University Entrance Test
STEP Tutoring & PreparationSixth Term Examination Paper in Mathematics
Specialist one-to-one preparation for STEP — the advanced maths papers used by Cambridge and Warwick as part of their offers. Learn from Oxbridge mathematicians, including tutors who earned top STEP grades themselves, who know exactly what the papers demand.
Find a STEP tutorAbout the Test
What is STEP?
STEP (the Sixth Term Examination Paper) is a set of advanced mathematics exams used mainly by Cambridge and Warwick as part of their offers for Mathematics. Unlike the multiple-choice admissions tests, STEP asks for full written solutions and proofs — testing genuine mathematical depth and creativity well beyond A-level.
Who takes STEP
- Mathematics and closely related applicants
- Cambridge: part of almost all Maths and Maths with Physics offers (STEP 2 and 3)
- Warwick: you can sit either paper, or both and submit your best
- Also used by Imperial, UCL, Durham and others for some maths courses
Format & grading
- Two papers, STEP 2 and STEP 3 (STEP 1 has been discontinued)
- Each is a 3-hour written paper — full solutions and proofs, not multiple choice
- 12 questions per paper; you attempt any 6, and your best answers count
- Graded S, 1, 2, 3 or U
When & how you sit it
- Taken in June, towards the end of the A-Level exam period
- It's part of your conditional offer — sat after you apply and receive an offer
- Registered through your school, college or an approved test centre (not the UAT-UK platform)
- Results released in August
Good to know
- Because it's sat in June, preparation runs right across Year 13
- Administered by OCR since 2024 (previously Cambridge Assessment)
- Oxford uses the TMUA for Maths, not STEP — STEP is mainly Cambridge and Warwick
- A fee applies per paper (around £102.50 in the UK & Ireland for 2026; higher overseas)
Dates, fees and offer requirements are set by OCR and each university, and 2027 dates are confirmed closer to the time — always check ocr.org.uk and your offer conditions.
Applying for Cambridge Maths? You'll likely sit both — the TMUA before interview, and STEP as part of your offer.
See our TMUA pageYour Tutors
Meet our STEP tutors
Oxbridge mathematicians who've sat STEP and TMUA themselves — and know what these papers really take.
Helen
Cambridge Mathematics — First Class, MSc
Cambridge mathematics graduate (First Class), ranked 8th in my year. I achieved a grade S in STEP 2 and a grade 1 in STEP 3 — missing a second S by just two marks — so I know exactly what STEP demands, and I specialise in building the technique, stamina and proof-writing it rewards.
My tutoring is always tailored — there's no one-size-fits-all in maths — and I have particular experience supporting neurodiverse students and those with learning differences. Alongside STEP I prepare students for the TMUA and Oxbridge interviews.
Ana
Oxford Mathematics
Oxford mathematics student and European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad bronze medallist, with over a decade of competitive maths behind me. Olympiad problem-solving is the ideal grounding for STEP, and I help students develop the creative, rigorous thinking the papers reward.
I attended a specialist maths high school focused on problem-solving, and I work patiently and consistently until things click. I prepare students for STEP and the TMUA alongside A-Level and GCSE maths, and I love showing them that the hardest problems become approachable with the right mindset.
Barnaby
Oxford Mathematical & Theoretical Physics — MMathPhys
Oxford MMathPhys student with a First-Class bachelor's and a predicted First in my master's, holding an 86% average across my mathematics modules. I prepare students for STEP and the TMUA, with all-A* A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry.
I've gained classroom teaching experience through a secondary-school physics teaching internship and mentored students on Oxford's MPLS bridging programme, which supports applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. I tutor A-Level Maths and Physics alongside admissions preparation.
Free Resources
STEP past papers & preparation
STEP rewards months of consistent practice. Work through the official OCR past papers, and use Cambridge's free STEP Support Programme to build problem-solving from the ground up.
Official (OCR)
Free preparation
Cambridge's free STEP Support Programme is the single best starting point — structured modules that build problem-solving step by step. Pair it with timed past papers as you get closer.
Past papers and registration are handled by OCR; the STEP Support Programme is free from the University of Cambridge. All links open in a new tab.
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