STEP exam early

I heard that doing the STEP I exam this year(year 12) would be beneficial, although it won't formally be part of my offer(as I do further maths, so only have to sit exam II and III), is this true?
How would I go about revising for the exam, would intensive revision from January until May be enough to get a one or an S?
Thanks in advance.

Reply 1

davros

16

Original post by Mathsfanatic123

I heard that doing the STEP I exam this year(year 12) would be beneficial, although it won't formally be part of my offer(as I do further maths, so only have to sit exam II and III), is this true?
How would I go about revising for the exam, would intensive revision from January until May be enough to get a one or an S?
Thanks in advance.

Beneficial in what way?

Where are you planning to apply?

Whatever you do, getting a solid understanding of the A level syllabus should come first, then you can make a sound decision about what exams to take.

A 1 or S in Year 12 would be impressive, but don't take the exam for the sake of it - it might distract you from your other studies, and would look bad if you got a poor grade!

Reply 2

Mathsfanatic123

OP

9

Original post by davros

Beneficial in what way?

Where are you planning to apply?

Whatever you do, getting a solid understanding of the A level syllabus should come first, then you can make a sound decision about what exams to take.

A 1 or S in Year 12 would be impressive, but don't take the exam for the sake of it - it might distract you from your other studies, and would look bad if you got a poor grade!

Thank you, as in would it be beneficial for applying to uni, I would like to apply for maths at possibly cambridge, ucl, warwick, imperial, leicester and nottingham.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3

davros

16

Original post by Mathsfanatic123

Thank you, as in would it be beneficial for applying to uni, I would like to apply for maths at possibly cambridge, ucl, warwick, imperial, leicester and nottingham.

I don't think there's a single, simple answer to this (and you'll get more - and better - opinions by posting in the Maths Exams subforum), but note:

Cambridge and Warwick will require you to do STEP as part of their offer (II and III for Cambridge, any paper for Warwick). STEP I in Year 12 is good for getting you prepared for the nature of the exam, but as I said originally, don't risk it if you think you're in danger of getting a poor grade because it could look bad. Safest thing if you're unsure is to do the questions in your own time as preparation, but don't bother sitting the actual exam.

Another factor is how does your school manage Maths and FM? Are you doing AS Maths and AS FM first, or do you do A2 Maths in one year followed by FM in the second year? To do yourself justice in STEP I you need to have covered C1-C4 and either M1 & M2 or S1 & S2 (there are some questions approachable with just AS knowledge, but not enough to guarantee a decent grade!).

Most people find that STEP requires a lot of preparation time, so as I pointed out, by all means take a look at the questions and see how you find them, but don't risk your other subjects if you need time for them too in year 12.

Can't remember offhand what the offers are for UCL and Imperial - I think Imperial now uses Oxford's MAT but also gives STEP as an alternative so check their websites for offer details.

Notts and Leicester will probably not pay a lot of attention to STEP, except in that it shows your interest in / commitment to maths, but doing the questions will certainly improve your problem-solving skills!

Good luck :smile:

Reply 4

Mathsfanatic123

OP

9

Original post by davros

I don't think there's a single, simple answer to this (and you'll get more - and better - opinions by posting in the Maths Exams subforum), but note:

Cambridge and Warwick will require you to do STEP as part of their offer (II and III for Cambridge, any paper for Warwick). STEP I in Year 12 is good for getting you prepared for the nature of the

Good luck :smile:

Thank you, I guess I am going to prepare for it so that it is easier when I have to do it in year 13.

Reply 5

t to the z

Original post by Mathsfanatic123

Thank you, as in would it be beneficial for applying to uni, I would like to apply for maths at possibly cambridge, ucl, warwick, imperial, leicester and nottingham.