STEP Past Papers: Where to Find Papers and Solutions

Where to download official STEP past papers

OCR, which runs STEP, posts past papers on the Preparing for STEP page of its STEP website, and Cambridge's Faculty of Mathematics confirms that all past papers from 2014 can be downloaded there. OCR's site blocks automated checks, so we looked at the copy the Wayback Machine saved in June 2026. It had STEP 2 and STEP 3 question papers and examiner reports in one zip file per year from 2019 to 2025, with a separate legacy pack covering 2014 to 2018. Check OCR's live page for anything newer, such as the 2026 papers.

OCR's FAQs said in April 2026 that it publishes the mark schemes after each STEP cycle is complete. Each question is marked out of 20, and markers stick strictly to the mark scheme, so reading it closely shows you exactly where marks are won and lost.

In June 2026 OCR's results page also listed an Explanation of results document for each year from 2019 to 2025. Keep in mind that grade boundaries are not fixed: OCR's FAQs said it sets them so that the number of successful offers closely meets the number of places at Cambridge, Warwick and Imperial. A mark that earned a grade 1 one year may not earn it the next, so treat any boundary from a past year as a rough guide only.

Are old STEP papers still useful?

Yes, with a little care. The STEP specification changed in 2019 to match the reformed A levels. Cambridge's Faculty of Mathematics says that the style of the questions is unaltered, so most older questions still work as practice, but a small number need maths that is no longer examined.

• STEP 1 papers: STEP 1 is no longer set, but the Faculty says old STEP 1 papers still provide useful preparation material. Its content was roughly A level Maths, which makes it a gentler starting point.
• Pre-2019 STEP 2 and 3 papers: good practice, but check any unfamiliar topic against the current STEP specification (archived copy from April 2026) before spending time on it.
• 2019 onwards: these follow the current specification, with 12 questions per paper (8 pure, 2 mechanics, 2 statistics/probability), so save some for timed mocks.

STEP past paper solutions and hints

The best free solutions come from Cambridge itself. The STEP Support Programme was developed by Cambridge's Millennium Mathematics Project for the Faculty of Mathematics, and its Worked STEP papers page gives full solutions to some of the more recent STEP 2 and 3 papers, with commentaries and tips. The same page links a folder of all STEP papers from 1987 to 2018, with some mark schemes and solutions.

The Faculty of Mathematics also points to other free resources:

• Advanced Problems in Mathematics by Dr Stephen Siklos: a free book that works through STEP questions, each followed by a comment and a full solution.
• MEI's full solutions to STEP papers from 1996 to 2019.
• Underground Mathematics: selected STEP questions with fully worked solutions and explanations.
• NRICH Advanced Problem-Solving: a gentler, structured introduction if you are not yet ready for full STEP questions.

The Faculty says it neither endorses nor recommends commercial resources, since there are more than enough free resources. We link to these pages rather than copying papers, so you always get the current official versions.

A plan for using STEP past papers

The Faculty's advice is direct: the best preparation for STEP is to work through past papers. STEP is aimed at roughly the top 5% of A level maths candidates, so expect it to feel hard at first. Here is one way to pace your papers across Year 12 and Year 13, based on the timings the STEP Support Programme suggests:

1. Year 12, spring onwards: work through the Foundation modules of the STEP Support Programme. The programme strongly advises starting in Year 12, or the summer before Year 13, if you might sit STEP.
2. Summer before Year 13: try single questions from old STEP 1 papers untimed. Aim to finish each one, even if it takes over an hour.
3. September of Year 13: start the STEP 2 modules and STEP 2 questions by topic. Keep the 2019–2025 papers aside for later.
4. January of Year 13: start STEP 3 questions once you have covered the Further Maths content they assume.
5. April to June: sit recent papers as timed mocks: 3 hours, no calculator, choose your six questions. Mark them against the official mark scheme.
6. After every mock: read the examiner report for that paper and redo any question you could not finish.

How to review a STEP question properly

Marks in STEP come from clear, complete working. OCR's specification (archived April 2026) says marks may be lost if examiners are unable to follow your working, even with a correct final answer. When you check your work against a solution, look at more than the answer:

• Did you spot the trick the first part of the question was setting up for later parts?
• Is every step justified, or did you skip something the mark scheme rewards?
• Where did you get stuck, and how long did you spend there before moving on?
• Could you now write the full solution from memory a week later?

Our guide to reviewing a practice test has a simple error log you can adapt for STEP. If you can only find short study blocks on school days, the thirty-minutes-a-day plan suits single STEP questions well.

STEP and the TMUA

If you are applying for Maths, you will probably sit the TMUA in the autumn too: Cambridge requires it, Imperial expects it from most applicants, and Warwick asks for TMUA or STEP. The TMUA is multiple choice and timed tightly, so it needs different practice from STEP. Start with our free TMUA practice test, and see the TMUA past papers guide for official TMUA papers.

For dates, fees, grades and which universities set STEP offers, read our STEP maths guide or the STEP overview.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.

1. Preparing for STEP (archived copy, 8 June 2026) — OCR, via the Internet Archive. Accessed 2026-10-01.
2. Scoring and results – STEP Mathematics (archived copy, 17 June 2026) — OCR, via the Internet Archive. Accessed 2026-10-01.
3. FAQs – STEP Mathematics (archived copy, 14 April 2026) — OCR, via the Internet Archive. Accessed 2026-10-01.
4. STEP Mathematics Specifications for examinations from June 2026 onwards (archived copy, 13 April 2026) — OCR, via the Internet Archive. Accessed 2026-10-01.
5. Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) — Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge. Accessed 2026-10-01.
6. STEP Support Programme — University of Cambridge (maths.org). Accessed 2026-10-01.
7. Worked STEP papers — University of Cambridge (maths.org). Accessed 2026-10-01.
8. Foundation modules — University of Cambridge (maths.org). Accessed 2026-10-01.
9. STEP database — University of Cambridge (maths.org). Accessed 2026-10-01.

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