MIT Exam of 1869 Goes Viral on Reddit: “HOLY MOLY”

A section of an 1869 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entrance exam recently went viral, with many of the questions astounding social media users.

Part of the review was posted on r/Damnthatsinteresting, a subreddit with 17 million members. The image, which received over 37,000 upvotes and 1,800 comments, sparked 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 now one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

One of the questions is: “Solve 7x – 5y = 24, 4x – 3y = 11,” which is now considered a beginner’s algebra question in US high schools. Other questions ask prospective students to simplify expressions with two variables, also considered basic algebra.

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Many of the commenters were not impressed with the exam questions.

“Good to know I could have gone to MIT in 1870,” said one Reddit user.

“HOLY MOLY I was able to get into MIT in 1869,” wrote another.

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Some Reddit users claimed that the questions were easy and that they got 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 that I am stupid in the period 1869-1870,” complained another user.

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Other readers noted that getting into college probably wasn't as easy as it seemed.

The Maclaurin Buildings on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Mass., December 12, 2023. (Getty Images)

“This section is titled Algebra,” said one Reddit user. “The sections entitled “Analytical Trigonometry” and “Differential Equations” probably paint a different picture.”

“Perhaps it's a bit easy for today's high school students, but I would like to point out that the exam is trivially designed to be solved with almost no calculations, since calculators obviously weren't supposed to be around for another century,” chimed in another a.

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Although the exam has recently made the rounds on the Internet, it has been public for many years. In 2009, the MIT website posted an image of the test and explained the school's early history.

The Walker Building at MIT between 1890 and 1901. MIT began admitting students in 1865. (Getty Images)

“Sure, MIT’s acceptance rate is currently at a record 10%, but in the late 19th century it was a different story,” the post says. “The first class of students who enrolled in 1865 were not required to take formal entrance examinations.

“They just had to be 'properly prepared'…A few years later, the MIT Corporation finally decided in 1869 to add proficiency tests in required subject areas, including English, geometry, algebra, and arithmetic.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to MIT for further comment.