How should i prepare for CSAT?

Original post by Onader

I have looked at a sample of CSAT for applying to Cambridge and I can't seem to have taken related topics in A-level Maths. I have taken A-Level Maths Edexcel ( C12, M1, C34 and i will be taking S1). So is there anyways i can prepare for the assessment?

The CSAT is less about content but rather about problem solving I think (though of course you do need some knowledge about the topics), so really the only way to prepare is to practice challenging maths questions.

Have you read the this https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/csat/ already? There's also a plattform to practice old CSAT questions, though so far only for the first test. There are also a couple of threads on this forum where questions similiar to yours have been answered :smile:

Reply 2

OP

I forgot to mention that i have only taken c12 and m1 and im taking c34 next jan and s1 next june. So maybe the topics i dont know are s1 topics. If someone could confirm?

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 3

Original post by Onader

I forgot to mention that i have only taken c12 and m1 and im taking c34 next jan and s1 next june. So maybe the topics i dont know are s1 topics. If someone could confirm?

Statistics hasn't really been a part of the test, so I'd say the only part of s1 that is very useful is probability, there are always quite few questions on that, so it's good to know stuff like binomial coefficient, permutations/combinations and so on

Reply 4

OP

These are not part of the A-level right? I should learn them on my own?

Reply 5

Faction Paradox

13

Original post by Onader

These are not part of the A-level right? I should learn them on my own?

They don't expect you to know all the topics, as different people choose different modules and take different specs. Therefore they give you a wide variety of questions to choose from, you aren't meant to answer all of them.

If you learn any one extra topic for it, probably learning the permutations and combinations bit of S1, but I would say even that isn't required

Reply 6

OP

i believe the assesment is concentrated around a few topics which i mostly dont know like combinations and permutations. Mechanics for example arent included at all.
Is there any way i could take Combinations or Premuations alone, i would really appreciate it if you could suggest books or videos that explain these lessons. Thank you so much for you help!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 7

Doones

21

Original post by Onader

I have looked at a sample of CSAT for applying to Cambridge and I can't seem to have taken related topics in A-level Maths. I have taken A-Level Maths Edexcel ( C12, M1, C34 and i will be taking S1). So is there anyways i can prepare for the assessment?

Have you looked at threads like this:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4949576

Reply 8

OP

Yes, its not that i need practice. I don't know these topics because i havent taken them. So im trying to know how i can take them before my assessment in December.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 9

Faction Paradox

13

Original post by Onader

i believe the assesment is concentrated around a few topics which i mostly dont know like combinations and permutations. Mechanics for example arent included at all.
Is there any way i could take Combinations or Premuations alone, i would really appreciate it if you could suggest books or videos that explain these lessons. Thank you so much for you help!

You've got to remember that lots of other people are in your position, and I'd stress that they aren't expecting you to be able to answer all the questions, not even close to it. Also remember that by the time you sit the CSAT (December) you'll have already done another term of maths lessons, and if you are taking further maths, that means you'll probably have mostly covered the content for 2 more modules

Reply 10

OP

Unfortunately, my school doesn't offer Further Maths which i believe why i will be at a disadvantage

Original post by Faction Paradox

You've got to remember that lots of other people are in your position, and I'd stress that they aren't expecting you to be able to answer all the questions, not even close to it. Also remember that by the time you sit the CSAT (December) you'll have already done another term of maths lessons, and if you are taking further maths, that means you'll probably have mostly covered the content for 2 more modules

Reply 11

Original post by Onader

Yes, its not that i need practice. I don't know these topics because i havent taken them. So im trying to know how i can take them before my assessment in December.

Coming from a different school system, I also was in the position of not knowing lots of topics, and I learned them by doing exactly that, practicing. If I spent lots of time on a question and it still seemed impossible or my solution looked weird/overly complicated, it usually meant I didn't know this particular topic so I looked it up and knew it better for the next question that needed it. Over time I automatically learned stuff that came up often.

I also think the STEP foundation modules are good way to learn stuff you probably haven't covered yet, or at least they were for me. There is actually one on probability with permutations/combinations.

Reply 12

OP

I don't have an opportunity to take STEP in my country. So i'm trying to find any resources that can help learn these topics. How much did you take to learn those and were you accepted?

Original post by CompSciCat

Coming from a different school system, I also was in the position of not knowing lots of topics, and I learned them by doing exactly that, practicing. If I spent lots of time on a question and it still seemed impossible or my solution looked weird/overly complicated, it usually meant I didn't know this particular topic so I looked it up and knew it better for the next question that needed it. Over time I automatically learned stuff that came up often.

I also think the STEP foundation modules are good way to learn stuff you probably haven't covered yet, or at least they were for me. There is actually one on probability with permutations/combinations.

Reply 13

Faction Paradox

13

Original post by Onader

I don't have an opportunity to take STEP in my country. So i'm trying to find any resources that can help learn these topics. How much did you take to learn those and were you accepted?

You don't need to take it to use the learning resources, there are lots of them online for STEP papers

Reply 14

OP

Would you please send me a link of these? Thanks in advance!

Original post by Faction Paradox

You don't need to take it to use the learning resources, there are lots of them online for STEP papers

Reply 15

Doones

21

Original post by Onader

Would you please send me a link of these? Thanks in advance!

See the OP here:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5537494

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 16

Original post by Onader

I don't have an opportunity to take STEP in my country. So i'm trying to find any resources that can help learn these topics. How much did you take to learn those and were you accepted?

https://maths.org/step/assignments

Nope, wasn't accepted, did badly in the interviews and my feedback mentioned I did average in the CSAT. If I remember correctly, I slowly started practicing around this time last year? But not much, so in retrospect I probably should've done more. I went from basically not being able to answer any questions in the sample papers, to attempting 6-7 in the actual exam with like a third of my solutions actually being correct by my estimations (keeping in mind exam stress).

Reply 17

OP