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King's College Maths Sixth form 2023 applicants

Hii! I'm thinking of applying to King's College Maths School and I was wondering if someone who goes there could tell me how hard the admissions test is? Is it fairly similar to the specimen test or harder? And what is the general atmosphere of the school like?

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Reply 1

Original post by vanishing-skille
Hii! I'm thinking of applying to King's College Maths School and I was wondering if someone who goes there could tell me how hard the admissions test is? Is it fairly similar to the specimen test or harder? And what is the general atmosphere of the school like?

Hey There, I am a current year 13 at KCLMS.
The admissions test at the time was slightly harder than the specimen but it was not impossible it just required you to think more abstractly then normally.
The general atmosphere is really good I have made lots of friends and lots of people are very smart but willing to help and lend a hand. I would really recommend giving it a shot. Any questions feel free to ask!

Reply 2

Original post by Aosta
Hey There, I am a current year 13 at KCLMS.
The admissions test at the time was slightly harder than the specimen but it was not impossible it just required you to think more abstractly then normally.
The general atmosphere is really good I have made lots of friends and lots of people are very smart but willing to help and lend a hand. I would really recommend giving it a shot. Any questions feel free to ask!

Hii thanks for replying, so is the admissions test basically like ukmt questions and also is it really competitive cuz I'm just not sure I'm gonna fit in there cuz I'm good at maths but I'm not that passionate about it. Also what was the interview like, was it super intense? And also what do u wear to interviews or the taster day? Thanks so much!

Reply 3

Yh the test is similar but it is not mcq. As for the culture there is some competitiveness but people are equally likely to help you and lots of people are friendly and if youre good at maths you will fit in! Interview was not too intense I personally was a bit nervous but thats expected. The interview is 2 one for maths and one personal and its nothing to be scared off its just to help them get to onow you more. The interview dress code i just wore u iform as I had school to get back too. Anything else fee free to ask!
Original post by vanishing-skille
Hii thanks for replying, so is the admissions test basically like ukmt questions and also is it really competitive cuz I'm just not sure I'm gonna fit in there cuz I'm good at maths but I'm not that passionate about it. Also what was the interview like, was it super intense? And also what do u wear to interviews or the taster day? Thanks so much!

Reply 4

Original post by Aosta
Yh the test is similar but it is not mcq. As for the culture there is some competitiveness but people are equally likely to help you and lots of people are friendly and if youre good at maths you will fit in! Interview was not too intense I personally was a bit nervous but thats expected. The interview is 2 one for maths and one personal and its nothing to be scared off its just to help them get to onow you more. The interview dress code i just wore u iform as I had school to get back too. Anything else fee free to ask!

Thankss and I just found about another maths school called the imperial college London mathematics school and now I can't decide which one I should go to so if u have heard of it please help lol. Also does kings have a good oxbridge program and do they do loads of extracurricular stuff as well. And lastly, is doing 4 a levels a lot cuz I don't know what the content and stuff is like for a levels but so many people have told me that I should just stick with 3 but I dunnoo. Thanks!

Reply 5

Original post by vanishing-skille
Thankss and I just found about another maths school called the imperial college London mathematics school and now I can't decide which one I should go to so if u have heard of it please help lol. Also does kings have a good oxbridge program and do they do loads of extracurricular stuff as well. And lastly, is doing 4 a levels a lot cuz I don't know what the content and stuff is like for a levels but so many people have told me that I should just stick with 3 but I dunnoo. Thanks!

Imperial is the sister school of kings so both are good In fact i believe the head of imperial mr wilne used to work at kings the year before I joined. So both are suppose to be good. The kings oxbridge program is very good in my opinion in helping students prepare for the tests and there personal statement. There are a range of extra curricululars from robotica to debate and they also have i thunk theyre called super curriculars like clubs where you expand youre knowledge of topics. And as for kings we dont do 4 A levels we do 3 A levels and 1 AS so the work load seems ok and manageable most of the time though they do give a decent chunk of work.

Reply 6

Original post by Aosta
Imperial is the sister school of kings so both are good In fact i believe the head of imperial mr wilne used to work at kings the year before I joined. So both are suppose to be good. The kings oxbridge program is very good in my opinion in helping students prepare for the tests and there personal statement. There are a range of extra curricululars from robotica to debate and they also have i thunk theyre called super curriculars like clubs where you expand youre knowledge of topics. And as for kings we dont do 4 A levels we do 3 A levels and 1 AS so the work load seems ok and manageable most of the time though they do give a decent chunk of work.

Okayy thank you soo much, I really appreciate this🙂

Reply 7

Original post by 11academic11
Which English paper question did you complete, and what were your points? I picked the story one, but I wish I picked the description. What did you think of the General Thinking stimulus material, as well? I've been hearing a lot of differing viewpoints. Maths was pretty good for me.


I assume this was an accident loll

Reply 8

Original post by 11academic11

wdym?


This thread is about kings maths school which is a maths school and so they don't do english..?? And I don't know which exams ur talking about??

Reply 9

Original post by 11academic11

ohhh oops
I was referring to King's College Wimbledon, and their entrance exams.


Ohh sorryy😭 is that not a maths school as well?? What subjects are u thinking of doing??

Reply 10

Original post by dreamydogs

Do you have any tips for the admissions test? What ukmt challenge would you suggest? How are you finding the extracurricular side?


Did u attend the open evening today? In it they said u can do ukmt questions and they said rhey have loads of sports and stuff

Reply 11

Original post by dreamydogs

Yes I went to the open evening - i'm really nervous that so many ppl are applying


Samee and they only choose like 60 ppl as well😭 but oh well if I get in I get in if I don't I don't
Oh there's also another maths school called the imperial maths school or something and that's quite similar to kings as well

Are u going to the taster day??

Reply 12

Original post by dreamydogs
Original post by vanishing-skille
Samee and they only choose like 60 ppl as well😭 but oh well if I get in I get in if I don't I don't
Oh there's also another maths school called the imperial maths school or something and that's quite similar to kings as well

Are u going to the taster day??

I kind of live too far for imperial - for me it's kings or nothing. I went to a taster day and really enjoyed it, but I found everyone really intimidating


Ohh fair enough
How many people were there at the taster day?? And what was everyone wearing loll I have no clue what to wear
Are u still gonna apply to other schools as a backup

Reply 13

Original post by dreamydogs
Original post by vanishing-skille
Samee and they only choose like 60 ppl as well😭 but oh well if I get in I get in if I don't I don't
Oh there's also another maths school called the imperial maths school or something and that's quite similar to kings as well

Are u going to the taster day??

What did you think about imperial (if you attended the taster day) - better/worse/same as kings?


I haven't been to the taster day😭 but at the open evening they said they're quite similar to kings

Reply 14

Original post by Aosta
Hey There, I am a current year 13 at KCLMS.
The admissions test at the time was slightly harder than the specimen but it was not impossible it just required you to think more abstractly then normally.
The general atmosphere is really good I have made lots of friends and lots of people are very smart but willing to help and lend a hand. I would really recommend giving it a shot. Any questions feel free to ask!

Hello, I have aldready applied for the september 2024 entry, i have always wanted to go here(i nearly applied for the KCLMS + outreach program but some challenges came in the way, i had to keep it aside for a while.) and i checked what knowledge is required for the admissions test which is the KS3 curriculum. I have been practicing some ukcmt intermediate challenge questions. Is there any other way i can prepare for the exam(maybe ask my mathematics teacher for help?) or personal techniques that worked for you?

Reply 15

Original post by purplecat!
Original post by vanishing-skille
Ohh fair enough
How many people were there at the taster day?? And what was everyone wearing loll I have no clue what to wear
Are u still gonna apply to other schools as a backup

I was thinking my current school or imperial but the commute is just a bit too far for imperial for me so I'll probably just apply to my school. At kings there were roughly 30-50 people I think, we only filled two classrooms, and everyone was dressed casually (nobody was in uniform, just casual clothes such as jeans or joggers). Everyone was really nice and the activities were really fun (I won't give spoilers but if you like maths and physics I'm sure you'll enjoy the taster day)! Are you applying to other schools other than kings?


Okay thankss!!
What school do u go to rn??
Cuz I go to michaela I dunno if u have heard of it but its the worst so I'm not going there
But I have applied to kings, imperial, St doms, wembley and maybe woodhouse and Harris but I just can't be asked to do rhe entrance exams for harris😭

Reply 16

Original post by g32008
Hello, I have aldready applied for the september 2024 entry, i have always wanted to go here(i nearly applied for the KCLMS + outreach program but some challenges came in the way, i had to keep it aside for a while.) and i checked what knowledge is required for the admissions test which is the KS3 curriculum. I have been practicing some ukcmt intermediate challenge questions. Is there any other way i can prepare for the exam(maybe ask my mathematics teacher for help?) or personal techniques that worked for you?

Hey there, Practicing ukmt helps with the idea of being able to problem solve mathematical questions but keep in mind in the exam you do not have the luxury of being able to select one of the answers. In terms of techniques I would say try and go in their relaxed and pace and prepare yourself as the exam is very long and require quite a bit of focus. Hope that answers your questions.Also for anyone else look at a question and try and estimate the time it takes to do it before commiting if its one that you know you may struggle with then maybe look for one that you have a better time to and manage your time so you spend more on questions you do know how to.
(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 17

Original post by dreamydogs
Do you have any tips for the admissions test? What ukmt challenge would you suggest? How are you finding the extracurricular side?

In terms of tips: Try and enter the exam relaxed and make sure to pace yourself as it can be a long test. Also for anyone else look at a question and try and estimate the time it takes to do it before commiting if its one that you know you may struggle with then maybe look for one that you have a better time to and manage your time so you spend more on questions you do know how to. As for UKMT challenge any are good just to hone problem solving skills. Extra curriculars are good I am in the chess club and this year i joined the ves robotics team so there is a variety last year i also did recreational maths which looked at some more interesting questions such as 8 queens on chessboard or famous problems like monty hall.

Reply 18

Original post by Aosta

In terms of tips: Try and enter the exam relaxed and make sure to pace yourself as it can be a long test. Also for anyone else look at a question and try and estimate the time it takes to do it before commiting if its one that you know you may struggle with then maybe look for one that you have a better time to and manage your time so you spend more on questions you do know how to. As for UKMT challenge any are good just to hone problem solving skills. Extra curriculars are good I am in the chess club and this year i joined the ves robotics team so there is a variety last year i also did recreational maths which looked at some more interesting questions such as 8 queens on chessboard or famous problems like monty hall.


Hii again how many questions on average are we gonna have to get correct in order to get to the interview??
Thanks!

Reply 19

Original post by vanishing-skille
Hii again how many questions on average are we gonna have to get correct in order to get to the interview??
Thanks!

So each year if will change for my year we had 19 and i answered 16 and did 2 questions half and not too well but my friend did 12 very well and also got in so its all down to lots of things. It could be down to how they view your statement and diversity and background as well as luck theres nothing you should worry about just do your best .

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