MAT Prep Thread - 2nd November 2016

Close, but not quite right.

We use a "provisional shortlisting indicator" (PSI), which is a linear combination of the MAT score and the proportion of A*s at GCSE. A threshold is then set such that everyone with a PSI above that threshold is shortlisted by default. A college may choose to go against that default, but must justify their decisions; this happens rarely, e.g. when a candidate has already done part of a degree, so could have been expected to get a higher mark.

There's a second, lower, threshold: everyone below that lower threshold is, by default, not shortlisted; again colleges can go against the default. We look carefully at candidates between the two thresholds, particularly taking contextual information into account. We use our academic judgement as to whom to interview.

Last year, every Computer Science candidate with a MAT score of at least 62 was interviewed.

Gavin

Close, but not quite right.

We use a "provisional shortlisting indicator" (PSI), which is a linear combination of the MAT score and the proportion of A*s at GCSE.

Gavin

Close, but not quite right.

We use a "provisional shortlisting indicator" (PSI), which is a linear combination of the MAT score and the proportion of A*s at GCSE. A threshold is then set such that everyone with a PSI above that threshold is shortlisted by default. A college may choose to go against that default, but must justify their decisions; this happens rarely, e.g. when a candidate has already done part of a degree, so could have been expected to get a higher mark.

There's a second, lower, threshold: everyone below that lower threshold is, by default, not shortlisted; again colleges can go against the default. We look carefully at candidates between the two thresholds, particularly taking contextual information into account. We use our academic judgement as to whom to interview.

Last year, every Computer Science candidate with a MAT score of at least 62 was interviewed.

Gavin

I only got 2 A* at GCSE (and 4 As)....does this mean I need a much higher MAT score to get shortlisted?

Could someone explain how the marking works for the multiple choice? Say I do a lot of work the questions, do everything nicely but mess up a sign somewhere or something. Do they look at the rough writing and what kinds of marks could that get? Thanks in advance!

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW, EVERYONE!

correct answer only, anything else gets 0 marks

GOOD LUCK FOR TOMORROW EVERYONE!!!

I'm literally *****ing myself tbh

Yup. I have b, b, d, a, c, c, d, c, b, a.

I also got this, although I can't say I spent much time going through them.

SO AM I?!!!

Glad im not the only one Not sure if i should be doing work this evening or just relaxing...

Could someone explain how the marking works for the multiple choice? Say I do a lot of work the questions, do everything nicely but mess up a sign somewhere or something. Do they look at the rough writing and what kinds of marks could that get?

How would you argue it's neither?

Is there an algebraic way to work out "how many regions will the plane be divided into with these equations..." questions? I can find the points of intersection and do a rough sketch but 2015 Question 1I was particularly nasty because it seems they chose something where a rough sketch gives you the wrong answer on purpose. I'm not very good at visualisation so is there some kind of formula relating to the number of points where curves touch and number where they go over each other?

Glad im not the only one Not sure if i should be doing work this evening or just relaxing...