Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) Guide

Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) Guide

Everything you should know before taking the STEP and how to be successful!

WHAT IS THE STEP?

The Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) is a prestigious and challenging admissions test designed to assess a candidate's mathematical aptitude and problem-solving abilities. Cambridge University, in particular, employs the STEP as an essential part of its Mathematics admissions process, ensuring that prospective students possess the necessary skills and readiness for their demanding mathematics programs.

WHO NEEDS TO SIT THE STEP?

STEP is used as standard by the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London. Other Universities sometimes ask candidates to take STEP as part of their offer, or offer reduced A-level (or equivalent) grade offers based on high STEP results if taken. The UK Universities that incorporate STEP are as follows:

Imperial College London (requires STEP if you missed the MAT deadline or received a borderline MAT result)
King’s College London (reduced A-level offer for students with STEP Grade 1)
Lancaster University (reduced A-level offer for students with Further Maths and STEP Grade 3)
University College London (reduced A-level offer for students with STEP Grade 1)
University of Bath (STEP recommended, with alternative offers given for students with STEP)
University of Bristol (reduced A-level offer with STEP)
University of Cambridge (STEP required for applicants)
University of Warwick (reduced A-level offer for students with Grade 1 in any STEP paper)

We recommend that you check the course web page for the particular university you’re interested in applying to to ensure that all the information you have to hand is up to date!

HOW IS THE STEP STRUCTURED?

The STEP typically consists of several papers, each with challenging mathematical problems that assess a candidate's problem-solving capabilities. The STEP exam was previously formed of three papers (STEP I, STEP II, and STEP III), but as of 2021, only STEP II and STEP III are used for UK university admissions.

STEP II and STEP II are both three hour papers consisting of 12 questions, from which candidates select 6 questions to answer. All questions in the paper carry equal marks, and applicants will receive the marks from their 6 highest scoring questions.

STEP II is based on A Level Mathematics and AS Level Further Mathematics. The paper has 12 questions across three sections: the first contains 8 pure questions, the second contains 2 mechanics questions, and the third contains 2 probability/statistics questions.

STEP III is based on A Level Mathematics and A Level Further Mathematics. The paper has 12 questions across three sections: the first contains 8 pure questions, the second contains 2 mechanics questions, and the third contains 2 probability/statistics questions.

CAN I CHOOSE WHICH QUESTIONS I ANSWER IN THE STEP?

Yes. In both STEP II and STEP III, candidates are marked on their highest scoring 6 answers out of 12 possible questions (per paper). This gives candidates flexibility in choosing questions that suit their skills and interests.

HOW IS MY SCORE IN THE STEP USED?

Cambridge University uses the STEP as a standardised format for assessing and benchmarking their applicants. Because STEP is sat in the summer before university admission (at roughly the same time as A-level and equivalent exams), STEP is not used to shortlist for interview, or as part of the interview process, like other Cambridge admissions tests. Instead, STEP is used as part of the conditional offer issued to students. That is to say that, much like with your A-level exams, even if you make it through the interview process and receive your offer from Cambridge, if you don’t do as well as your offer demands in STEP, then you risk missing your offer and losing your place.

For most other universities, STEP is used as part of a matrix that makes up your offer rather than being a mandatory element. For example, if you’ve applied to the University of Bristol, the standard A-level offer is A*A*A, including A* in mathematics (or A*AA if including Further Maths). However, if STEP is achieved by the applicant, this offer tends to be lowered by one or two grade boundaries in a subject other than Maths. For a comprehensive list of the universities that use STEP as part of their offer, check out the list above.

WHAT IS A GOOD STEP SCORE?

STEP is marked out of 120 in each paper, with each paper given a different score. The grade boundaries for each paper are then outlined as (from highest to lowest) S, 1, 2, 3, and U. For Cambridge applicants, STEP scores as part of an offer vary based on college, but offers usually ask for at least grade 1 in two STEP papers.

Requirements for STEP grades for other top UK universities differ based on their entry requirements and the A-level (or equivalent) scores achieved by the student. As per usual, check the university website for definitive information ahead of applying.

DO I NEED TO KNOW SPECIFIC CONTENT FOR THE STEP EXAM?

STEP papers II and III are based on the syllabus of the A-Level Maths/AS-level Maths and A-Level Maths/A-Level Further Maths courses respectively. The questions are more creative than your typical A-Level maths exam, meaning students are expected to work with an interdisciplinary approach, bringing in elements of different parts of the syllabus and topics into different questions as part of their answers. This means that, although the paper is aimed at being the level of A-Level Maths/Further Maths, the questions are often more wide-ranging and therefore require preparation outside of strict A-level syllabus boundaries. We recommend that students cross-reference their syllabus and knowledge with past STEP papers. We also have specialist tutors who have experience of advising students taking other qualifications and help them fill in knowledge gaps.