STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper) Mathematics is a well-established mathematics examination designed to test candidates on questions that are similar in style to undergraduate mathematics.
The STEP test dates are usually in June each year and are designed to fit in with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) cycle for applications.
STEP 2024 test dates:
- 5 June 2024: STEP paper 2 test date*
- 24 June 2024: STEP paper 3 test date*
*In the UK, the test will take place at 9am. For international centres the scheduled start times will vary, depending upon where they are in the world. Please see the STEP Mathematics local start times.
Who needs to take STEP?
Students who have received offers from certain courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick or Imperial College London will normally be required to sit STEP as a post-interview test. Other universities may take STEP results into account.
Usually, the university will specify which papers the students need to sit in their offer letter. If in doubt, students should contact the university directly.
Preparing students for STEP
For detailed information about the format of STEP, students should see the specification.
You can find a lot of material to help prepare for STEP, including past papers, in the student area of our website.
Approval to offer STEP
In order to offer STEP examinations, centres need to be approved.
If your centre has previously made entries for the STEP Mathematics examinations with Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, your centre will normally continue to be approved to run STEP Mathematics.
If you have not previously run STEP or are not sure whether your centre is approved to offer STEP, please contact our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or at STEPmaths@ocr.org.uk, making sure you provide your centre details.
Administration arrangements
Please see the following pages for more information. We will be adding more information about STEP test arrangements in the coming weeks.