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STEP Prep Thread 2016 (Mark. II)

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Original post by IrrationalRoot
I'm genuinely worried for the STEP exams...
I know I don't need to do well at all but honestly they mean as much to me as they do to any Cambridge offerholder, I've put a ridiculous amount of work into them, hope that doesn't all go to waste now.


init same reject brothers together forever
Reply 881
Avatar for Zacken
Zacken
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Missed an S by 1 mark in II 2015. ****s sake.
I am just starting to prepare for STEP. I intended to start months ago, when I got my offer, but I've been busy preparing for other exams, and playing waaay too many video games. I need a 2 on STEP I for my Imperial Computing offer, and I have a lot of math to review. I basically didn't take math this year(took computer science and physics instead, I'm american, not going to attempt to explain our school system), but I took AP BC calc last year and got a 5, 800's on SAT math, and SAT 2 math 2, and respectable scores on AMC's - 90th percentile or so. But, all of these exams are primarily multiple choice, and besides the AMC's they all allowed calculators. STEP is an entirely different beast. I have 2 days to prepare. I am drilling some basic calculus, as I'm a little rusty, and I've downloaded the Siklos book. I figure I'll spend today drilling calculus and working through siklos, and I'll sit a mock tomorrow, and check it against the mark scheme. Any advice on what else to do? I'm hoping this will be enough, but it's too late to make much of a difference in my score.
Reply 883
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Zacken
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Original post by annzabelle
I am just starting to prepare for STEP. I intended to start months ago, when I got my offer, but I've been busy preparing for other exams, and playing waaay too many video games. I need a 2 on STEP I for my Imperial Computing offer, and I have a lot of math to review. I basically didn't take math this year(took computer science and physics instead, I'm american, not going to attempt to explain our school system), but I took AP BC calc last year and got a 5, 800's on SAT math, and SAT 2 math 2, and respectable scores on AMC's - 90th percentile or so. But, all of these exams are primarily multiple choice, and besides the AMC's they all allowed calculators. STEP is an entirely different beast. I have 2 days to prepare. I am drilling some basic calculus, as I'm a little rusty, and I've downloaded the Siklos book. I figure I'll spend today drilling calculus and working through siklos, and I'll sit a mock tomorrow, and check it against the mark scheme. Any advice on what else to do? I'm hoping this will be enough, but it's too late to make much of a difference in my score.


Just practice as many questions as you can, getting a 2 is thankfully really not that hard, so you might just be able to make it. Keep working at it.
STEP I 2013 was so divine... especially that differential equation question. Praying for a similar paper this year
Original post by annzabelle
I am just starting to prepare for STEP. I intended to start months ago, when I got my offer, but I've been busy preparing for other exams, and playing waaay too many video games. I need a 2 on STEP I for my Imperial Computing offer, and I have a lot of math to review. I basically didn't take math this year(took computer science and physics instead, I'm american, not going to attempt to explain our school system), but I took AP BC calc last year and got a 5, 800's on SAT math, and SAT 2 math 2, and respectable scores on AMC's - 90th percentile or so. But, all of these exams are primarily multiple choice, and besides the AMC's they all allowed calculators. STEP is an entirely different beast. I have 2 days to prepare. I am drilling some basic calculus, as I'm a little rusty, and I've downloaded the Siklos book. I figure I'll spend today drilling calculus and working through siklos, and I'll sit a mock tomorrow, and check it against the mark scheme. Any advice on what else to do? I'm hoping this will be enough, but it's too late to make much of a difference in my score.


Two days isn't really enough to prepare, so how well you do will mostly depend on your inherent maths ability. With the limited time you have, I'd work backwards from the 2015 paper and try to do as many questions as possible. I don't know what kind of maths you learn in the US, but I imagine the syllabus is quite different to the UK A-level one. So I think an important thing to do is identify the type of questions you might be able to do, which I imagine will be the calculus-based ones, and the ones that are more pure problem solving with little advanced maths. Good luck!
Original post by EnglishMuon
wow wow wow on the topic of mech qs, (u may have already done this) but u should take a look at q 11 III 98, it is so nice to a flaw proof complete proof for some of the nice Alevel physics stuff they destroy by not doing properly


Holy ****. Do you have more of these mech questions? Especially if they include rotational dynamics, pendulums, M.I, angular momentum or any of this ****. I love this question, damn mech questions are so much more satisfying than pure. :biggrin:




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Original post by Insight314
Holy ****. Do you have more of these mech questions? Especially if they include rotational dynamics, pendulums, M.I, angular momentum or any of this ****. I love this question, damn mech questions are so much more satisfying than pure. :biggrin:




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haha not that I know of yet, but that was very stasifying! There was another great mech. q I think on the 2015 II paper (about particles receiving an impulse). That was really interesting.
Also anyone know how to get from to
? (TSR solution to Q 8 III 2001). I think that the first z in the first expression should be a w though.
Original post by EnglishMuon
Also anyone know how to get from to
? (TSR solution to Q 8 III 2001). I think that the first z in the first expression should be a w though.


Multiply both sides by |w| and take |1 + i| on the outside on LHS
Hi, could someone please tell me why the variance of the distribution of numbers in Q15 STEP II, 1993, is 1/12? It's probably ridiculously silly, but I simply can't seem to get a finger on it.
Original post by 1 8 13 20 42
Multiply both sides by |w| and take |1 + i| on the outside on LHS


oh lol ok, yea I forgot that mod 1+i simplifies XD Thanks
Original post by annzabelle
I am just starting to prepare for STEP. I intended to start months ago, when I got my offer, but I've been busy preparing for other exams, and playing waaay too many video games. I need a 2 on STEP I for my Imperial Computing offer, and I have a lot of math to review. I basically didn't take math this year(took computer science and physics instead, I'm american, not going to attempt to explain our school system), but I took AP BC calc last year and got a 5, 800's on SAT math, and SAT 2 math 2, and respectable scores on AMC's - 90th percentile or so. But, all of these exams are primarily multiple choice, and besides the AMC's they all allowed calculators. STEP is an entirely different beast. I have 2 days to prepare. I am drilling some basic calculus, as I'm a little rusty, and I've downloaded the Siklos book. I figure I'll spend today drilling calculus and working through siklos, and I'll sit a mock tomorrow, and check it against the mark scheme. Any advice on what else to do? I'm hoping this will be enough, but it's too late to make much of a difference in my score.


FWIW, my suggestion is to first go through the entire Siklos booklet. Since time is so short for you, you won't be able to do each question and then score it, but it is still worth just reading through these quickly attempting just a few that really appeal to you.

Then take a look at the exams with available marking schemes. Maybe try a mock (or two) with those exams and then read carefully the full marking scheme for all the questions.

Doing these two things will be your quickest way to get a feel for how the questions are constructed and what they are after. Think of it **somewhat** like preparing for the free response section of the AP exams -- once you have an idea how they mark things and what they are looking for, you have a much better shot at getting a decent score even if you can't fully complete the questions.

Best of luck! (from an American mom :smile: )
Original post by Number Nine
do it and tel (aviv) me what you get!!!!


Why did you make me do that...
There wasn't anything really wrong, I completed four questions and got 11 off beginning another, so max of 91.
Let's say they were strict and took off a few points here and there, I would say minimum 84.

Not as many points as I would like, but it's still Eilat.
Original post by EricPiphany
Why did you make me do that...
There wasn't anything really wrong, I completed four questions and got 11 off beginning another, so max of 91.
Let's say they were strict and took off a few points here and there, I would say minimum 84.

Not as many points as I would like, but it's still Eilat.


Hold on... I completed five questions... since when did I forget how to count.
Out of interest, does anyone know what the step answer booklet looks like? I can't find any copies online. Is it all lined paper and do they give you blank paper for sketch graphs?

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Reply 896
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Zacken
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Original post by nitromeguy
Out of interest, does anyone know what the step answer booklet looks like? I can't find any copies online. Is it all lined paper and do they give you blank paper for sketch graphs?

Posted from TSR Mobile


20 paged booklet of standard lined paper and then as many additional 5 paged lined booklet as you want. No blank paper. All graphs are done on the lined paper in the booklet.

You can ask for rough blank paper that won't get marked, but don't, there's no point to it. Do all your working in the booklet.

Original post by EricPiphany
Hold on... I completed five questions... since when did I forget how to count.


Well done!
Original post by Zacken
20 paged booklet of standard lined paper and then as many additional 5 paged lined booklet as you want. No blank paper. All graphs are done on the lined paper in the booklet.

You can ask for rough blank paper that won't get marked, but don't, there's no point to it. Do all your working in the booklet.



OK thanks :smile:
Reply 898
Avatar for jacobe
jacobe
3
pre exam nerves are getting to me...
Could someone please explain this in pm?

I don't understand how T= what they have given is when the horizontal velocity is 0. How do you figure that out?

Thanks
Capture step.PNG

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