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FAQs

  • For test-takers
    • STEP
      • About STEP
      • Scoring and results
      • Dates and costs
      • How to register
      • Preparing for STEP
      • FAQs

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Visit our Support Site if you cannot find the answer to your question on our website.

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Taking STEP

Can I enter for STEP Mathematics if I don’t hold an offer that requires it?

Yes, STEP is open to all.

Which STEP papers do I need to sit?

Usually, the university will specify which papers a candidate needs to sit in their offer letter. If in doubt, contact the university directly.

Where can I take STEP?

You can take the test at any centre that administers STEP.

  • If you are currently attending school or college: You can normally take the test at your school – check with your Exams Officer. lf your school is not already registered as a centre, they can apply to become a test centre – even if you are the only person taking a test.

    We advise that you take the test at school, if possible, rather than at an alternative authorised test centre. These centres may charge an administration fee in addition to the test fee.
     
  • If you are not attending school or college: You may be able to take the test at your old school – check with the Exams Officer. If this is not possible, you will need to find an authorised test centre where you can take the test.

You cannot register yourself for STEP – you must be registered by a STEP centre.

If you cannot find a test centre within reasonable travelling distance of your home town, please read our Support Site article. 

Can I withdraw my entry for the test?

Yes, you can withdraw your entry for the test. Your Exams Officer will need to do this for you. Entries for STEP 2 can only be withdrawn until Wednesday 7 June 2023 and for STEP 3 entries can only be withdrawn until Tuesday 20 June. If your entries are withdrawn by these dates your registration fee will be refunded.

Access arrangements and special consideration

What do I do if I need Access Arrangements?

Access Arrangements are available if you have a disability or special requirement, and are entitled to support for other exams.

You need to inform your centre of any special requirements when they register you for the test.

Your centre will:

  • ask for full details of your disability or special requirement
  • ask you for a copy of your medical evidence
  • submit the request for Access Arrangements, if appropriate.

For more information about our policies and processes, please visit our Support site.

Do I qualify for special consideration? How do I apply?

Requests for special consideration are used to indicate to institutions that a candidate suffered temporary illness, injury or indisposition at the time of the assessment. They may also be used to indicate that there were problems with an aspect of the administration of the test, such as a fire alarm during the test session.

For more information about our policies and processes, please visit our Support site.

Please note, for STEP we are only able to pass on special consideration notifications to the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London.

Is extra time allowed for test-takers without English as their first language?

No, extra time is not allowed for candidates without English as their first language.

On the day of the test

What equipment can be used for STEP?

Candidates can take rulers, protractors and compasses into the examination. They should write their answers in black pen only, and use pencil for diagrams and graphs.

From 2023 bilingual dictionaries are no longer permitted for candidates who don’t have English as a first language.

Calculators are not allowed in the examination.

Why is there only one answer booklet?

Having one large answer booklet makes it easier to ensure that scripts are fully anonymised for marking and that each candidate’s answers are kept together.

We surveyed a large number of scripts, and concluded that a 48 page answer booklet is more than enough to ensure that you will not run out of space.

If you have relevant Access Arrangements you can request an additional answer booklet.

What happens if I hand in extra sheets of paper attached to my answer booklet?

You should not use extra sheets of paper and no extra sheets should be attached to your answer booklet. If you do attach extra sheets of paper, they will be removed and will not be marked or forwarded to your institution.

Can I use rough paper?

No, you should write all your rough working in the answer booklet and then neatly cross it out. You should not use additional rough paper, and you should not be issued with additional rough paper.

Can I answer more than six questions?

Yes, you can answer as many questions as you wish. All your answers will be marked and then the marks from your best six questions will be added to make your final score.

However, it is not advisable to attempt more than six questions, and candidates who do so rarely score as well as those who concentrate on answering six questions.

What happens if I answer a question using a method that is not in the mark scheme used by the markers?

Credit is always given for any mathematically correct solution that addresses a question directly.

However, you should be aware that if a specific method is required in the question and you offer a different method, then your answer is unlikely to qualify for many marks as it will be deemed not to have addressed the question directly in the way required.

I understand crossed out work is not marked; is this correct?

This is correct. There is one exception to this: if you cross out work and then subsequently decide you want it to be marked. In this case you will need to indicate clearly that you want a specific piece of crossed out work to be marked.

What happens if I cross out a complete question and do not replace it? Will it be marked?

No, crossed out work will not be marked unless you clearly and explicitly indicate that you want something you have accidently crossed out to be marked.

What happens if I write out an answer to a question more than once and fail to cross out any of my attempts?

In this case, an examiner will briefly assess your answers and mark the one they deem to be the most substantial, that is the one that they judge will give you greatest credit. If the examiner cannot easily ascertain which of your answers is more substantial, they will mark the first answer in the answer booklet and the others will not be marked.

What happens if my work is hard to read or scruffy?

We strongly recommend that you set your work out neatly and systematically as this will mean it is easier for markers to follow your reasoning. Markers are trained to ensure that, as far as possible, all work you submit is assessed, including work that is not so easy to follow. If a marker cannot follow your work, or finds it illegible, they will consult others in their marking team, their marking supervisor and a mathematics assessment expert; if no further progress can be made following consultation, no marks will be awarded.

So long as your work is legible, it is not necessary, or advisable, to attempt to rewrite your answers as this will take valuable time away from your answering questions.

Why is there no formulae booklet for STEP from 2019?

As STEP questions rarely require the simple recall of complex formulae, we have discontinued the use of formulae booklets in 2019.

Where a particular formula is needed, and it is not considered reasonable to expect you to recall or derive that formula, it will be included in the question.

Can I take a copy of the question paper out of the examination room with me?

No, all question papers must be retained by the centre at which you are taking the test. This is to ensure that, for security, no question papers are available for a period after the examination.

Are there bonus marks available for completing a question?

No, there are no bonus marks available for answering a complete question. Each question is marked out of 20 and the markers adhere strictly to the mark scheme. Each year, after the STEP examination cycle is complete, we publish these mark schemes on our website.

Results and appeals

How do I find out my test results?

STEP results will be released via our Results Online system.

Results Online – Candidates
Results Online – Centres

Results Online user guide – candidates
Results Online user guide – centres

When registering on Results Online, if you cannot select your date of birth in the pop-up calendar, please type it into the box.

Can PINs for Results Online be reissued?

Sorry, no. For security reasons we cannot reissue candidate PINs. If you have lost your PIN, you will need to ask the Exams Officer at your STEP centre to download a Statement of Results for you.

Can I use a STEP result from a previous year as part of a new application?

This depends on the institution you have applied to – check with them directly.

How are the grade boundaries for STEP set?

Grade boundaries for STEP are set to ensure that the number of successful offers that result closely meets the number of places available at the official user institutions. The official users of STEP are the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London. This means that the setting of the grade boundaries in any given year will be dependent on the performance of the cohort of applicants to these institutions.

I am a Cambridge applicant, do Cambridge Colleges have access to my STEP scripts?

Yes, if you are holding an offer from the University of Cambridge, the Cambridge Admissions Office and Colleges have access to your STEP scripts.

Can STEP results be queried or appealed?

Yes, you can submit a Results Enquiry. 

For certain tests, if a candidate thinks a Malpractice case or a Results Enquiry outcome was incorrectly handled, they can submit an Appeal.

For more information about our policies and processes, please visit our Support site.

Do I need to send my Results Enquiry or Appeal form to the institutions I’ve applied to?

If you have applied to the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick or Imperial College London, Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing is responsible for informing these universities that a Results Enquiry or Appeal is taking place. Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing is also responsible for informing them of the outcome of the Results Enquiry or Appeal.

If you have applied to any other institution, any changes to your results will be communicated via UCAS. You may want to inform the institution in advance that you have made a Results Enquiry or Appeal.

Can STEP scripts be returned to centres or candidates?

Sorry, no – we are unable to return STEP scripts.

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