Oxford MAT Questions

Hellooooo,

As I prepare for the MAT right now, when working on a particular question, I can solve it and understand why I take each step. However, once I reach the end, there is a partial feeling of satisfaction because the main thought in the back of my mind is ‘What was the purpose of this question??’ like they won’t be asking me to do so much algebra and get values for certain variables if it doesn’t have any part towards solving a bigger picture.

How would you suggest spotting the bigger picture, if that makes sense?? What thought process should I follow if I want to know what the bigger picture is that solving this problem leads me to?

Reply 1

RichE

Original post

by Floral_Whisper

Hellooooo,
As I prepare for the MAT right now, when working on a particular question, I can solve it and understand why I take each step. However, once I reach the end, there is a partial feeling of satisfaction because the main thought in the back of my mind is ‘What was the purpose of this question??’ like they won’t be asking me to do so much algebra and get values for certain variables if it doesn’t have any part towards solving a bigger picture.
How would you suggest spotting the bigger picture, if that makes sense?? What thought process should I follow if I want to know what the bigger picture is that solving this problem leads me to?

MAT and STEP questions are solely exam questions, so they rarely have a deeper meaning. A good question has the remit of being complex enough, approachable and granular enough to deliver a range of marks. That’s it.

Reply 2

acf22

You should analyse your answer with regards to what strategy you used, what overarching principles you applied, because having a repertoire of techniques which can be applied in many areas makes a good mathematician.

Reply 3

Hodders68

I've got a maths/engineering background and have always loved maths. When my son was prepping for the MAT we did a lot of past papers together. We treated many of the questions like interview questions. I would get happy with the solution and then "interview" my son through the question.

He claimed it really helped as it encouraged him to spot techniques, recurring themes etc. I think that doing as many MAT papers as you can (and TMUA and possibly some STEP) will all help as the questions are designed to test not just your knowledge but how well you think through a problem.