Although applicants to Oxford and Cambridge’s computer science courses are not required to submit STEP scores, they often also apply to Imperial College, which includes STEP scores in its general admission requirements. Therefore, students and parents often ask whether they should prepare for the Cambridge STEP exam in advance. The concerns mainly focus on two points:

• STEP is challenging to learn, and they are afraid they will be unable to understand it and waste time.
• It will be in vain if they learn it but are not admitted to Oxbridge or Imperial College.

Here are few points that Professor Xie Tao frequently shares in his seminars for students and parents:

1. Students who prepare for STEP in advance find it easier to prepare for the MAT or TMUA and tend to achieve higher scores. On the other hand, in the months before the application deadline, students often have limited time for preparation, and the time saved can be used to improve the quality of application materials.
2. Students who have studied STEP for over six months may have an advantage during the interview stage. The interview questions at Oxford and Cambridge are significantly more challenging than those in MAT and TMUA, often approaching or surpassing the difficulty level of STEP questions.
3. Students taking the STEP exam start thinking more dynamically than those who have only studied regular A-level mathematics or AP Calculus courses. During the interview process, the interviewer can easily detect those with unique thinking styles. Therefore, appearing for STEP not only helps in exams but also gives them the urge to stand out in the crowd.
4. Preparing for the STEP exam benefits students by giving them a new way of learning. It may not be seen in MAT or TMUA but is quite prominent during the interview. Students with a foundation in STEP tend to excel in interviews by better following the interviewer’s guidance and engaging in interactive discussions, thus earning higher interview scores.
5. Students who start preparing for STEP after receiving conditional offers in January have a relatively low success rate in achieving the required STEP grades. Cambridge’s mathematics courses offer around 500 places each year, but only about 250 students meet the requirements. Most of those who do not meet the requirements typically fall short due to their STEP grades.
6. Studying STEP also pays off because once you get to university, you’ll find that higher-level mathematics courses are not as challenging.

The above points are consistent with UE students’ Imperial College admissions case: most cases require a STEP grade 2, and very few require grade 1; some students receive offers without STEP score requirements, but such cases are sporadic, often because the students themselves have a high overall quality or have already achieved STEP scores that meet admission requirements.

Please refer to the blog for comprehensive understanding and preparation suggestions for Cambridge STEP exams.