I'm wanting to do maths next year. But I never got the opportunity to do STEP, and I'm a tiny bit worried because even though I'm predicted an A in maths and in further maths, when I look at many STEP questions I struggle greatly. People who do STEP - - did you get extra lessons with teachers or are you all just naturally way, way, way better than I am at maths?
I want to spend a lot of my time practising STEP questions just for the hell of it. I'm reading How To Solve It by Polya. I'm just worried that if I find, hell, even STEP One quite difficult, how will I possibly fare at university? I was never offered the option (it wasn't possible anyway) to get tutored for it, even though I'd really liked to have done it. It's just, when I look at the papers I'm like , even though I think with some practice and a bit of tutoring I'd be able to do them...
I'd just like to point out that being "tutored" for it doesn't really help at all, to be honest. They can't TEACH you new methods or anything to solve the questions. They can't TEACH you how to approach any STEP question (they're all different). They can't TEACH a set method for answering questions. All tutoring really does is force you to sit there and attempt the questions - something which you can easily do yourself. I mean imagine if you had to tutor someone for STEP - what would you actually do? There are mark schemes available on TSR and Meikleriggs so giving solutions doesn't provide any extra help.
It's only natural to find STEP difficult at first. I couldn't answer even half a question when I first started on STEP I - I could usually just manage the first part (which is usually made purposely (relatively) easy). But after practise, you get used to the style and start being able to answer whole questions. After a lot of practise, if you're good at Maths, you'll start doing well on STEP. In my last paper before the actual STEP I exam, I got 5 or 6 solutions (and I didn't attempt as much as I could have).
It's really a matter of perserverence. It might be a good idea to start by looking at Siklos' STEP booklets - they have worked examples of STEP questions which is a nice ice breaker. The main difference between STEP and A-level is that you usually can't just look at the question and think "Ah yes, this relates to this chapter in my C-whatever book. I remember doing 5 questions exactly like this before. I can't believe they're offering 6 marks for this - let me start by doing it in my head to make sure the path I'm going down is right". It's much harder to properly begin a STEP question. You're doing well if you do 1 question in 30 minutes, where as, at A-level, that would make up 1/3 of the whole exam (which tends to have at least 7 questions).
The problem most people face is that they're quitters. They can't really see how to begin the question or they get stuck on the hard part, they stare at it for 20 secs and then think "Forget it, I can't do this". If you're not willing to sit there for hours, struggling through the evil twists and turns of the questions, going through pages of algebra; then just do yourself a favour and quit now.
(I'm actually making it sound worse than it is - but that's for your own benefit - don't be put off)
get the apcm and apm booklets. i'm sure someone will post a link soon, i cant seem to remember where to find them.
work through those booklets, they are extremely helpfull. then start to work through past papers.
i would say tutoring by a teacher might help, as there may be things which come up alot in STEP, which you may not cover in much depth on your course, and they will be able to help you with that area, and teach it to you in more depth etc. but you basically need to start working on step now.
try do a question a day from now until the exam, or until you run out of questions
If I didn't already make it clear, it's not that I either (a) need to do STEP or (b) will be sitting a proper paper. I just wish I had had the opportunity to do so and I want to get good at the questions so not only will I keep my maths going over the summer before university, but I'll have become a lot better at problem solving.
I don' think i ever got any help from any one in STEP(perhaps i asked my teacher the odd quesiton here or there), Also my school is only like a 60% 5A*-C school. However STEP at first looked very difficult in my AS year, i probably only ever got 1 solution partly per paper, but at the end of my A2 year i did manage a 3 in STEP I which is by no means anything great. This year i took it again but i did practise a bit more. While practise didn't really help me a lot in STEP I (the questions where not really like many others) getting used to the style of questions and being comfortable with them is very important. I mean if you just quickly glanced over some STEP papers and don't practise much i'm not suprised they look difficult, i think most people would find them difficult doing that or atleast only a small minority wouldn't. If you are predicted an AA in maths, Further Maths then obviosuley you are a talented Mathematician, i'm sure you would do fine at university.
get the apcm and apm booklets. i'm sure someone will post a link soon, i cant seem to remember where to find them.
work through those booklets, they are extremely helpfull. then start to work through past papers.
i would say tutoring by a teacher might help, as there may be things which come up alot in STEP, which you may not cover in much depth on your course, and they will be able to help you with that area, and teach it to you in more depth etc. but you basically need to start working on step now.
try do a question a day from now until the exam, or until you run out of questions
Originally Posted by psanghaLFC
I don' think i ever got any help from any one in STEP(perhaps i asked my teacher the odd quesiton here or there), Also my school is only like a 60% 5A*-C school. However STEP at first looked very difficult in my AS year, i probably only ever got 1 solution partly per paper, but at the end of my A2 year i did manage a 3 in STEP I which is by no means anything great. This year i took it again but i did practise a bit more. While practise didn't really help me a lot in STEP I (the questions where not really like many others) getting used to the style of questions and being comfortable with them is very important. I mean if you just quickly glanced over some STEP papers and don't practise much i'm not suprised they look difficult, i think most people would find them difficult doing that or atleast only a small minority wouldn't. If you are predicted an AA in maths, Further Maths then obviosuley you are a talented Mathematician, i'm sure you would do fine at university.
When I first looked at STEP I and Siklo's booklet, I thought "ARGHHARARGH omgwtfbbq!", like pretty much most people. It was scary, and I couldn't answer a single question. I remember feeling proud upon answering my first ever question (I think it was a simple integral or algebraic thing or something). Now, quite a few months after that moment, I'm pretty comfortable with STEP I and II, and I reckon I could probably get 4 or 5 questions out on each paper. The next big hurdle is III; I can barely answer 1 or 2 questions on that!
Maths revision, coursework or discussion you will find help in here.
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, even though I think with some practice and a bit of tutoring I'd be able to do them...
