The Oxbridge entrance exams are demanding and finding the right support and teaching towards them can be difficult. At LondonSMP we know what the examiners are looking for and how best to prepare for them. This invaluable knowledge, what you need to know and the recipe for success, are all contained in our next Oxbridge Weekend Camp on 2-3 April.

Even if your child is not planning to read Maths at university, this Oxbridge preparation course teaches up to and beyond the level required of Maths and Further Maths A levels, optimising each pupil’s opportunity to secure the A or A* they desire.

The essential starting point is understanding what the examiners want: ‘Questions may test a candidate’s ability to apply mathematical knowledge in novel and unfamiliar ways and will often require knowledge of several different syllabus topics. Solutions will frequently require insight, ingenuity, persistence and the ability to work through substantial sequences of algebraic manipulation.’ This extract is from the specification of the STEP exam, the mathematical entrance exam to the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London. However, the requirements for the MAT admission test to Oxford and the TMUA test, used by several other universities, are similar.

In our 2-3 April camp pupils will: 

• practice on hard questions in algebra, quadratic expressions, polynomials, exponentials and logarithms 
• find the formula for the roots of cubic equations and apply algebra in number theory while coordinating geometry to solve complex questions
• understand the poem of Tartaglia in which he wrote the formula that solves the cubic equation 
• learn the symmetries of functions and polynomials 
• tackle challenging MAT and STEP problems

The hours of the camp on Saturday and Sunday are 10am to 5pm, the fee is £350. Participants study in small groups according to age and experience.