Preparing for the Oxford PAT- Maths

So, I will be applying to Oxford for physics this year and wanted some advice from those who have given the exam on preparing for the maths content. What are some good resources for difficult maths practice questions?

Begin by taking a look at the following helpful video made by Oxford Uni physics dept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkSK2Vm04Tc&list=PLUX8glPeEnsLWP0zQGvsin15fu1dmcSeC&index=1

Then take a look at https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests/pat that has a lot of useful information.
This site also has lots of past papers to get an idea of the format and range of maths topics.
The usual rule of thumb is to practice 3 or 4 past papers under timed conditions. Most people show little further improvement by taking more than 4 past papers.
It's also important to take a break from revision where you're doing something completely different.

If you're looking for some challenging maths questions try some of the MAT past papers https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests/mat

So, I will be applying to Oxford for physics this year and wanted some advice from those who have given the exam on preparing for the maths content. What are some good resources for difficult maths practice questions?

I got >95 in the PAT and I've just started tutoring the maths portion of the PAT with some friends! >.< My naive take:

IMO, you don't need 'difficult' problems. You need to learn the foundational knowledge of the maths, and then some problem solving techniques (but mostly an understanding of the basics and being able to use it creatively is the key point here). The syllabus will tell you the things you need to know that you probably never saw before, such as integrating even and odd functions (literal free marks if you've already studied it). ONLY THEN can you make significant progress in understanding the strategies in solving maths problems in the PAT.

Other things I found helpful, not stated in the syllabus are:
-How to sketch a graph using the TABLE function on the calculator, and a systematic way of sketching graphs
-Rational root theorem when factoring/finding roots, and the systematic method for partial fractions (search it up). Long division is also important
-Memorising the Taylor expansions of (1+x)^n, ln(1+x), e^x, sin x and cos x (the day before and then the hour before, cuz you obviously won't remember it for months).

It's great that you're starting now! You'll do well. (I started in like July, did ~10 past papers hahaha)

Thank you! I didn’t do much preparation specifically for the PAT maths so I can’t guarantee resources I recommend will be good, but I can say that you might want to use resources on applied maths, not Olympiad maths (which uses a very different set of mathematical tools compared to the maths in uni physics in general). Sorry I can’t be more specific!

So, I will be applying to Oxford for physics this year and wanted some advice from those who have given the exam on preparing for the maths content. What are some good resources for difficult maths practice questions?

Hi, best resources IMO are the past PAT exams. Solutions to these can be found on https://oxfordpat.wordpress.com. And on my website www.oxfordstemtutor.com for last years paper.
Other than doing previous PATs, you can practise other similar admissions tests (ENGAA, MAT, STEP, TMUA) although some of these are more mathematically challenging!
GL.