Submitted by swindon63 on Sun, 03/12/2017 - 12:32
Forums:
Hi I am a university counselor and 3 of my year 12 students want to take step tests in year 12. I note often year 13 students take the test as part of their conditional offer but does the test results last more then one year and is there any point in the year 12 students taking the test?
Tim Jervis
Yes, the test results last
Yes, the test results last more than one year and students will be required to declare their results on their university applications the following year. Cambridge will also have their exact marks. Assuming you mean sitting only STEP I here, as that's what the year 12's usually take.
Pro's:
(i) Interesting challenge through their AS year and helps them prepare for STEP the next year
(ii) if they're confident that they'll do well then a good score (1 or S imo) will look good on their applications and stand them in good stead for getting an offer (from Cambridge).
Con's:
(i) if they do badly then a bad score would reflect badly on their application and might cost them an offer
(ii) overarching focus on STEP might mean less work put into their A-Level studies and lead to less than stellar grades there
So all in all, it'll depend heavily on the student. Are they already doing well with their a-levels, are they confident they can do well on the exam? There's always the possibility of simply practicing and doing STEP questions for fun and not necessarily taking the exam.
Note of caution
STEP I (and II) assumes that students have completed A-Level maths, so if your school runs A-Level maths and A-Level Further maths concurrently they might not have the calculus skills required. If your school covers A-Level maths by the end of Year 12 then taking STEP I is feasible, but it does require a lot more mathematical maturity than A-level.
You can find the STEP specification here.
Year 12 step
Thank you for comments
My Chinese students seem very keen to take it and say they know others that take it in year 12 and use it later
I'm not sure about the "use
I'm not sure about the "use it later" bit. But several year 12 students do indeed take it. I took it myself along with a group of friends when I was in year 12, it certainly made the AS year a lot more fun than it would otherwise be.