155-year-old MIT entrance exam paper goes viral, social media calls it 'easy'

A 155-year-old MIT entrance exam paper has gone viral on social media, with netizens debating whether the algebra section is easier than expected for today's high school standards.

In Short

• 155-year-old MIT entrance paper goes viral
• Netizens debate whether old MIT questions are ‘easy’
• Some argue today’s high school students could solve it easily

Ever wondered if you could crack the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entrance exam? It isn't just another institute. With an acceptance rate of just four per cent, gaining admission is a massive challenge. Since its establishment in 1861, MIT has been associated with over 101 Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni.

MIT is globally recognised for its exceptional standards in engineering, mathematics, and science. However, if you took the test in 1869, you might have found it surprisingly simple—at least according to some social media users.

A 155-year-old MIT entrance exam question paper, shared on Reddit, has gone viral, gaining over 37,000 upvotes.

It’s not the first time it has made an appearance on the platform; the same paper was originally posted 14 years ago and is now archived. However, it’s only now that it’s drawing widespread attention, prompting a flurry of comments and debates across different platforms.

The MIT entrance exam paper primarily features algebra problems. Some Redditors noted that they could have easily aced the exam had they been applicants in 1869.

One user quipped, “Good to know that I could have joined MIT in 1870.” Another added, “This is probably just the algebra section rather than the entire entrance exam. Maybe there are other sections too.”

The fact that the paper lacked more complex mathematical concepts like calculus led to further speculation.

Several commenters suggested that today’s high school students would find the exam “surprisingly simple,” as the content is typically taught to 15-16-year-olds worldwide.

One X (formerly Twitter) user remarked, “Children do this in the 7th grade in Romania,” while another joked, “I must admit I would have failed miserably.”

A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST

This viral question paper provides an interesting window into how academic standards have evolved. According to MIT’s archives, the first batch of students in 1865 was exempt from any entrance exams.

However, by 1869, qualifying exams in subjects like English, Geometry, Algebra, and Arithmetic became a prerequisite.

While many commenters found the 1869 paper easier, others pointed out that, given the era, the problems were designed to be solved without calculators.

One user summed it up: “Might be a bit easy for today’s senior high schoolers, but the exam was trivially designed to be solved with almost no calculations, as obviously calculators were not a thing for another century.”

So, could you have made it into MIT back in 1869?