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THE FOLLOWING 1869 Harvard entrance exam was supposed to be a breeze, believe it or not (via GOOD).

In those days, colleges had to go out of their way to attract students. Harvard pointed out in a newspaper ad that 185 of 210 candidates passed the entrance test and were accepted in the previous year.

But those candidates had the benefit of a focused prep school education. Modern students might find the exam, which ranges from geography to geometry to Latin, extremely difficult.

Click through to check some of the questions on the 1869 paper >

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Click through to check some of the questions on the 1869 paper >

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Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.