About STEP 3
Know the game before you train for it: format, marking, grades, logistics — and the strategic consequences of each.
The format
| Duration | 3 hours |
|---|---|
| Questions | 12 in total: 8 pure mathematics, 2 mechanics, 2 probability/statistics |
| You answer | As many as you like — but only your best 6 count |
| Marks | Each question is out of 20 (paper total effectively 120) |
| Equipment | No calculator, no formula booklet. Everything from memory. |
| Grades | S (outstanding), 1 (very good), 2 (good), 3 (satisfactory), U |
| Syllabus | Full A-level Mathematics + Further Mathematics (the official specification is on the OCR site — see Resources) |
Strategic consequences
- 6 questions in 180 minutes ≈ 45 minutes each. A STEP question is a small project. The exam rewards depth on 6 questions, not fragments of 10 — a complete solution scores far more than two half-solutions.
- You can ignore mechanics and statistics entirely and still have 8 pure questions for your 6 answers. Coming from Matemática A (no mechanics), your default plan should be pure-only, with probability as a bonus if your 12.º ano probability work goes well. This is a completely standard strategy.
- Grade boundaries are humane. They move year to year, but very roughly: around half marks has often been enough for a grade 1, and a grade 2 sits meaningfully below that. Check recent boundaries on the OCR site. You do not need to be perfect — you need four-to-five solid solutions.
- No formula booklet means the standard derivatives, integrals, expansions and identities in the bridge course must be memorised cold.
Who wants STEP?
- Cambridge — Mathematics offers typically require grades in both STEP 2 and STEP 3 (commonly 1,1). Some colleges/courses vary; check the current requirements.
- Warwick — Mathematics offers can be met with a STEP grade (typically a 2) as one route.
- Imperial, UCL, Bath and others — may encourage or accept STEP alongside offers; policies vary by year.
Important for your planning
If Cambridge is the goal, you will almost certainly need STEP 2 as well as STEP 3. That is good news, not bad: STEP 2 covers a subset of the same material (A-level Maths + AS Further), so the preparation is shared, and STEP 2 questions are the natural stepping stone to STEP 3 anyway. This site's roadmap includes STEP 2 practice for exactly that reason. Also note that as an international applicant you'd sit STEP after receiving any conditional offer — the offer is conditional on the grades.
Logistics from Portugal
- STEP is administered by OCR. You sit it at an authorised test centre — if your school is not one, the British Council in Portugal is the usual route for international candidates.
- For the 2026 sitting, registration ran 1 March – 4 May 2026, with STEP 2 on 4 June and STEP 3 on 10 June, results 13 August. Expect the same pattern for 2027, but confirm dates and fees on the OCR STEP page (linked in Resources) early in your 12.º ano year, and contact the test centre well before registration closes.
- The exams take place in June — after your Portuguese exames nacionais start, so plan the calendar for both carefully in spring.
What STEP 3 questions are actually like
A STEP question typically develops one idea through connected parts: an opening part that is genuinely doable ("show that…", a small case, a sketch), then parts that generalise, invert, or push the idea further — usually using the earlier parts. The examiners tell you this openly: earlier parts are hints for later ones. The ten worked problems on this site are written in exactly this style, with the thought process narrated.