Welcome!
The cost of a single hour of one-to-one STEP tuition in the UK is £80-£100. The yearly cost is in the high thousands. It shouldn't have to be this way. In response, these video-based courses have been carefully designed to support your mathematical journey ahead of the STEP exams, in an affordable way and without compromising on quality.
The courses are created by two Cambridge alumni who, between them, have several decades of experience with the university system, the STEP exams, and mathematics to degree-level and beyond. The ethos of these courses rests on the following principles:
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The only way to ace the STEP exams is to become a good mathematician. You cannot "game" the system or "hack" the tests. Nor should you try to - mastering interesting maths is fun and rewarding, and if you want to prosper and succeed throughout your university studies, you should aim to be at the right level from the start!
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Anyone can do it. Yes, it is hard work, and STEP is a tough challenge. But things that might seem impossible now can, with focus, be conquered and will, in time, appear routine. You can do it!
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This is YOUR journey. No-one can drill this into you. You have to do it yourself. But it is worth it!
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A structured course can make a difference in how efficiently you learn. It can help you burn through some of the stages faster and add depth to your understanding of the underlying phenomena. But only if it acts as guidance and support on your own journey, directed by your own efforts.
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You can do it. Yes, you. You can do it!
The team
Tutor
Chris Metcalfe
Chris is your course tutor. Chris took the STEP exams (way back in 1991!) and went on to complete his degree in Maths at Cambridge University, followed by several years of doctoral-level research in the University's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. During this time he discovered his passion for teaching while delivering countless "supervisions" (small-group tutorial sessions) to students at Cambridge University. He has also been involved with the STEP exam from the other side, as a marker for six years across all three papers. In addition, he has over 20 years' experience of delivering STEP training workshops for colleges aimed at helping disadvantaged pupils and of one-to-one tutoring of STEP and degree-level mathematics at Cambridge. Chris is dedicated to helping you reach your potential. You can do it!
Dr Gabriela Roman
Gabriela finished her education at Cambridge University with a PhD in Psychology (2013), specialising in the development of cognitive and emotional self-regulation. She is now a researcher here and also delivers statistical training courses to social scientists (e.g. http://mpluswizard.com). In this project, Gabriela's role is to help adapt Chris's wonderful teaching style to the online medium, most of which revolves around editing the videos and inserting little snippets reminding you to "have a go yourself"! Gabriela is a keen student of mathematics herself and after receiving STEP tutoring from Chris, she moved on to audit (and do the homework for!) courses from the Cambridge University Maths tripos, and take a set of MITx courses based on the MIT Math BSc curriculum and a 4 -course undergraduate-level Astrophysics programme from the National University of Australia.
Testimonials
by Abhirup Mukherjee
Chris has been an amazing teacher, providing valuable insight for every question I had and continuous encouragement throughout my STEP journey.
by Zac Wilde
Chris is extremely engaging and friendly and manages to make all these convoluted ideas in challenging STEP questions crystal clear! He is brilliant at uncovering, explaining and implementing techniques that are crucial for being successful in STEP.
by Ramon Nartallo
Chris Metcalfe’s great teaching style and seamless use of technology really helped me to stay engaged and learn during our online tuition sessions. He was extremely flexible over the scheduling and the content of our meetings which made it easy to study for the STEP exams alongside my packed A level schedule. He was professional but friendly and instrumental in my improvement as a young mathematician, drawing on his wealth of resources and packing our sessions with great insight.
by VS
I was taught by Chris for around 18 months in preparation for all 3 STEP exams. He is an exemplary teacher with not only a vast knowledge of the STEP syllabus, having been an examiner of STEP, but also of maths in general. This is tremendously useful because one of the primary features of his teaching method is that he often goes well beyond the syllabus in order to illustrate a particular concept in detail, which helps both with answering the specific question and similar types of questions and with an appreciation of maths in general. Would highly recommend for all STEP students, the knowledge gained will without a doubt prove invaluable and I can attest to the fact that he contributed in large part to my success in STEP!
by Ruth Pink (Parent)
Chris' tutoring was invaluable to my son's STEP preparation. Working with him in the last few months before the exams, Chris identified areas of strength and those where my son was less secure. Chris' professionalism, positive approach and expertise plugged the gaps, developed his problem-solving skills in tackling STEP questions and gave him an enormous confidence boost. Consequently, not only did my son achieve his offer from Trinity of two ones, but exceeded it, gaining an S in STEP III. For anyone preparing for STEP, I highly recommend Chris.
by Preman Jeyabalan
Chris was instrumental in helping me prepare for both STEP 1 and CSAT. As an experienced educator he concisely deconstructed questions I had difficulty with in a way that helped me tackle similar questions. I thoroughly recommend anyone looking to take STEP 1 to accelerate your learning by signing up for his classes.
by Ming Shau Liu
Chris is an exceptional mentor in learning mathematics. He explains with astounding clarity, and he never fails to inspire. There is no shortcut in learning mathematics except hands-on effort, yet it always helps to have guidance along the way!
by Haytham McDowell-Rose
Having achieved a grade S in STEP I in 2019, I can say that Chris’ explanations were invaluable in helping me understand the process for improving at STEP questions and building up more ‘tricks’ to apply in similar problems. I would recommend his programs to anyone hoping to sit STEP.
by Lori French
Chris was an exceptional Maths tutor. He supported me throughout my Maths A-Level and beyond, enabling me to qualify with an A* - as well as preparing me for statics modules that I was not taught at School. Beyond being fantastic at explaining complex concepts in simple ways, he has a passion for the subject which is infectious to be around and I really enjoyed my lessons with him. I cannot recommend him enough.
by Sid Chandrappa
He’s a very engaging tutor who adapted to my needs, provided great flexibility with the lessons and ultimately, helped me with my STEP preparation.