“Surprisingly easy” MIT exam papers go viral; Internet users react

In 1869, the entrance exam for the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was very different than it is today. A Reddit user recently shared an old MIT entrance exam from June 1869, sparking curiosity and conversation online.

The post received over 37,000 upvotes, with people debating the difficulty of the exam.

Known for its top-notch engineering, math, and science programs, MIT is currently notoriously difficult to get into, with an acceptance rate of just 4%. However, this 155-year-old exam paper seemed much simpler to many modern viewers.

Some users on Reddit admitted that they found the algebra questions unexpectedly easy, while others had difficulty.

One Redditor joked, “This isn’t an “If you can do it, we want you”; it’s a “If you can’t do that, don’t even bother answering”!”

“Nowadays, it’s intermediate-level math for aspiring engineers. My daughter is currently working on something like this in the first month of 7th grade. Today, this would be appropriate to segregate kids for a high school with a math/science focus, rather than one of the top engineering colleges in the world,” another user pointed out.

One user noted: “It says “algebra” at the top, so it’s probably just the algebra section and not the entire entrance exam. Maybe there will be analysis and other sections too.”

Another user quipped, “It's good to know I could have joined MIT in 1870,” while another said, “This is surprisingly easy.” I haven't actually solved them, but there's nothing here that I don't can solve, and I only have high school level math from decades ago.”

MIT not in the Ivy League

Although MIT is a prestigious institution, it is not part of the Ivy League, a group of eight prestigious private research universities in the northeastern United States. These are known for their academic excellence, competitive admissions opportunities and high social standing.