Are your students moving on to university?
Don’t forget about the wealth of AMSP support – you can find information about the various materials on the AMSP website.
You may want to encourage your Year 13 students who will soon be moving on to university study to register for our free self-study Transition to University Course, which will refresh their knowledge of A level Mathematics topics and leads into areas they may not yet have explored. Students can also find suggested reading to help them prepare for a mathematically-rich university course or apprenticeship on our website.
If your Year 12 students are considering university, they can find information about careers, courses, and the application process on our website. There’s also a collection of links to websites offering enrichment activities, and to further reading that could help inform decision-making or be drawn on at interview. I’d also recommend the Maths Careers website for advice on choosing a course, as well as about careers.
Are your students considering University Admissions Tests?
There are different admissions tests depending on students’ chosen course and university, and of course some universities don’t require any test. There’s a brief overview of the different tests on the AMSP website.
For students who are moving into Year 13 and thinking of a degree with a strong maths element, there are three main admissions tests to consider: the Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP), the Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT), and the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA).
STEP is taken at the end of Year 13. There are two options, STEP 2 and STEP 3, both containing challenging extended problems.
The MAT and the TMUA are taken in very early November in Year 13, so your Year 12 students would need to be preparing for these over their summer break if they wish to take either or both of them. The TMUA has two papers, entirely made up of multiple-choice problems, whereas the MAT has one paper with a mixture of multiple-choice and extended problems.
There are other admissions tests that also have a strong maths content. Your students will need to consider whether the course they wish to take at the university they wish to attend has an admissions test, when it’s taken, and how much preparation they need to do. Your students can find out more information about the STEP, the MAT and the TMUA on the AMSP website, and explore the links to resources and tuition options.
For Year 13 students, the AMSP offers Year 13 Regular Problem Solving classes, a free weekly session either held online or face-to-face which draws on the STEP problems and is suitable for students wanting to develop a high level of problem-solving skills. We also the STEP Online course which focuses purely on preparation for the tests. At the very start of Year 13, our Online course for the MAT and Online course for the TMUA offer direct preparation support for students across September and October. Applications are open for both of these courses now! Our 2022 Problem Solving Matters course has already started, but it’s worth noting for next year’s Year 12 students – it spans across the end of Year 12 and the start of Year 13.
Our Setting Out in Problem Solving online sessions are a great way to introduce your Year 12 students to the sort of thinking needed for problem solving. Our Year 12 Regular Problem Solving classes lean more towards interesting problems and MAT and TMUA than STEP, and support problem solving for A level as much as for admissions tests. Keep an eye on our South West regional events page for our regular problem-solving classes, as well as for our Year 12 Conferences , which offer face-to-face problem-solving workshops.
Too much information?
If you’re not sure which out of this wide range of courses would be most suitable for you, or if you’d like further support, please contact your local Area Coordinator as they can offer advice about University Admissions Tests, resources, and general support. You can take a look at our full range of events on the AMSP events page. You can enter search terms to find what you’re looking for or, if you’re looking for support with University Admissions Tests, you can set the Curriculum focus to University admissions tests or set the Mathematical focus to either Problem solving or to Reasoning. Next term, we’re running an event titled All About The Admissions Tests PD which you may find helpful, so keep an eye on our South West regional events page for this and further upcoming events!