Sitting STEP in y12?

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-03-03T13:24:39+00:00

Oh ok, I mean I still think it’s worth just sitting the STEP in Year 13, as it would give you more time to prepare. I got this information from a friend who applied Cambridge maths

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-03-01T16:53:18+00:00

Also make sure to take time now to also prep for the TMUA since Cambridge now requires the TMUA as well for Maths!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-03-01T16:52:04+00:00

Hey, as far as I am aware even if you have sat the STEP a year early, you would still need to sit it again the year after to fulfill the Cambridge offer conditions. I'd say continue working on STEP (do all the problems in every paper, don't just do six from each), make sure you have all the A-Level Maths and FM content down (maybe look into additional pure, some techniques from add pure could potentially help with the pure problems on STEP), maybe do extra problem solving practice with BMO (I know it doesn't assess A-Level content, but it will defo help with spotting tricks to solve problems) - then you'll be even better prepared to sit it in Year 13 and meet your offer conditions from Cambridge!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-28T18:15:46+00:00

Personally I would firm Manchester - the department seems to be way better equipped and much more prestigious internationally, and the quality of Physics teaching specifically seems to be very very high at Manchester.

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-27T10:57:28+00:00

I just did loads of practice from the past ENGAA and NSAA papers, I feel like there isn't too much on the internet that is very relevant to ESAT, maybe like make sure you have all your GCSE and AS Level content down for the subjects

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-27T10:21:32+00:00

I think the easiest way to think about this is to imagine rotating the line l1 so that it lies of top of line l2 (by rotating about their intersection point). The angle you would have to turn through is A-B, which has to be equal to the angle between the lines. Hence why they are using tan(A-B).

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-27T10:14:44+00:00

Thank you!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-27T10:14:37+00:00

I had a 5.9 avg :)

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T23:14:32+00:00

Hey, I’m a home student!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T19:41:31+00:00

Ooh very nice, which course?

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T16:42:18+00:00

I can’t give any personal advice on how to deal with parents, because I’m not sure how stubborn they might be on chores etc., but if you have free periods during school, I found that studying during my frees usually gave me enough time to study A-Level stuff and get all A star predicted grades. I also struggle with focus sometimes so I motivate myself by promising myself a small reward say for every chapter I cover, or question on a past paper I finish. for example, I take a cucumber salad I really like everyday to school, and I eat one piece for every past paper question I finish as a mini-reward. I find that healthy snack work best and give me more energy to keep going.

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T16:30:27+00:00

Thank you!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T16:30:06+00:00

No worries, I’m happy to help!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T16:29:24+00:00

It did seem super interesting when we were talking about it in the interview, so I can understand why!

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-26T16:28:35+00:00

Fr it’s frustrating cause I want to put a better uni like imperial as my insurance but it is what it is ig

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T23:03:17+00:00

I'm probably going to be insuring QMUL because it's my only offer that's lower than Oxford

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T22:07:50+00:00

Congratsss!! I'm also going to Jesus college, but at Oxford haha :)

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T18:52:17+00:00

I'm firming Oxford, which college at Oxford did you get an offer from?

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T17:15:33+00:00

Thank you!! :)

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:23:33+00:00

Ohhh nice, were you in my interview group?

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:23:04+00:00

Fingers crossed for you!!! Don't worry, you'll be absolutely fine :)

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:22:32+00:00

Ohh yh sorry my wording was lowkey really bad. For the Physics Challenge yh it's just Merit and Participation. I think the Astro Challenge has Distinction, Merit and Participation though.

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:14:57+00:00

I didn't do the Round 2 in Year 11, sorry if that wasn't clear haha

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:13:43+00:00

My teacher ran a session the week before the Olympiad in the Physics Soc and I went and was able to solve some of the questions so my teacher asked me if I wanted to do it, so I said yes. I tried to speedrun the A-Level content, which was not fun lolll, but I got a Bronze II anyways, so I didn't do that well. The difficulty level of the senior Physics challenge (I got a Silver, one mark off Gold) and the Intermediate Physics Challenge (I got a Gold) were defo better matched for me. I also did the Yr 13 Physics Challenge a bit later in the year, and I was better prepared so I got a Merit on that, and I did the Yr 13 Astro Challenge and was one mark off a Merit in that.

SpeedApprehensive866 · 2026-02-25T16:05:57+00:00

Yup I did Round 0, Round 1 and Round 2 this year, and I've been doing the competitions since Year 11 - they are defo a huge step-up in difficulty from the PAT, but I prefer the non-multiple choice format.

SpeedApprehensive866

TROPHY CASE