The Aptitude Test
The aptitude test is designed to help us see how you approach different types of problems and think about maths. You will probably be very familiar with the mathematical techniques needed for the test and it won’t include topics from higher tier GCSE. We're trying to find out whether you can think mathematically rather than whether you have been well taught in the past.
What might be on the test?
The test is about mathematics and mathematical reasoning; we don’t ask anything about physics or any other subjects. You won’t be asked anything that requires you to have covered topics from Higher Tier GCSE mathematics. Calculators are not allowed, but the numbers are not intended to catch you out.
How can I prepare?
You should be able to do division and multiplication with a written method, and solve equations that involve brackets and fractions.
For example, without using a calculator:
Which is better value: 20kg of sand for £17 or 25kg for £21.50?
Did you find a simple way to work this out in just one line of working?
It’s also worth you learning about prime factorisation so that you can answer questions like this one:
Why is the product of any number in the 4 times table and any number in the 6 times table always a multiple of 8?
It's useful to be fluent in graphs of linear equations (you might know this as y=mx+c) because this often comes up in mathematics.
The test often requires some degree of 3 dimensional visualisation (for example: what is the longest diagonal of a 3cm by 4cm by 12cm cuboid?), so it is worth having done some problems involving the Pythagoras theorem in 3 dimensions.
If you’re confident in your number and algebra skills but want to develop your problem solving then there are many websites that are worth looking at but start with these two:
Past Papers from the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge
Interesting problems from the Nrich maths project
We have also provided here some example questions and solutions so that you can see what the test questions will be like:
Solutions to Sample Questions (can you find the mistake?)
What if I have a bad day on the day of the test and don’t do very well?
The chances are that you’ll do just fine, but if things don’t go well on the day we’ll still want to meet you to find out more about you, and you can demonstrate to us then what you’re really capable of.
Enjoy it!
All these will seem very formal and serious but the test itself is a collection of puzzles that you will, hopefully, enjoy. If you don’t get to the end of the test, or have to leave some answers incomplete, that probably doesn’t matter.
