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 contained in our Oxbridge Weekend Camps and courses.
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.
In our 11-12 February camp pupils in Years 11 and 12 will:
- practice on hard questions in algebra, quadratic expressions, polynomials, exponentials and logarithms
- find the formula for the roots of cubic equations
- apply algebra in number theory and coordinating geometry to solve complex questions
- tackle challenging MAT and STEP problems
Year 13 will work on Trigonometry in STEP exams:
For candidates taking the STEP exam for Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London, the university makes clear they expect their future students to have already studied well beyond the curriculum required for Maths A level. As a result, there is a considerable gap between the applications of trigonometry at A Level and those in STEP exams.
This camp is all about acquiring this knowledge and becoming well practiced in it. It is important to know the range of applications of trigonometry and where it is routinely applied.
Initially Trigonometry was created for Geometry but it then became an essential part of Physics and Analysis while some polynomials related to trigonometry are applied in Numerical Mathematics. Trigonometry is also the first pattern to understand Elliptic Integrals and Elliptic Functions that are some of the most important inspirations for Mathematics in the last two and a half centuries.
Places are limited, please register your interest HERE.
The hours of the camp on Saturday and Sunday are 10am to 5pm, the fee is £380. Participants study in small groups according to age and experience.
To take part a pupil must have a PC or laptop (Windows or Mac OS) with a camera and mic and a stable internet connection.
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.
This camp is taught by Dr Hrasko, LondonSMP’s Head of Maths. Andras holds a PhD in Mathematics from Roland Eotvos University (Budapest, Hungary) and an MSc in Mathematics from the University of Warwick. Over his 20-year teaching career, Andras has trained numerous winners in the annual IMO and the European Maths Olympiad for Girls. Andras also has a fine understanding of the exam demands of GCSE and A-levels and, as a specialist in STEP and MAT tests, has taught numerous pupils to success in their Oxbridge entrance exams.