STEP, MAT, TMUA: Skills for success in University Admissions Tests for Mathematics

Stand out, showcase your ability and succeed in your university admissions test. Whether you’re taking STEP, MAT or TMUA, this essential guide reveals tried-and-tested strategies for building the problem-solving skills you need to secure a high score.

Containing expert advice and worked examples, followed by multiple-choice and extended questions that replicate the exams, this guide is designed to improve your understanding of the admissions tests and help to build the skills universities are looking for.

– Learn to think like a university student – detailed guidance, thought-provoking questions and worked solutions show you how to advance your mathematical thinking
– Improve your mathematical reasoning – practise the problem-solving skills you need with ‘Try it out’ activities throughout the book and end-of-chapter exercises to track progress
– Build a path through every problem – our authors guide you through each type of problem so that you can approach questions confidently, think on the spot and apply your knowledge to new contexts
– Maximise marks and make the most of the time you have – at the end of each chapter, our authors give advice on how to tackle questions in the most time-efficient way and help you to figure out which ones will show off your ability

What are the STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper), MAT (Mathematics Admissions Test) and TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission) admissions tests?
These admissions tests are used by universities as part of the application process to test problem-solving skills and identify candidates with the highest ability, motivation and ingenuity.

MEI (Mathematics in Education and Industry) endorses this book and provided two of the authors. MEI is a charity and works to improve maths education, offering a range of support for teachers, including expertly written resources.

OUR AUTHORS
David Bedford has a PhD in Combinatorics and has been a mathematics lecturer in UK universities for over 30 years. He is also an A level examiner and has extensive experience in preparing students for mathematics admissions tests. David is the author of the Hodder ‘MEI Further Mathematics: Extra Pure Maths’ textbook.
Phil Chaffé is the Advanced Maths Support Programme 16-19 Student Support and Problem Solving Professional Development Lead. He is the creator and lead writer for the Problem Solving Matters course which is designed to prepare students for mathematics admissions tests and is run in partnership with the Universities of Oxford, Warwick, Durham, Manchester, Bristol and Imperial College London. He is also the course designer for Imperial College’s A* in A Level Mathematics course. He is also the MEI University Sector Lead.
Tim Honeywill has been teaching at King Henry VIII School, Coventry, since 2008. Before that, he was the Coventry and Warwickshire Centre Manager for the Further Mathematics Network (now the AMSP), based at the University of Warwick where he did his PhD. He leads a ten-week Problem Solving course for Year 12 students and is a presenter on both the Problem Solving Matters course and on a STEP support course for Year 13 students.
Richard Lissaman has a PhD in Ring Theory, a branch of abstract algebra. He has over 10 years’ experience as a mathematics lecturer in UK universities and 20 years’ experience of supporting students with A level Mathematics, Further Mathematics and mathematics admissions tests.