The STEP Primer Course is a pre-recorded course of lessons designed for comprehensive STEP preparation. Authored and delivered by past STEP examiner and specialist tutor Rowan Wright, each session focuses on an important theme or topic that frequently arises in STEP questions. Students are equipped with the knowledge to attempt every question on the 2025 exams - including sections B and C - regardless of the modules selected by their school. There are 14 lessons for STEP 2 and 7 lessons for STEP 3, each lasting 1-2 hours in video form, though students can also study the lesson by using the detailed lesson notes if preferred. Each lesson has an accompanying worksheet of original questions, carefully designed to cover the quirks and difficulties STEP questions pose. Students are encouraged to complete all worksheets, which are estimated to take 1-2 hours each, and review their work with the detailed solutions provided. This ensures mastery of the techniques and concepts taught in each lesson before applying them to past paper questions.

Solving a STEP question often requires multiple logical leaps, so students are held to a particularly high standard in terms of the clarity of their written explanation. The style of presentation required for STEP is different from the way students are taught to present their A Level or IB work, so receiving feedback on mock exams is extremely beneficial. In our experience, most students can gain an additional 10-15 marks per paper solely by improving the presentation of their work: this can amount to more than half a grade boundary! Our mock marking service is provided exclusively by Vantage team members who have trained as STEP examiners with Cambridge Assessment. Students receive an accurate estimation of score and detailed, actionable feedback for each submitted mock.

The STEP Programme includes solution booklets for all STEP 2 and 3 past papers, 2008-2024, and solution videos for the 2019-2024 papers. The solutions are authored and presented by our founding director, Rowan Wright. In contrast to the official STEP solutions/mark schemes, our solutions show the complete method and any alternative methods to solve each problem. Rather than merely presenting a method that works, Rowan explains how a student can 'come up with' the right ideas and think through a problem systematically. This enables students benefit fully from past paper practice, coming away from each question with a complete understanding and ready to tackle variations on similar concepts in future. Rowan takes care to place past paper questions in context, explaining how ideas might be varied in future questions. The STEP 2 2008 solution booklet is available to view as a sample below.

All Vantage students benefit from regular mentoring sessions over the course of their exam preparation, ideally attended along with their parents/guardians. All mentoring sessions are held with our founding director Rowan Wright. These meetings are completely tailored to the student’s specific goals, with the aim of reviewing progress, addressing doubts or concerns, providing motivation, and creating actionable plans to resolve any difficulties. Personalised mentoring enables students to ensure they are staying on track for success and provides vital support over what is often a long process of preparation.

All STEP students are invited to attend weekly office hours, hosted by Rowan Wright, which will provide the opportunity for further discussion and exploration of the STEP Primer Course and past papers. Students are invited to submit questions in advance relating to any aspect of the STEP Programme, and encouraged to attend office hours for regular contact with the course director. Office hours will take place on Saturdays, 9-10am GMT, from 8th February until 14th June 2025. Students may also submit questions via the email helpline at any time to receive a quicker response.

Many STEP students opt to take some individual tuition with the STEP preparation course, which is available for an additional hourly fee. It is the most personalised support we offer and ensures that any and all doubts can be addressed, whether they pertain to specific questions or broader topics and concepts. It also provides an opportunity for students to explore questions further and pursue their own interests.