Sixth Term Examination Papers in Mathematics, often referred to as STEP (or redundantly as STEP papers), are examinations set by the University of Cambridge in England to assess applicants for its undergraduate mathematics course. The University of Warwick also uses STEP papers in its admissions process, but their STEP exams are overseen by Cambridge. Students are entered for STEP through the OCR exam board. Euclid, detail from The School of Athens by Raphael. ... RAS syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome) is a self-referential humorous term referring to the common tendency to use one of the words which make up an acronym or initialism as well as the abbreviation itself, thus in effect repeating that word. ... To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely, hence an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... In some educational systems, an undergraduate is a post-secondary student pursuing a Bachelors degree. ... The University of Warwick is a campus university in the United Kingdom. ... The OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) exam board is a British organisation that sets examinations and awards qualifications (including GCSEs and A-levels). ... An examination board is an organisation that sets examinations and is responsible for marking them and distributing results. ...

Results from STEP papers are used to supplement candidates' existing exam results, which are often claimed to be insufficient to distinguish between the very brightest applicants. Each year, roughly 300 people in the UK may take STEP to attempt entry to Cambridge University; many more may enter for the purpose of entering Warwick.

All but one of the Cambridge colleges require candidates to achieve good STEP grades before accepting them onto the maths course. The notable exception is King's College, which does not demand STEP, and is consequently one of the most popular colleges for mathematics applicants. Mathematics applicants who compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad are often excused from taking STEP. Full name The Kings College of Our Lady and St Nicholas Motto Veritas Et Utilitas Truth and usefulness Named after Henry VI Previous names - Established 1441 Sister College(s) New College Acting Provost Dr Tess Adkins Location Kings Parade Undergraduates 397 Postgraduates 239 Homepage Boatclub The Gatehouse, built... The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is an annual contest for high school students. ...

Three STEP Maths papers are set each year, STEP I being the easiest and STEP III the hardest. Candidates may take a maximum of 2 of these, usually STEP I and II if they are taking one mathematics A Level and STEP II and III if they are taking two. Prior to 2003, STEP papers were available for a wide range of subjects, including, for example, chemistry and biology, but the mathematics STEP paper is the only one now in use. STEP Maths grades are also occasionally required for other courses, such as computer science and engineering. An A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education usually taken during Further Education and after GCSEs. ... Multicolored chemicals are frequent hallmarks of chemistry. ... Biology is a branch of science, dealing with the study of life. ... Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ... Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ...

Grading

There are five possible grades which may currently be awarded on STEP. From best to least, these range 'S' (Outstanding), '1', '2', '3', and U (Ungraded). The 'rule of thumb' is such that four good answers (to a reasonable level of completion) will gain a grade 1; more may gain an S, and fewer will gain a correspondingly lower grade. However, the grade boundaries shift dramatically from year to year - and the boundaries for Mathematics III are generally a small but appreciable margin lower. Questions are marked out of 20, and are classified as 'alpha' or 'beta' type answers, dependent on the level of completion. Only the best six answers provided by the examinee will be marked, and hence students are advised to allow 45 minutes to complete a single question. Little to no credit is given for fragments of answers.

Subjects of Examination

• Biology (prior to 2003)
• Chemistry (prior to 2003)
• Economics (prior to 2003)
• English Literature (prior to 2003)
• French (prior to 2003)
• General Studies (prior to 2003)
• German (prior to 2003)
• History (prior to 2003)
• Mathematics I
• Mathematics II
• Mathematics III
• Physics (prior to 2003)

Mathematics I was traditionally sat at the same time as Mathematics III thus making it physically impossible to sit both examinations. The only combinations of Mathematics STEPs it was possible to take were then I with II or II with III. Moreover, Mathematics I was traditionally the Mathematics STEP for students applying to read Natural Sciences (at Cambridge), the remaining two papers being for those applying to read Mathematics. So the natural combination for a potential Mathmo would be II and III, and for a Physical NatSci (if you can read past those two words without shuddering) it would be Mathematics I and either Physics or Chemistry.

Statistics

Numbers taking the exams in previous years (across all subjects):

• 2004 – 1273 entrants
• 2003 – 1183 entrants
• 2002 – 1607 entrants
• 2001 – 2160 entrants

Results

Typically (based on all subjects; i.e. prior to 2003),

• 12% achieve grade S
• 37% achieve grade 1 or above
• 63% achieve grade 2 or above
• 83% achieve grade 3 or above
• and thus about 17% fail the exam

External link

• Sample STEP paper