Should I take STEP 2 or STEP 3?

By

Rowan Wright

Taking STEP in 2026? Reserve your free space on our 'Preparing for STEP' webinar, taking place at 10:00 GMT on Saturday 31st January and 19:00 GMT on Wednesday 11th February. Hosted by past STEP examiner and specialist tutor Rowan Wright, the webinar will equip you with the knowledge and motivation to get ahead with your STEP preparation. Click this link for more more information and to book your space.

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STEP is a notoriously challenging maths exam, traditionally used in Cambridge admissions for Mathematics, though it has also been adopted by a handful of other UK universities in their selection process. Historically, there were three exams each year, but STEP 1 was withdrawn in 2020, leaving STEP 2 and 3 only. Most students taking STEP will be doing so to meet the conditions of a Cambridge offer, which almost always requires at least a grade 1 in both STEP 2 and STEP 3. In this case, students don't have any choice in which papers to take.

However, other universities which consider STEP may require only one paper to be taken. Notably, Imperial and Warwick require a good STEP result from students who didn't apply in time to take the TMUA. Others, including Durham, UCL, and some Warwick courses, consider students for a reduced offer if they achieve a grade 2 in either paper (see the STEP Handbook or this article for more information). Therefore, some students might be able to choose which paper(s) they will take, and this article provides some advice to consider in this situation.

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Prerequisite Knowledge

The first factor to consider when deciding which STEP papers to take is the prerequisite knowledge required. STEP is designed with A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics syllabi in mind: the prerequisite knowledge for STEP 2 is the same as A Level Mathematics and AS Level Further Mathematics, whilst the prerequisite knowledge for STEP 3 is the same as A Level Mathematics and A Level Further Mathematics.

Students following IB Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretations) at Higher Level should be familiar with the majority of the STEP specification, though it is worth going through the STEP specification point-by-point since it is primarily designed to overlap with the A Level. Students following other international courses will likely find that their courses overlap with the STEP syllabus substantially, but it would be wise to consult with an expert to ensure that any gaps in knowledge are addressed.

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Which STEP paper should I take?

If you are taking STEP to meet an Imperial or Warwick offer, or to take advantage of a reduced offer from Durham, UCL, or Warwick (Department of Statistics), you might only be required to take one STEP paper. In this case, the typical offer condition/requirement is grade 2 in either paper.

If your offer conditions do not specify which paper to take, you should first consider sitting both papers, because it provides an additional chance to meet the offer condition. Aside from paying an extra registration fee (and learning the extra content for STEP 3 if you don't take the full A Level Further Mathematics), there is no disadvantage to sitting both papers. STEP is just an exam, so you don't have to declare your result on your academic record like you would a GCSE or A Level qualification. STEP is always unpredictable, and one paper might simply go better than the other on the day, so having an extra chance to do well could be valuable. You might also find that one of the papers happens to be particularly straightforward and plays to your strengths; for example, the STEP 3 paper might be a particularly easy paper and STEP 2 very difficult on a particular year.

It is a misconception that STEP 3 is harder (likely because it requires more content from A Level Further Mathematics) but the grade boundaries are set based on the cohort's performance, so a harder paper simply corresponds to lower grade boundaries. We generally advise students to prioritise preparation for one of the exams if they are taking both but only need one to meet their offer condition. We recommend trying some past papers for each exam initially to see which you prefer. Some people suit STEP 3 better than STEP 2, despite the fact that it tests more content from A Level Further Maths.

Despite the advantages to sitting both papers, some students might ultimately decide to take only one. For example, students taking 4 A Levels might not have time to prepare for two further exams, or students who don't take the full A Level in Further Mathematics might not have time to learn all of the additional required content for STEP 3, depending on other commitments and time available for STEP preparation. We still advise working through the process of trying past papers from STEP 2 and STEP 3 (if applicable) to determine which paper you are better suited to - don't assume that you will find STEP 2 easier!

If you would like personalised advice on this matter, you are welcome to contact us.

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Cambridge

Cambridge offer holders don't usually have to decide between the two exams because the typical STEP condition is grade 1 in both STEP 2 and STEP 3. This might vary slightly depending on specific factors; for example, reapplicants who have had a gap year tend to be asked for S,1, and some colleges occasionally only require 1,2.

A small number of aspiring Cambridge mathematicians take STEP in Year 12 (i.e. a year early) because it is excellent preparation for studying mathematics at undergraduate level, and it shows that they are very serious about their Cambridge application! In this case, students usually need to self-teach some content in order to answer the questions (or enrol on a dedicated STEP preparation course). STEP 2 usually requires less self-teaching than STEP 3, so students sitting a year early may decide to take STEP 2 only for this reason.

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Need more advice?

You are welcome to contact us or book a free consultation to discuss STEP preparation. All consultations are held with me - a past STEP examiner and specialist STEP tutor.

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