Can /sci/ pass the Cambridge maths entrance exam?

Why would I waste 3 hours taking a test for 17-18 year olds, when I could take multiple online IQ tests in that same amount of time?

first one is easy by noticing that integrating I_n - I_n+1 is the same as integrating u^2/(1+u^2)^n+1, which you can do by parts as u and u/(1+u^2)^n+1

the second part you just gotta iterate the formula

>>8775614
Looks easy enough

I did the Oxford Physics Aptitude test when applying and that was easy as shit, so the Cambridge maths one probably is as well

It's mostly 16-17 year olds doing the test, it's done like 3/4 of a year before graduating highschool

>>8775676
Just flick through the pdf and see if you can do any of the questions

Doesn't look too bad to me.

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>Cambridge
>hard to get into
B^)

ok how the FUCK do you do 1)ii)

When the British say "maths" instead of "math" I get FUCKING MAD. HOLY FUCKING SHIT, MATH IS ALREADY PLURAL YOU STUPID BRITISH FUCKS

>>8775733
same reason why the voted in a muslim as the major of their largest city, they are retarded.

>>8775725
nvm im retarded, for the first equality use substitution x=1/t and notice the interval is symmetric so you can change -infty to + infty and reverse the limits of integration, the second equality is trivial if you expand, the third use the substitution u=x-1/x and notice the function youre integrating is even, so you can reduce one of the -infty to 0 and multiply the integral by 2.

>>8775725
try substituting t = 1/x

>>8775718
What was the condition?

for 1iii) notice that x^2/(x^4-x^2+1) = 1/((x-1/x)^2+1) and then apply the previous formulae

for 2 all of them true but (ii)
i) for n>1000 trivially true
ii) false (consider an oscillating series like sin)
iii) true: choose the maximum of the two m_1,m_2
iv) true by induction

>>8775781
most people apply before technically obtaining their bachelor's degree, so that was just conditional on me actually graduating

This exam paper really triggers me because I took it.

Question 6 I fucked up really bad and spent an hour on because I read "Prove that w
and z are real if and only if u and v are real" AND prove that "u2 < 2v"

I got an S still meaning I got everything else right other than this one question.

>>8775614
I did papers like this as practice in my last year of high school in Australia for the highest maths course, they are pretty good since they teach you problem solving and all the tricks that go into elementary mathematics.

They are also a lot of fun

yo how da fug is the last part of q1 i) 2^2n+1 and not just 2^n

>>8776560
meant i get 2^n+2 instead of 2^2n+1 like the question

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>>8776564
nvm im retarded

>>8775614
>STEP
>Entrance exam

Not really.

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>>8775614
>mfw 20 years old and can not solve it

I guess I am a brainlet...

>>8775718
>overseas
they'll let anyone in for those dollars

>>8775733
Typical /sci/ retard that couldn't even solve anything in the exam but yet pretends to feel so strongly about math to argue whether or not there's an s at the end of it.

>>8775735
The muslim deserved it

>>8775733
Maths - Mathematics
Math - Mathematic

This is the King's English. Fuck off, Burger.

>>8776809
Don't respond to burgers. They deny climate change so they're obviously stupid shit cans.

>>8775807
>iv) true by induction
but if n>2 it's false...

>>8775735
He's actually competent and qualified which is more than can be said of your fucking president.

>>8775718
>MAst

yeah, it's easy to get in for masters because of how expensive it is. It's not like a PhD where you get paid. Besides, far fewer people apply for those courses anyways, they are only necessary if you do an inferior ungraduate programme and want to get onto a PhD. I know a bunch of people who did that successfully and they aren't all amazingly smart.

Still, congrats, but I wouldn't go around being a dick about it.

>>8775718
what did they ask you in the interview?

>>8777882
induction for n>4 dummy, exponentials always beat polynomials eventually

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>got A's throughout entire calc sequence and linear algebra
>have no idea what the fuck is going on on this exam

I've never felt more inadequate in my life

>>8775614
This is harder than the putnam.
Are all foreigners this good at math?

>>8775614
>Can /sci/ pass a test that assumes the applicant has taken up through calculus 2 and an intro to proofs class?

No, most of /sci/ is composed of first year CC and state u students taking calculus 1 and English 101. DESU, I've taken the whole calc sequence and intro to proofs +diff.eq and would still stumble on some of these questions if not provided a resource.

>>8775614
Eh, I took calculus as an undergrad years ago. Not gonna make me do it again.

>>8775718
>masters
>have to pay for a useless degree
So, is daddy sheikh paying that 100k pound tuition bill for you?

>>8778280
no it isn't

>>8778280
It's not thag bad, keep in mind you only have to do six questions, and the average in these Oxbridge admission tests is usually at 60%

That having been said, american education just isn't very good. US Unis do well in rankings, but even the top US undergrad programs are often much less rigorous than equivalent less prestigious european ones

>>8778019
>got C's throughout entire maths, bearly passed pre-calc
>able to figure out how this shit works

I have never felt more surprised in my entire life
being shit at math, yet having the competence to overcome that problem.

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>mfw I effortlessly do all 13 questions correctly and hand the paper in
>establish myself as true genius

Fantasies like this make me want to get smarter desu

>>8775614
this is a joke right? This can be done in 30 minutes, not 3 hours.

Are kids at cambridge that retarded?

>>8779293
The test is only there to select who is invited for interviews, and then it's score and the interview score are used to determine who gets in. It is done by 16-17 year olds, and even then there's plenty of people who do it in half the time or less

I would imagine the actual Cambridge Maths exams are considerably harder

>>8779511
>I would imagine the actual Cambridge Maths exams are considerably harder

It's like asking people to walk to a racing track.

Or it's just representative of the level of people getting in. Cambridge acceptance rate is fucking 21%

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>>8779511
>>8779293
>>8779585

pic related is diff geo exam

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>>8779585
>>8779511
>>8779293
pic related is GR maths exam

I don't think I could do any of those questions.

>>8779585
>It's like asking people to walk to a racing track

Well you can't require too much knowledge or you will just fuck over students from mediocre or bad schools. So it's more of an intelligence test than anything.

Not too many people could score 80%+ on that in highschool, especially as the marking criteria usually quite harsh

>Or it's just representative of the level of people getting in

Are MIT and Harvard admission exams any harder? Most colleges don't even have exams before admissions

>Cambridge acceptance rate is fucking 21%

Because of two factors:

a) you can only apply to five UK Unis at a time
b) you can only apply to Oxford OR Cambridge

Without that admission rates would be less than half of what they are now

>>8779816
>>8779818
am I supposed to be impressed? I hope this is for BSc students and not for master's students.

>>8779924
what do you think an example of a hard exam would be?

>>8778296
This material is taught in relevant A-level (pre-university) courses, and anyone with the slightest glimmer of hope for a place at Cambridge would have done very well on those.

>>8779585
You only really apply to Oxbridge if you have a good shot at getting in - otherwise your school will tend to discourage you. The whole application process is pretty different to the application process for other unis, so you have to really know what you're doing.

The exam is designed to minimise the difference in score of between two candidates of equal potential but different academic background.

>>8779867
Agreed.

>>8780074
>You only really apply to Oxbridge if you have a good shot at getting in - otherwise your school will tend to discourage you.
I will probably apply there sometimes soon, do they require some bullshit work experience or do you think high A-levels will suffice?

My tests in high school had more and harder question than those, and class time was 49 minutes.

>>8780159
Oxbridge only really cares about exam scores and predictions, and related (olympiad placement, putnam, AMC etc). You should have read around the subject just to show you're interested. If you're a medic I think you more or less need to have done work experience in some medical area - the traditional one, if you don't have connections, is just working in an old persons' home.

>>8780178
Yeah, no.

>>8780222
Ah, cool. Thanks. I'm going for something physics or neuroscience related so hopefully I pull through.

Otherwise, I guess I'll have to go to Birmingham or something, which still isn't too bad.

>>8780178
I'm sure you still have the old tests then. Post them.

>>8780222
Yeah yes

Did you not take AP classes in high school? Are you really that retarded?

>>8780233
Of course I don't. Why would I save tests?

>>8780248
>discussion about UK unis
>assuming all the posters are American

or is it

>not knowing that AP isn't a thing outside America

don't know which is more retarded. AP is less difficult in general than A level/IB, and the STEP is designed to be more difficult than them. I don't even know why I'm letting myself be baited like this.

>>8775733
So? Americans say they "could care less" which is beyond retarded.

>>8780292
Couldn't* care less you fucking mong

>>8779924
can you not read the OP, ofc its not for masters that would be beyond retarded even at some shit tier calculus for engineers course in terms of simplicity

its a matriculation exam for students seeking to enter at mathematics degree in cambridge, considering the standard exams are insanely spoonfed plug and chug calculation fests, with dumb shit like telling you what substitution to use in an obvious integral, its a decent step up.

>>8778524
>>8778019
Here we see why the universities matter.
The exam is not too hard, but it appears to be rather long.

>>8780336
That's how it should be, but it's not what they say.

>>8780292
>tfw Brits say "butterflies" instead of flutterbys

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>>8775614
From where I can check the correct answers?

>tfw this actually helps me to prep up to CS entrance exams

>>8780232
Oxford Physics undergrad here if you want more info on that

They don't have overly harsh requirements grades wise, but you have to score well on the PAT or whatever the admissions test for your subject is to even be invited for an interview. The interviews are really key, being able to do the problems they give you whilst under pressure and explaining how you are doing them is what they want to see

Internships help, I had done one at CERN and a few others for the last four years or so which they seemed to like.

>>8780440
http://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/step/

under mark schemes

STEP 3 is what you are interested, 1 and 2 are easier. You can also dl a bunch from cambridge website

>>8775676
Perhaps because IQ doesn't actually prove you know anything?

Example: you don't actually know what your IQ is since you've not been tested by a professional, you insignificant brainlet.

>>8780232
>>8780551
don't listen to this filthy undergrad who couldn't get into cambridge

>>8780551
I'm applying to Oxford for Math & Stats (maybe Math & CS, not sure yet; do you have an opinion on any of the two?).

I've discovered a variable star, so that might impress them?

What if my non-science grades are trash? Am I already screwed?

>>8781317
Maths & Statistics is way harder to get into than Maths & CS or just Maths, so keep that in mind when applying.

I don't know much about the courses, but I would consider admission rates (8% for Maths & Stat, 15% for Maths & CS and 16% for Maths) as well as do some research on average salaries and other employability statistics. Oxford releases plenty of those, so just have a look online for those

Definitely mention discovering the star in your personal statement, and write a paragraph or so about it. Make sure to outline how discovering it was something that happened out of your own initiative and how it solidified your choice of subject. They'll probably ask you about it in your interviews, so be prepared for that. It's unlikely it'll be more than a 5 min chat before moving on to the regular interview questions, but they may probe in detail on aspects of it so keep that in mind

Generally anything that shows initiative is good

Are you doing A levels, IB or what? And how bad are your non-science grades? Keep in mind you have to be above what they usually offer for admission in order to be considered, but beyond that your grades won't matter much. Especially if you're from a school that doesn't send many students to Oxbridge they tend to be lenient grade wise so long as you're over the requirement

>>8781394
Thanks for replying!

>Maths & Statistics is way harder to get into
In terms of the MAT cutoff, or is it just more rigorous?

I'm an American student (public school), and I am taking IB classes, but my school is trash at it and literally tells its students that nobody will get a 7. Suddenly I find out that's the only thing that Oxford accepts. Luckily, I took AP classes before junior year (i.e. IB) started, so I have 5's in AP Calc BC and AP Physics C: Mechanics. I'm self-studying Prob & Stats so I can take the exam, but I want to see if I can buy more time through the conditional admission or whatever it's called.

In one of my courses last year (English), I got a 80--in fact, that was the first and only time I had a B in a class since I was born. The rest are mid-A's.

>over the requirement
Does that mean I should take another AP exam to have four 5's in relevant subjects (above the minimum of three 5's)?

>>8781467
>In terms of the MAT cutoff, or is it just more rigorous?

As I mentioned, the acceptance rate is 8% vs 15% for Maths & CS. You're just way less likely to get in

>I'm an American student (public school), and I am taking IB classes, but my school is trash at it and literally tells its students that nobody will get a 7

I did the IB as well. You need your school to predict you 7's, or your prediction won't be good enough to apply

>I'm self-studying Prob & Stats so I can take the exam, but I want to see if I can buy more time through the conditional admission or whatever it's called

You mean getting a conditional offer? That is what most people do, and it requires you to apply well ahead of graduating, so certainly doesn't gain you time

>Does that mean I should take another AP exam to have four 5's in relevant subjects (above the minimum of three 5's)?

I just checked the requirements and it does seem like that would work. I'm not sure about the combination of that and the IB courses, and whether you would still need the IB courses at all. If in doubt it may be worth emailing the admissions office, it certainly won't be held against you.

Right now I think your top priority should be making sure that you are eligible to apply.

If you can use the APs on their own, I would do that, as if your school won't give you a sufficiently high IB predicition (39+ with 766+ in the higher levels) then you wouldn't be able to apply at all

>>8781536
>You're just way less likely to get in
I know, but why? Presumably everyone who applies has sexy scores, so on the basis of what does Oxford turn people away? Sub-average scores on the MAT? Not doing well during the interview (surely it can't be the interview because I've read that only the most promising students get one)?

>it requires you to apply well ahead of graduating, so certainly doesn't gain you time
I'm taking a gap year, so I'd be applying this fall to start school in the fall of 2018.

The IB courses are indeed worthless. My school stopped offering Math HL because by school was full of brainlets who failed it. Now I'm taking Math Studies SL, which they won't even accept.

What year are you in at Oxford? What do you plan to do after you graduate?

>>8781552
>I know, but why?

More applicants and haven't created more places yet I guess. Wouldn't be surprised if they increase the number if places over the next few years

>Presumably everyone who applies has sexy scores, so on the basis of what does Oxford turn people away? Sub-average scores on the MAT? Not doing well during the interview (surely it can't be the interview because I've read that only the most promising students get one)?

They will invite some fraction of the students in for interviews based on the MAT, that fraction may be lower. At the end the score from the MAT is usually added to the score from the interviews to create three tiers: A, which likely gets in, B, who may, and C, who probably won't. Then admission is decided in a discussion by tutors. At least that's what it was for physics as far as I remember. Lots of other stuff going on as well between colleges, with open applications etc so a fairly complex process.

Keep in mind that most of the students who get interviews are already screwed because they only barely got in and people who scored well on the MAT are already pretty much in. So don't see it as a hurdle to pass, score as high as you possibly can

>The IB courses are indeed worthless. My school stopped offering Math HL because by school was full of brainlets who failed it. Now I'm taking Math Studies SL, which they won't even accept.

Maths SL or Maths Studies? Either way, you know you won't get in using the IB, so forget about that. AP classes it is, as I said do make sure you have the correct ones and Oxford accepts them, they can be peculiar about that stuff

>What year are you in at Oxford? What do you plan to do after you graduate?

I'm about to graduate this summer, will continue my studies elsewhere (in the application process at the moment). Long term I'll probably either go into research or go balls out and try to start a company. Not too sure yet, I'll continue collecting degrees for now

>>8781567
>Math Studies SL
Hello, class! Today we'll be learning about fractions!

>>8781636
>what's gbp 3.47 in pennies?

>>8781646
The formula sheet doesn't tell me that, what do I do?

>>8776818
climate change in the context that you fucking tree huggers take it too doesnt exist. Besides, at the rate of growth for humanity you know we are fucked anyways you pompous euro cuck.

>>8781661
Might need the calculator, if you can't do it I will help you out :)

>>8778280
it isnt complicated, its written in a format most americans arent used to cuz hurr durr burger education

>>8781674
I-is is 347, senpai?

>>8775614
If you're trying to imply this makes students applying to Cambridge smart, OP, I'm sorry.
The only people who would consider this particularly difficult are people from burguer land. A lot of crappy unis from third world countries have entrance exams more difficult than this, and for more subjects too.

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>>8778280
>This is harder than the putnam.
how retarded does a person have to be to post this

>>8775718
nice meme. this isn't yours.

>file name

>>8781865
Feel free to give an example.

>>8782121
Sure.

India:
http://mystudycart.com/iit-jee-papers/iit-jee-2012-paper-1.pdf

Russia:
http://cpk.msu.ru/files/2014/math_solutions.pdf

Brazil:
https://poliedroresolve.blob.core.windows.net/arquivos/IME%202017%20-%20Matem%C3%A1tica%20-%202%C2%AA%20Fase.pdf

Japan:
http://server-test.net/math/php_q.php?name=tokyo&v1=1&v2=2001&v3=1&y1=2001&n1=1&y2=2001&n2=2&y3=2001&n3=3&y4=2001&n4=4&y5=2001&n5=5&y6=2001&n6=6&y7=0000&n7=0

>inb4 they're not as hard!
More advanced does not mean harder. STEP takes you by the hand.

>>8782824
>a bunch of unreadable questions

Looking at the Indian one, the only one in english, it doesn't seem too bad. I think they are slightly farther in terms of physics, and it's also harder by virtue of testing for both chemistry and physics, but a lot of the questions are also considerably simpler than what you would find on an Oxbridge admissions test

It makes sense for the test to be of comparable difficulty, as a large country like India should at least be able to get as many talented people together as Oxbridge has

Not sure I would agree with that test being much harder than the Oxbridge ones

I can do all of these problems but damn, only section A would take around 90 minutes for me to do and the test overall I would need 5-6 hours.

I say, this is overkill.

>>8782970
You only need to do six questions though

So you would be able to finish

>>8781567
How do I into the MAT? I took the 2016 exam to practice, and I got BTFO. The A(B(x)) problem got impossible after part (iii)

>>8781636
Literally.

>>8775718
Any ideas of which classes you'll do? Part III looks pretty sweet to me.

>>8784081
Just do some practice problems. If you really can't do the MAT then there's no point in you going to Oxbridge anyways

I got an S in all 3. If you have any experience with Olympiad mathematics in highschool it's very easy

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>>8782084
>nice meme. this isn't yours.
i've posted it before, it is mine

>>8777973
>what did they ask you in the interview?
>>8778304
>So, is daddy sheikh paying that 100k pound tuition bill for you?
>>8784717
>Any ideas of which classes you'll do? Part III looks pretty sweet to me.

i rejected their offer

>>8785000
I'm trapped on a planet lacking the mental capacity to maintain my survival and want to live

>>8782824
My Portuguese isn't that that good, but the Brazilian one is fairly basic. But the Indian one is fucking easy, did you even look at it? It's multiple choice, except for the last 4 questions which aren't that hard.

I don't know about the other two, but I'd suspect that Japans would be at least on a similar level to STEP.

easy af m8

>>8775614
It is not taken by 17 year olds.

It is taken by 18 year olds at the end of the academic year of their last year in highschool , in late june.

>>8785035
No you apply for University in your first year of A levels in the UK

>>8775614
I can't even understand the first question. What's the elongated S thing supposed to mean?

that q3 is fucky

>>8785044
shorthand for a big "s"um

>>8785035
lol are you fucking dumb

why talk so confidently when you don't know anything, fucking /sci/ I swear to god

it's taken by 17/18 year olds nearish the start of their second year, some time in october/november I think.

>>8784952
When you took it, did any problems stump you? I got all the multiple choice right (although I used more time than I should have (>6 mins) to solve each, on average)? The free-response gets really rigorous near the end of each problem, and I often don't know how to show/prove their random statements.

>>8786339
I had taken the PAT, not the MAT

Had 2 hours, took me about an hour to complete. To be fair it was a fairly easy test that year, normally it would've taken me longer.

None of the questions really stumped me, though I did make some small mistakes along the way. Keep in mind that they'll generally mark your proofs and derivations quite harshly, so you may score lower than you think doing practice papers now

In my opinion the best thing is to just do a few of those tests or at least a few questions and figure out how the questions are usually asked and how they want you to go about them. Once you've figured that out you'll be considerably quicker at it

>>8775676
I can feel the sarcasm seeping through the screen

Lol this isn't an entrance test. The real entrance test is babby-tier shit even a year 10 brainlet could do. This is 6th semester math tests. Might be an entrance test for a master's degree, but not for 17-18 year olds. If you possessed any sort of reading comprehension you would all see that.

I am now promptly leaving this circlejerk of brainlets who think they could easily solve this at 18

>>8785014
For the Japanese one you can estimate the difficulty by looking at the solutions (clicking "解答例はこちら"). The Brazilian starts easy and gets harder by the end. For the Indian one there is very little time available to solve the problems...

>>8786495
https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/admissions/step

Point and laugh at the brainlet who thinks this undergrad admissions test is hard

This test is done by 16-17yo kids and you think it's impossible to do at at 18 lmao

Just close this thread and kys, no coming back from that

I could but I have studied over 4 years in uni

>>8786495
I hope this is just bait cos it's pretty retarded

6th form = 16-18 year olds

I have my bachelor's in math already but this whole thing was easy and didn't require any math I didn't know in high school.

>>8785259
i actually sat STEP. You sit STEP at the end of Britain's academic year, at the end of June where virtually everyone in the year has had their birthday, and you sit it in your final year before going to uni when you turn 18.

It is not sat in October November you retard.
Maybe you're thinking of the applications to university , which for Oxford and Cambridge have to be sent off in October.
Download an actual STEP past paper and you will see the date it was issued and that date is almost always around the 25th of June.

Good job being wrong you fucking retard.

>>8777904
t. Yussuf Hakim Bin Muhammad

I'm not even American. Get out of Europe

>>8775614

I have met people around their 20's who cannot add two ratios.

>>8775733

Is math even science?

>>8787794
What is a ratio?

You know what?

When I looked at this as an 18 year old I found it to be, hard, without any kind of preparation.

Now looking at it as a 3rd year in mathematics student it looks surprisingly easy. I guess you learn all these kinds of tricks along the way that you wouldn't have know in 6form.

So probably as an 18 year old if somebody were to prepare you correctly you can do well on this test.

>>8775695

The STEPs are notoriously more difficult that that Oxford nonsense.

>>8775718

>Masters
>overseas

You're playing on easy peasy mode mate. Much harder to get in as a poor local undergrad.

>>8787846
Admission rate for Cambridge maths is 17% and Oxford Physics is 16%

So getting past the STEP certainly isn't any harder than passing the PAT

>>8786525
>>8787644
I did the admission test last year you autists. This literally isn't what it's like

I looked at the Cambridge and Oxford homepages, and their Master's in Computer Science only takes 1 year. What's up with that?
I'm interested in applying if it's legit, but 1 year seems fishy.

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>>8780555
Cheers

>>8787972
Because it's accelerated, rigorous, and the school term is longer. Note that unlike most American universities, Oxbridge doesn't have a "core" year for the first year. You go right into whatever you're studying.

>>8787843
I'm taking it this year. Prepare me; what's some stuff I should know?

Why does Maths & Stats have the lowest acceptance rate at Oxford? Why is it more selective than Maths & CS?

>>8789005
>and the school term is longer

Oxford trimesters are 8 weeks

You literally have more holidays than termtime

Basically a 24 week masters

>>8776266

And how do you get anything out of these? Were can you find explanations for shit you don't get, I mean.

>>8789005

That's pretty based

In the second question are they talking about an extension of inequalities to sequences?

Can't decide if you are supposed to assume it means "less/greater than or equal to"

>>8787843

And how would you go about preparing for this?

>>8789148
it doesnt matter
the notion you have to get from it is that of one of the sequences eventually being smaller than (or equal to) in every term after a specific number of terms in the sequence.

>>8776266
>>8787843

How do you study for these?

>>8777904
obsessed