Submitted by Heirio on Sun, 07/16/2017 - 23:16
Forums:
I've only found out about these assignments at the end of Year 12 and I'm worried that I've started too late to prepare. I'm taking Further Maths at A level and I think I'll be doing Paper 2 and 3.
Have I started too late? If so, what can I do? My plan is to do one assignment every 2 days.
I don't think you've started
I don't think you've started late. I would argue you've started at a very good time as you can use your free time over the summer. Many STEP candidates won't start preparation seriously until January next year and you have an advantage over them.
I think working through the assignments at a pace that's comfortable for you should be fine at the moment.
Starting time
Now is an excellent time to start the "foundation" modules. The first 10 or so only need AS material (though the questions are much harder than AS), and as you work through the 25 foundation modules you will cover some of the C3/C4 topics you need to access more STEP questions.
You can (if you wish) just do the STEP question, or preparation and STEP questions from each foundation assignment.
If you can aim to be ready to start the "STEP II" modules sometime in October you will be in a fantastic position. As said above, many candidates don't really start until January after their offer (IMO this is a bit too late).
Another benefit of working on the foundation modules now is that you will get the chance to practice your problem solving skills on some tricky questions - good practice for interview! Some of the further reading suggestions might also be helpful so that you can demonstrate an interest in Maths beyond the syllabus.
Good luck!
P.S.
I was handing out STEP flyers at the the University open days a couple of weeks back. I don't think I spoke to anyone who had started the assignments yet (some had "looked" at the site, lots had not even done that).