How to prepare for STEP I

Can I have some advise on how to prepare for the STEP I exam, im finding loads of the questions inaccessable and very hard to get started/approach. Does anyone know of any websites, books, or anything similar to help me approach them?

Do you have a complete understanding of Core 3 and Core 4 yet? That would be a place to start.

Head over to the STEP prep thread 2014

We've finished core 3 at school, so im very fluent at that. Core 4 i've been working through during the holidays and i have some integration and algebra stuff left to do. I'll be able to finish it in about 2 weeks

Early preparation for STEP is important, but you're starting VERY early. Complete C3/C4, let the material sink in for a bit, and try harder questions from a textbook first to give yourself confidence. Then sit down with a STEP I paper and see how you get on

Davros would you say its fine not doing entire papers at the moment, rather just selecting questions that you have at least some knowledge on. For instance I've done 3 STEP I questions one on differentiation, one on integration and 1 on simultaneous equations/circle geometry. It's not really expected at this stage to complete a whole paper is it?

... and let it mature in your brain for a bit ...

I like this bit.

People seem to have mixed views on this!

I would say get all the Core stuff under your belt and let it mature in your brain for a bit until you're really confident with it, and then try STEP exams when you can do yourself justice (the applied stuff is a different kettle of fish because depends a lot on people's module choices and preferences).

Other people just say "there are lots of STEP I questions accessible if you've done AS maths, so have a go".

If you're just doing a few selected questions to build up your technique, then it doesn't do any harm at all. What you don't want to do is try odd questions from every paper from the last 10 years, then when you come to sit down and do a few papers for practice just before the exam find that you don't have a "clean" paper you can work through because you've already seen (and answered) 2 or 3 questions from every one!

There are no hard and fast rules - certainly you shouldn't expect to do a full STEP paper at this stage unless you're exceptional (and there are such people around, annoyingly ).

I would say set yourself a strategy to begin with - something like this: Save the 2013 paper and every alternate year's paper going back to 2001 for mock exam practice (maybe 1 or 2 a week leading up to the real exam); and select individual questions from the remaining years' papers for random practice. confidence-building etc.

If you get bored, or need more extension material, you can try the pre-2000 STEP exams (bearing in mind the A Level and STEP syllabuses were different), or do all the AEA papers (unless you're saving those for mock exams too!) because they will test your Core Maths skills in different ways.

But please remember, you have plenty of time yet, and you won't really know what the "STEP experience" feels like until you've sat yourself down for 3 hours in front of a paper and really tested your time management skills, question selection etc!

Thanks for the information. I'm applying to Cambridge and applicants such as DJ have recommended getting some useful STEP I practice up to interview. I have also self taught C3 & C4 with no problems so I will continue teaching modules alongside doing some STEP questions (and don't worry I left the later papers for mocks)

In that case, your usage of STEP I can be more flexible - your real challenge will be preparing for STEP II and III (unless of course you're planning to take all 3 in one summer!).

I might but I probably won't!

I'm thinking of two scenarios, I get rejected from Cambridge, take STEP I and II. I get an offer by Cambridge, take STEP II and III. 3 may be a bit too much if they are all together

I think preparing for all three can be helpful as it gives you more questions to tackle and being comfortable with STEP I helps to increase your confidence for the others. As for sitting all three there are a few reasons why it could/should be done: 1.) you want to see if you can, 2.) you are insane, 3.) if STEP I is the first exam of the three it allows you to get passed any nerves for STEP without it really affecting anything, 4.) it may save you a Cambridge/Warwick place if II and III go worse than expected.

My reasoning was a combination of 1 and 2.

Being insane is a useful, if not necessary, advantage when applying for Cambridge!

At a practical level, given that the Cambridge Maths Tripos is examined each year by four three-hour papers, it makes sense to get as much practice with this format of exam as you can, now that modular A level exams don't test this type of pressure and time management skill at all!