A section of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entrance exam from 1869 recently went viral, and many of the questions astonished social media users.
A portion of the exam was posted on r/Damnthatsinteresting, a subreddit with 17 million members. The image, which garnered over 37,000 upvotes and 1,800 comments, stirred a discussion about how college admissions standards have changed over the past 155 years.
The algebra portion of the exam consisted of basic questions, which users found surprising, considering MIT is one of the most prestigious universities in the world today.
One of the questions says, “Solve 7x – 5y = 24, 4x – 3y = 11,” which is considered a beginner algebra question in U.S. high schools today. Other questions ask prospective students to simplify two-variable expressions, also considered basic algebra.
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A section of an MIT entrance exam from 1869 started a lively discussion about college admissions standards on Reddit. (MIT.edu/iStock)
Many of the commentators were not impressed by the exam’s questions.
“Good to know that I could have joined MIT in 1870,” one Reddit user said.
“HOLY MOLY I could get into MIT back in 1869,” another wrote.
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Some Reddit users claimed the questions were easy and that they would have been accepted into the prestigious university. (MIT.edu)
While some users found the questions surprisingly easy, others admitted they probably wouldn’t have passed the exam — then or now.
“I can’t do this in 2024,” one person said.
“Today I learned I’m dumb in 1869-1870 times,” a different user lamented.
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Other readers noted that getting accepted to the university probably wasn’t as easy as it appeared.
The Maclaurin Buildings on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 12, 2023. (Getty Images)
“This section is titled algebra,” one Redditor said. “The sections titled analytical trigonometry and differential equations probably paint a different picture.”
“Might be a bit easy for today’s senior high schoolers, but what I like to note is that the exam is, trivially, designed to be solved with almost no calculations, as obviously calculators were not to be a thing for another century,” another chimed in.
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Despite making its rounds on the Internet recently, the exam has been public for many years. In 2009, the MIT website shared an image of the test and explained the school’s early history.
The Walker Building at MIT between 1890 and 1901. MIT began accepting students in 1865. (Getty Images)
“Sure, MIT’s acceptance rate is hovering around a record 10% right now, but back in the late 19th century, it was a different story,” the post explained. “The first class of students who registered in 1865 weren’t required to take formal entrance exams.
“They just needed to be ‘properly prepared’ … Fast forward a few years when, in 1869, the MIT Corporation finally decided to add qualifying exams in required subject areas, including English, Geometry, Algebra, and Arithmetic.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to MIT for additional comment.
