STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper)
What is STEP?
STEP is a mathematics admissions test sat by A-level students (or equivalent). It is designed to assess mathematical problem-solving ability and is required by certain universities, including:
- Cambridge (Mathematics, sometimes engineering. typical offer being 1,1)
- Imperial College London (Computer science, typical offer being 2 in any paper)
Papers
There are two STEP papers currently in use; STEP II and STEP III. Each paper has 12 questions.
- There are 8 pure questions.
- There are 2 mechanics questions.
- There are 2 stats questions.
Difficulty
- The papers are supposed to be equal in difficulty.
- STEP II draws on A-Level mathematics content and AS further maths content.
- STEP III draws on both A-Level mathematics content and A-Level further maths content.
- Anything examinable in STEP II may also appear in STEP III.
Question choice
- You do not need to solve all 12 questions.
- The paper is out of 120 marks, all carrying equal weight.
- Only your 6 best attempts are marked and counted.
- To achieve a grade 1, you typically only need 4 strong solutions.
Restrictions
- A calculator is not permitted.
- Scrap paper nor formulae booklets are not permitted.
Key points to remember
- STEP is not about speed - it is better to answer a few questions very well than many scruffily.
- Even partial working can give you marks. If you have not attempted 6 problems, try to do so, every mark counts!
- Practicing writing full solutions under timed conditions is a really good way to prepare.
Resources
General Resources
Grade boundaries for previous years
Solutions and advice
Questions and problem solving
Physics and math tutor, 1987 - 2021 papers
Step database, questions by year and topic
Please note that I have been granted permission to publish individual resources on this website. All work belongs to their respective owners.