.

[@estebanlopez1701]

Jajaja you're right , if you do a 6×6 determinant by hand you'd probably get it wrong after quite a bit of time

[@cardiyansane1414]

Best insight! Thanks taking mine in a few days

[@faheemriazwattoo12]

Sir can you suggest me books for prep of math GRE and some study plans and guideline

[@PhrontDoor]

I had kidney stones the day before my gre.. Had to NOT take the painkillers the morning of the gre because they make you drowsy. My test experience was sub-optimal. :( Still remember it.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Oh wow no fun

[@energyeve2152]

I studied a lot for the physics one and later decided to take the math one... It was way harder than I anticipated lol

[@imtiazwaheed2863]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6umgmyFoKypqrM

[@estebanlopez1701]

I think that the key is relaxation because you may know all the material but if you're thinking what if I fail or get quite anxious then your brain is just not going to do math. So we need some psychological preparation also.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Yeah👍

[@themanagement69]

Prepping to take the GRE in April.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Good luck

[@imtiazwaheed2863]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6umgmyFoKypqrM

[@senselessnothing]

Mathematics should never be timed, my slow self aside, I see no point in timing it. Put us in a hotel room, lock us up with a camera for 10 hours, and give us a task, say developing set theory or integration from zero. We have too many routine problems going on and not quite enough novelty in pre phd mathematics.

[@connorjones915]

I would like to think I can usually do tests fairly quickly but I have to say I also completely agree. Tests with superficial questions that are just testing whether you memorized something or just sneakily asked to try and trip people up is just a waste of time and shows nothing about ability. A good test imo would be like 5 or less questions that really push your understanding of something. An alternative way that other subjects do this is with oral exams which I actually liked. Take a normal concept that you might be a concept in an exam, in an oral exam not only do you need to know the concept but be able to answer hundreds of followup questions from a professor trying to figure out what you dont know.

[@bigscarysteve]

It's funny how this video mirrors my own experience taking the GRE. When I took it, there was absolutely no one else in the room whom I recognized. During the bathroom breaks, everyone standing around in the hallway just talked about the math problems and what they got right or wrong. I had nothing to say because I apparently was the one person there who wasn't a science major. The Math Sorcerer doesn't mention it, but at least when I took it, the GRE had three parts: a math section, a verbal section, and a logic section. And that's what prompts my response to albu obscure's comment here. I had never had a logic course in my life. When I started that section of the test, I was like, "What is this?" It didn't take me too long to figure out how to approach solving the problems, but I did work rather slowly, having never done logic before. After the test was over, I said to myself that I could have figured out all the logic problems, had I had ENOUGH TIME. I'd got about 75% of the logic questions solved when time ran out, so I just guessed at the remaining questions. Curiously, when I got my results, I saw that I had done better on the logic section than 75% of all the other people who'd taken the test.

[@aidandavis5550]

Eh, I used to agree, but after teaching high school for a bit, I realized if you really know something wrote like integration, you can do it quick no problem. Timing you on simple problems is a good way to see if you got the basics, which is a good guage of the amount of work youve put into learning math. It's no coincidence that the people who are really good at these tests are good in general. MAYBE some qualified people wont do well, but honestly prolly not

[@covfefe18225]

The way the questions in the GRE Math Subject Test are designed is similar to the coffin problems. There are questions that you think you would take forever on but there are some well hidden, simple explanations to them that you would never think of.

[@mnnsi]

How did it go?

[@cardiyansane1414]

I’m taking mine in a few weeks . I clicked so fast when this video popped up on my feed …. I was like - great !!! advice on GRE from the great math soccer. I have been studying for months and could use some guidance…Only for you to say , just relax! haha your so cool ! 💕💕💕

[@TheMathSorcerer]

👍👍👍

[@cardiyansane1414]

@Hashim Khan yes! I did awesome ! Got 326 ! But I was not accepted into my dram school :(

[@zainabtasneem9085]

Heyy. Can you guide me for my upcoming exam

[@nathannguyen2041]

I'm debating between the Navy and graduate school (not sure if I want to go into applied mathematics, epidemiology or biostatistics). Also, I want to do a Master's first to see if I REALLY want to go that far because.. I'm not a great math student (if I do applied mathematics). I was going to study for the Navy ASTB (Aviation selection test battery), but it was pushed because of COVID-19, so now I'm stuck with preparing for the GRE + Math GRE (just in case). I switched to a math major pretty late, so I didn't get to take a lot of classes. The classes I did take were mainly applied math related; I haven't taken any abstract algebra or sorts, so I'm kind of stressed/worried about preparing for the GRE by July. I feel like I'm having to take a class or two just to prepare in addition to two summer classes and one self study class :///

[@nathannguyen2041]

Also when you mention these funded graduate programmes, I assume you're only speaking about Ph.D.s ? Master's funding is kind of hard to find.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

yeah that's a tough spot

[@TheMathSorcerer]

yeah I mean phd, honestly you should apply to the phd programs imo, and then worst case, you get a masters. Funding is prioritized to phd students so this way you can get funding. You could probably get in somewhere, especially if you apply to lots of schools.

[@IsaacBroudy]

What do you think of exams like the Putnam? Did you take it as an undergraduate student?

[@TheMathSorcerer]

I went to a few training things for the Putnam but I never took it. I did take another math competition, I did terrible though!!

[@imtiazwaheed2863]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6umgmyFoKypqrM

[@dildorahojiyeva1384]

I'm going to take gre maths exam. But i'm not good at speaking. I have question during the test will there be any conversation with examiners.

[@pinklady7184]

I don't know what GRE is and what it is for. I am not too familiar with the educational system from USA.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Well the GRE Math subject test is a test that people going into grad school for math have to take. There is also the general GRE which is just basic math/english, everyone takes that also. That is much easier. There are subject tests for most disciplines, they are all pretty tough!!

[@bigscarysteve]

GRE is an acronym for "Graduate Record Exam." It's my understanding that everyone in the USA who's entering graduate school is supposed to take it. Curiously, I somehow managed to get into a Master's degree program without taking it. I only took it when I entered a doctoral program. At least when I took it (30 years ago), there were three sections on the test: math, logic, and verbal.

[@pinklady7184]

Thanks for explaining GRE.

[@awadelrahman]

Do you recommend any specific test to evaluate my math skills? I am literally in doubt about the math I have! I am coming from an engineering background, now I am a graduate student in computer science, but still not confident about the math I have.. how much I have, how to improve it, how to start filling the gaps? I need to identify the gaps first.. your short videos are so helpful.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Hmmm not sure, but coming from an engineer ing background you are probably really solid on computational stuff. That is awesome that you are a grad student in computer science, so cool!! I guess you know basic calculus? What are your goals for learning math? Can you write.proofs?👍

[@TheMathSorcerer]

If you want to learn to write proofs and don't know yet how to there is a free book called "the book of proof". Just google it, it is quite.good.and it's free!!! This is a nice transition that will help you go from thath you probably know from engineer ing to higher lvl math.

[@awadelrahman]

@@TheMathSorcerer I like machine learning (ML) stuff. Actually, ML research paper which made significant changes in the field mostly written by researchers of math background or engineers who are really SOLID in math. I just want to be one of them. :)

[@bigscarysteve]

@@TheMathSorcerer Is this the book by Richard H. Hammack?

[@sohybali2696]

I hope I will be able to take it on physics when I graduate 😖

[@TheMathSorcerer]

You will:)

[@sohybali2696]

@@TheMathSorcerer thank you for encouragement, I work all the day every day to do that.

[@estebanlopez1701]

Physics might be even harder

[@sohybali2696]

@@estebanlopez1701 I did not expect that, I do not have experience in GRE, so please, can you tell me why it will be harder than the math GRE?

[@aishabaloch8652]

Hey can you help me to know that GRE general test is enough for MS in cybersecurity or GRE subject test is required if required than which subject? Math?

[@kobemop]

Did you end up getting a masters or PhD?

[@TheMathSorcerer]

masters

[@ahmedalshammari1851]

Guys any one knows why ETS website is not showing any exams in 2020?

[@gg2light433]

Hlo sir, please tell me from where i can study for GRE maths?

[@hussainfawzer]

What was your gre percentile ?

[@imtiazwaheed2863]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6umgmyFoKypqrM

[@jkshallinheritearth3883]

Indian IITians can score full marks without preparation!

[@amandeepchopra3097]

Don't take it easy brother, there are topics such as topology, graph theory, group theory, ring theory, advanced-level linear algebra, and discrete mathematics which are usually not taught at the Btech level.