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gre maths subject test is a waste of time

amateur-quant

Joined
10/11/23
Messages
4
Points
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Just wanted to share my frustration here and suggestions if anyone else is thinking of taking gre maths subject test.

I am applying for fall'24 MFE programs. Being from an engineering background, I thought that I need to beef up my profile with more maths.
Thus, decided to do 2 things:
1. Gre maths subject test
2. Pre-mfe courses (currently enrolled in Baruch's)

I prepared for the exam, spent around 2.5 months. Most of the topics in the exam were not new for me except for topics like point set topology, rings etc.
Took the exam in Nov and scored 82%, (not that great, but decent enough I guess which I thought would help in my application)

Now that I am filling out the applications, to my wonder, I haven't found a single programme which accepts gre maths subject test. It's also difficult to write a narration about this exam in any of the main essays.
The only place I find is in optional essays where I could add couple of lines that I have taken this exam, but I feel it won't be a deciding factor at all.

Looking back, I think I should have better spent time doing something else than working for this exam and just able to describe it in 2 sentence in an optional essay. I would suggest the same for future applicants.

I wish programs allowed candidates to show their maths ability through gre maths subject test if they are not math majors.
 
It's good to hear about your experience. Thanks for sharing.
Back in the days when I evaluated applications for a certain Math Finance program, GRE Math subject was a way for applicants to stand out when GRE Q 170 was pretty common and every other aspect of the application was very comparable.
Now that even the standard GRE test is not required among the top MFE programs, it's advisable to focus on aspects that will make you job-ready when it's all about your marketability.
 
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