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The big fat STEP megathread (NOT for getting help with maths questions)

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Reply 280

RageC

What formula book do we get in STEP, if any?

anyone?

Reply 281

Elongar

RageC

anyone?

Seeing as OCR administer the exam, it would make sense if their formula sheet was used (and I know it's the standard A level formula sheet of one of the exam boards).

See here.

Reply 282

Swayum

Elongar

Seeing as OCR administer the exam, it would make sense if their formula sheet was used (and I know it's the standard A level formula sheet of one of the exam boards).

See here.

It's no longer examined by OCR actually (It's done by Cambridge Assessment). If you dig up the old STEP 2008 thread, I will have mentioned which formula booklet we got. From memory, I think it was the OCR one but with a different front cover.

Reply 283

Oh I Really Don't Care

Elongar

See here.

... what a disorganised book [although you are given t sub and other stuff that is not on the other boards forumal book].

Reply 284

Elongar

I was under the impression that cambridge assessment was a subset of OCR....

It's available here by the way.

Reply 285

turgon

Completely non-maths related question but here goes: I read on the STEP website somewhere that a "hard pencil" may be used to write with instead of pen. Is a hard pencil just a 1H 2H..etc?

Reply 286

TheLoneRanger

turgon

Completely non-maths related question but here goes: I read on the STEP website somewhere that a "hard pencil" may be used to write with instead of pen. Is a hard pencil just a 1H 2H..etc?

Email them, they should be able to give you the official verdict.

Reply 287

qgujxj39

100 days until STEP III :awesome:

Reply 288

Oh I Really Don't Care

tommm

100 days until STEP III :awesome:

hopefully it will be a nice paper

Reply 289

qgujxj39

DeanK22

hopefully it will be a nice paper

Then the grade boundaries will be higher :tongue:

Reply 290

SimonM

tommm

Then the grade boundaries will be higher :tongue:

Unless he means "nice" in the sense that the questions are hard, but not computationally messy. (Which seems to be part of STEP)

Reply 291

Hashshashin

SimonM

Unless he means "nice" in the sense that the questions are hard, but not computationally messy. (Which seems to be part of STEP)

Or perhaps nice in the sense of a large number of questions being on topics with which he feels particularly comfortable?

(For example, Integration and Differential Equations are my best friend - Geometry is most certainly not)

Reply 292

qgujxj39

Hopefully I'll be able to do 1 or 2 of the mechanics questions, they tend to be easier than they look. Then I'll need 2 or 3 pure, which should be OK from a choice of 8. I'd like a big integration one, or an infinite series one, or something.

Reply 293

turgon

TheLoneRanger

Email them, they should be able to give you the official verdict.

They replied that they recommend using a HB or a 2B pencil, along with a black or dark blue pen. :s-smilie:

Reply 294

Swayum

turgon

They replied that they recommend using a HB or a 2B pencil, along with a black or dark blue pen. :s-smilie:

What a useless reply (unless you phrased your question weirdly in the e-mail). I guess they meant pencil for sketches or something.

Reply 295

TheLoneRanger

turgon

They replied that they recommend using a HB or a 2B pencil, along with a black or dark blue pen. :s-smilie:

As Swayum says, it doesn't seem to clear - bug them so more (specifically whether doing your workings in HB or 2B are allowed), it's better to be safe than sorry.

Reply 296

Oh I Really Don't Care

TheLoneRanger

As Swayum says, it doesn't seem to clear - bug them so more (specifically whether doing your workings in HB or 2B are allowed), it's better to be safe than sorry.

or just use pen for anything other that a sketch [it says on the fromt sketches in pencil on the later ones (i think)].

Reply 297

turgon

Just got the email from them, it seems that a pencil can be used all the way through instead of a pen. :smile:

Reply 298

TheLoneRanger

turgon

Just got the email from them, it seems that a pencil can be used all the way through instead of a pen. :smile:

The more at ease you are, the better you'll perform so congrats :smile:

Reply 299

turgon

Thanks

I don't really mind working in pen, its just that I often backtrack and correct mistakes or rewrite things in a better way when I do STEP, and with a pen I'm normally forced to cross out out loads of stuff and start from scratch again...