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Covid-19: STEP 2021
The STEP 2021 details are finalised and updated on our website. We will, however, continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation carefully.
If there are any updates to STEP 2021 due to Covid-19, we will share them with you on our dedicated Covid-19 web page.
You can find everything you need to prepare for STEP on this site, or linked to from here. You can practise the test with the past papers available for download.
From 2021, STEP 1 will no longer exist and only STEP 2 and STEP 3 will remain.
If you were planning to take STEP 1 as part of your university application, please check with your chosen university to see which alternative option(s) they will accept.
STEP past papers are available to download by year as zipped files. Each zipped file contains all three papers. Answers are included from 2004 onwards, and the Examiner’s Report also from 2007.
Please note, past papers are based on the old test specifications. The style of the questions will remain unaltered, and most of the STEP questions from previous papers can be used for preparation.
New specifications are available in the STEP resources section below for 2019 onwards, and students are advised to consult these when preparing.
For a detailed overview of the STEP test format, please read the 2021 STEP specification.
Advanced Problems in Mathematics: Preparing for University This is a free online book that will help you prepare for STEP and for studying university-level Mathematics.
A database of all past STEP questions, searchable by topic, is available on the STEP Database: http://stepdatabase.maths.org
You can also find additional support and resources using the free online STEP Support Programme: https://maths.org/step
On this site you will also find a document showing how the old and new STEP specifications are related: https://maths.org/step/additional-resources
The STEP Support Programme have put together worked answers for the STEP 2019 papers: https://maths.org/step/worked-step-papers
The STEP Support Programme have put together a useful STEP specification mapping document.
Other useful sites: Underground Mathematics NRICH
These documents will help you understand how to answer questions when preparing for your STEP exam. They contain more detail and explanation than would be expected in the exam.
The example solutions and mark scheme have been produced from the 2011 STEP Mathematics Paper I.
2011 solutions and mark scheme 2011 STEP Mathematics paper I
The question paper covers have been updated for 2021. Candidates are now required to shade in a circle on every page that they write on to indicate the question they answer. Please see samples below:
