How should I go about preparing for the STEP Maths exam?

I think the main problem is with the proof sort of stuff because some of the questions are a bit vague (in comparison to the A level Maths and Further Maths papers), which is as expected, so it takes some time to identify how to go about doing it. The other problem for me is that the solutions provide more of a report for how people did on each question rather than actually showing how you do it, which is the other problem I'm currently experiencing.

Are you getting support in school?

Cant see them again. If youve posted them on another site, just post the urls rather than including them as an image.

Work through the APM book by Stephen Siklos too. All the STEP support modules, etc.
Tonnes of solutions to all papers from 1996 onwards available from MEI (TSR also has some older solution threads). HOWEVER, you should never look at a known solution unless you are confident that you have a valid answer yourself. Doing so is counterproductive. Maybe when you've spent 4+ hours or days on a problem and can't do it, it becomes okay to look at a solution but never take the easy route out.

Also Imperial mainly set STEP as a formality - most people who miss their STEP offer are taken anyway for whatever reason.

I showed one of my teachers one of the questions from STEP I and there were stuck on it and suggested that I try to look at the answers to decipher a solution. This is when I started to prepare for the STEP slowly (I wasn't sure whether I was going to get an offer from Imperial or not so I didn't want to unnecessarily go too deep into it such that I fall behind on my schoolwork). Plus, I also have my EPQ and NEA to complete so I've got a lot on my plate with regards to schoolwork.

I think that there is one potential teacher I could speak to who wasn't there towards the end of term but other than that, I don't think so...

Question paper link: https://pmt.physicsandmathstutor.com/download/Admissions/STEP/Papers/2014%20STEP%201.pdf

Question 3

It would have helped to see what you did, but when youve worked out the two integrals (easy), there is a fairly trivial (b-a) factor that can be cancelled as b>a. Then spot the remaining cubic terms must give the 3p^2q (work backwards if necessary) and the remaining quadratic terms must give the other two terms. Theyve left it in the form of the original question, so the left and right hand sides in the desired representation correspond to the left and right in the original integral. So the factorisation may appear hard, but taking a step back (work back a line or two) and thinking about what theyre after means its actually reasonably straightforward. The following two parts p^2 = ... and the deduce should be straightforward?

We put on regular weekly sessions for MAT and STEP ...

Why are you taking so many subjects btw? We would advise against an EPQ if you are doing 4 A levels ...

Ahhh yeah I spotted removing the (b-a) but then I was stuck....I completely missed it and Idk how. Need to get better.

I applied to Cambridge as well and my school has a non-existent Oxbridge record for students getting in without an EPQ....

Well I can assure you that is to do with something else not EPQ. No-one who does 4 A levels does an EPQ but we get Oxbridge successes every year - state school btw. Are you in a state school?

Well I can assure you that is to do with something else not EPQ. No-one who does 4 A levels does an EPQ but we get Oxbridge successes every year - state school btw. Are you in a state school?

Nope....that's partly why. We had two people going to Oxbridge last year from my school. One for NatSci at Cambridge (who had been at a private school for the entirety of their education) and got an A*AAE offer from Cambridge and another person who got into biomedical engineering at Oxford joined our school following their GCSEs, which they completed at a state school (and they absolutely smashed).

We used to have a lot more success in the past. The no EPQ- no Oxbridge thing was a bit of an exaggeration but I think there have been at most, 5 people in the past 10 years who got into Oxbridge from our school without EPQ.

That being said, one of the smartest people in our year applied for engineering at Cambridge and got rejected from their college. They smashed their admissions test and has an offer from Imperial so I don't think it's to do with how weak their application is. They got 10 9s and 1 7 in English Language and are predicted 4 A*s (no EPQ).

Probably a PS issue I would guess.

Do think twice about Imperial - it's known to be toxic and is one uni hardly anyone in my school applies to now. Have any of the courses got a year in industry because that is a good option when it comes to getting a job.

Yes, my course at Edinburgh does but I think they stopped doing it last year (according to the website I believe) but I'm not sure why... When you say that the Imperial environment is toxic, what do you mean?? I have had relatives go there and they really enjoyed the experience...

Student support is poor ... they tried to keep all lectures online for ever after covid with no face-to-face teaching.

I spoke to the current students and the university follows a hybrid model now but I believe first year lectures are all in person. As for support, you have 3 UTAs (undergraduate teaching assistants who are usually students in their third or fourth year) and the staff are generally quite accessible... This is the information I got from when I was at my in-person interview from a third year student.

Ahhh yeah I spotted removing the (b-a) but then I was stuck....I completely missed it and Idk how. Need to get better.