Oxbridge Entry Preparation

Oxbridge Entry Papers - STEP and MAT

60 minutes: GBP £85 / SGD $145

90 minutes: GBP £120 / SGD $220

120 minutes: GBP £150 / SGD $270

Preparing for Oxbridge Entry

If you are thinking about studying a mathematics or engineering-related field at a top university, then this page is for you. Oxford and Cambridge are two such universities, each one having their own entrance exam. Doing well in these exams will dramatically increase your chances of getting in. Be warned though - these exams are not easy.

MAT and STEP Papers

The Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) is for candidates applying for Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics or one of their joint degrees at Oxford University and/or Imperial College London and/or Warwick University. The exam consists of ten multiple choice questions followed by four longer questions.

The Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) are for candidates applying to read Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. There are two STEP papers: STEP 2 and STEP 3 (STEP 1 was discontinued in 2020). STEP 2 consists of A-level Mathematics content and STEP 3 deals with Further Mathematics content (although in reality some Further Mathematics knowledge will be needed for STEP 2 as well). The exam consists of 12 questions in total: 8 of them are Pure Mathematics, 2 are Mechanics and 2 are Probability and Statistics. You can answer as many questions as you like, however your final score will be based on the 6 highest scoring answers.

Teaching Approach

Both the MAT and STEP papers may seem daunting at first glance. This is completely normal though - they're meant to be. To start with, make sure you have a very strong knowledge of the A-level content. If you're currently at anything below a grade A, it'd be worth getting some practice in before attempting these papers. We will start by looking at some easier questions to help you build up your skills and for you to get an idea of how the questions work. We will then use these techniques to tackle some of the harder problems. This in turn will help you to further build up your levels of confidence. We will also establish what areas of mathematics you feel the most confident in and then focus more on that type of question in preparation for your exam.

Recommended preparation time for each exam: 2 hours per week for 6 months (either 2 x 1 hour sessions or 1 x 2 hour session weekly).

Other Candidates

Not planning on applying for Oxbridge? No problem - you can still take the papers. Some universities in the UK also require applicants to sit these exams, especially if studying mathematics or engineering. It will also increase your chances of getting into other top universities around the world. Or if you fancy and challenge, you can just sit the exams for fun.