STEP or Oxford aptitude test- which is easier?

I agree that the STEP III time limit is very tight having done a bit of practice on them- having said that I still feel as though you have more time to think.

Yeah, but the equivalent to my MAT performance would be doing that in about 1 hour 40 minutes, which would be well beyond me.

I didn't take the Cambridge Entrance Exams.

You'll have to excuse me but I don't quite see what you are getting at.

If you get a good score on STEP ii or iii you should be able to score greater than 70% on the MAT, which is what the admissions tutors are on the lookout for. But I'd say the converse is likely to be true too. I think people who get 70% in the MAT should be capable of getting onto the 1/2 boundary for step and some quite a bit higher.

Points for the MAT being harder:
-Much less space to think in the MAT than in the STEP. You really have to rely on your intuition rather than sussing out an answer after trying out cases etc.
-You have to answer all questions on the paper, unlike STEP where you can choose the questions that suit your strengths.
-Time constraint can really mess you over, if you get hung up on one question you can't solve.
-many more questions, so if you want to get through the material you have to be quick at using nifty algebraic/ geometrical tricks to get through the material in the time.

Points for STEP being harder:
-I've found lots of the questions in STEP are an algebra grind; if you are very methodical and precise you can do well. But the algebra is really on a different level from Oxford's tests. However, I would say you still have to use just as many (perhaps slightly more) nifty tricks as the MAT.
-Questions are more interesting and are from a broader range of topics
-People you are up against would have been preparing since the start of the year, usually for a longer period of time than people prepping for the MAT- especially since there are more step revision materials than MAT
-You have to know what topics in maths you are best at
-More space to think, which may mean you have to think deeper. however, I think it's more likely that you are given more time to focus on fewer question because of the insane algebraic content of the exams , not because the exam requires more insight. Personally I think the two exams are the same with regards to insight required.

TLDR; STEP has a wider range of topics and much harder algebra than the MAT. MAT has a much worse time constraint and requires about the same level of mathematical (perhaps slightly less) insight/ tricks up your sleeve kinda thing.

People on TSR feel STEP is harder because of the wider range of topics and the harder algebra. But this gets conquered through preparation, and practicing on the many STEP past papers that are available. There are many repeated questions in STEP/ elements that are repeated so over time STep becomes a lot easier. With the MAT, there are fewer question papers, which means that learning the tricks expected by examiners is harder. Also, the earlier questions might be easier/ fairly standard, but the last few questions get quite diverse and quite hard to do in the time limit. You also need a score of 70%+ to be in with a good chance.

MAT has easier content, but the time pressure is an absolute killer (speaking from experience). STEP has more advanced content and more difficult questions, but you do have more time to do your chosen questions in.

x

Hi,

Can you give me some advice on my above post?

Thanks

Sure Yes, they both get easier with time. Erm, I don't really know what to say about practice for MAT, do the past papers obviously - maybe speak to your teacher about doing one or two under timed conditions? For interview prep, I'd recommend being up to date on your calculus skills - make sure you know derivations of the derivative and integral of simple things. Just to C4 level mind, not much further. There is an interview question thread on here somewhere, have a look at that in the summer. Be sure to actually think about the questions, you'll know enough content, its just about thinking how to use it. Problem solving is a skill and the more questions you do, the better you get at it - provided you have to actually think about the problems you're doing. I'll send some more stuff when I think of it, I hope this helps.

Hi,

I'm currently in year 12 and have done C1-C4 M1 S1-S2.

How do you recommend that I prepare for the MAT? I know doing papers but does the MAT rely so much on intuition that past papers aren't really sufficient to get you a 70+ score?[Currently, I can do only a few MAT/STEP questions and hope to start around the end of June. What do you recommend I do for interview practice? I'm consistently getting 90+ in A level maths but, as you know, this shows nothing since STEP and the MAT are quite difficult at the moment. Does the MAT get easier with time?

It seems so far we've only had cases from small sixth form. So here's my anecdote from a big sixth form.

We have a very large sixth form and we generally get a couple of offers from Camb Maths and Oxford Maths every year. However, with Camb, only about half makes their offer (due to STEP) and a few get into Warwick as well. There are extra maths sessions at lunch and a well run workshop but seeing as we only get 1-2 people at best every year, just shows how demanding STEP is.

It seems so far we've only had cases from small sixth form. So here's my anecdote from a big sixth form.

We have a very large sixth form and we generally get a couple of offers from Camb Maths and Oxford Maths every year. However, with Camb, only about half makes their offer (due to STEP) and a few get into Warwick as well. There are extra maths sessions at lunch and a well run workshop but seeing as we only get 1-2 people at best every year, just shows how demanding STEP is.

Mind if I ask how many people "big" is? I think mine's around 400-500 (Y12-13) but I'm only the second Cambridge offer-holder in teachers' collective memories. (#1 didn't get in...)

How big out of interest? My college has about 800 Year 13 students (and something ridiculous like 1200 year 12's, loads drop out) and only 5 Oxford and Cambridge applicants combined (two of them for Cambridge maths, me being one of them). As far as I am aware, the only one who got an offer has declined.

Did you actually get into Oxford? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't... because you chose one over the other based on how "easy" the entrance exam is. Firstly, I think STEP and MAT are equally difficult... but it is a different type of difficulty. MAT tests mathematical intuition, whereas STEP tests how well you know your stuff (though I admit, sometimes intuition does give you a more efficient solution). Secondly, if you even got an interview, the tutors can see right through you... they will know that you chose Ox cos of the "easier" entrance exam. If you did get in though, you must be v good then, because I guarantee that they will see through your charade.