I never took analysis or abstract algebra or complex analysis. I ordered the "Cracking the Math GRE 3rd edition" from amazon but heard that it has many typos.
Is there a good book for the Math GRE subject test for those that never took these courses? Or am I absolutely screwed now that I graduated undergrad?
The Princeton Review "Cracking..." book is fine, in spite of a few typos. It is helpful in some ways, but your main preparation should be from the four past exams (*real* exams) that are out there on the internet. UCSB provides scanned pdfs of three of them:
Index of /mathclub/GRE , and the fourth can be obtained on ETS' website.
There is also a discussion forum for the exam (mathematicsgre.com), but for God's sake: do NOT freak out over this exam. You say that you have no background in Analysis, Algebra, or Complex Variables. Yes, this will prohibit you from knocking out a few easy questions that a student trained in pure mathematics would have. However, instead of seeing this as a setback, you can view it as an
opportunity: most test takers do NOT finish all of the problems, so you can use the time you would have spent on the "pure" questions to improve the quality of your work on the other answers. I, for one, missed
eighteen questions on the exam (8 wrong, 10 omitted)...and still scored in the 88th percentile.
I agree with BBW that this is a silly test (although I wouldn't say my training was completely useless, as I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing some topics in calculus and differential equations.) You have better things to do with your time than trying to cram some higher math for a few extra points on an exam that has little direct relation to financial engineering. Algebra and Analysis are beautiful subjects--to be slowly digested, not forced down one's throat in a matter of months.
Digressions aside, here is what you need to do if you determine the Subject Test is worth your time and you are willing to commit yourself to the task:
*Obtain all four real past exams.
*Go through them ALL under timed conditions and do NOT freak out if you bomb the first few.
*After scoring each test, go ahead and do all the problems you didn't get to while on the clock, to give yourself maximum exposure
*Create your own training program. Your practice problems should consist mostly of Calculus, Precalculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra problems, drawn from the texts you used in your classes.
*Do a little bit every day, or at least every week. DO NOT CRAM.
*Use the LeDuc (PR, "Cracking...") book sparingly, and STAY AWAY from the other garbage prep books out there (e.g. Barron's, REA.)
*Aim high, but also consider schools other than Stanford. I don't know about their MFE, but the impressions I got were that you need at least 90% for their Stats or Pure Maths programs.
Hope this helps.