GRE Mathematics Test

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]

Graduate Record Examination
(Mathematics Subject Test)

Type	Paper-based standardized test[1]
Developer / administrator	Educational Testing Service
Knowledge / skills tested	Undergraduate level mathematics: Calculus Algebra Additional topics[2]
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 / grade range	200 to 990, in 10-point increments[3]
Score / grade validity	5 years[3]
Offered	3 times a year, in September, October and April.[4]
Countries / regions	Worldwide
Languages	English
Annual number of test takers	~4,000-5,000 yearly
Prerequisites / eligibility criteria	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])
Scores / grades used by	Mathematics departments offering graduate programs (mostly in universities in the United States).
Website	www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/subject-tests/about/content-structure.html#accordion-792530b110-item-ab30804f15

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]