Frequently Asked Questions

The most common questions we get asked by teachers, parents and students are listed below:

How Can TSSM help me succeed in VCE?

Each year we help thousands of VCE students succeed in VCE. We do this by facilitating the flow and application of knowledge. Most school teachers work hard to deliver the best for their students, but unfortunately, students only have access to one teacher for each subject. It is ineffective for students to study the same material over and over and to hear the same interpretations every time.

For this reason, we provide students with detailed learning material and an excellent presenter to offer another interpretation of the subject. This assists students to achieve better ATAR scores and examination grades.

How many students are there in each class?

Our students have access to the smallest class sizes possible.

• All of our Area Of Study Master Classes are limited to 20 students per class.
• Our Summer School, Easter Holiday, Winter School and September Holiday programs are limited to 40 students per class.
• Even our End-of-year Exam Revision are limited to only 80 students per class, rather than large auditoriums seating 300-400 students.

Does TSSM offer private tuition?

Our Professional Private Tuition Service is a “Live and Online” VCE tuition service designed to give you access to the most experienced VCE teachers adaptable to you!

The focus of each 90 minute session will be tailored to your specific needs, whilst helping you properly prepare for examinations and SACs.

Does TSSM only offer qualified expert teachers for our Professional Private Tuition Service?

With TSSM, you will have access to the best VCE teachers who are fully qualified and who are VCAA assessors.

Why doesn't TSSM squeeze all of their students into one huge auditorium instead of running a number of smaller classes?

It is a documented fact that smaller classes result in better and more focused learning.

The ability of the teacher can be compromised by the size of the class. By this, we mean that an excellent teacher in an auditorium with 300 students cannot be nearly as effective as in a classroom with 40 students. This is a fact and seems quite obvious to most teachers and parents we talk to.

We have built a strong reputation as being the only service provider that is so focused on small class sizes in order to ensure that students benefit from one-to-one interaction with the teacher.

Are your presenters qualified teachers?

Yes. All of our presenters are qualified teachers that specialise in teaching VCE, most of whom are VCAA assessors. Our presenters are selected based on their communication skills, subject knowledge and their ability to simplify concepts for students. 

How are TSSM classes conducted?

Our classes provide students with a thorough review of each area of study as prescribed by the VCAA study design.

Our unique point of difference is that our students are given ample opportunity to ask questions during each program. The teacher covers all of the theory, using many different examples. Students are then instructed to complete questions on each section and the teacher provides feedback, offering better approaches to answering examination style questions.

Will I receive study notes as part of my program?

Yes! All students receive comprehensive revision notes as part of every program. These study notes are a complete guide to the subject and are presented professionally, bound or in a folder.

Where are TSSM's programs held?

Our Melbourne programs are held at TSSM's VCE Center at Suite 1, Level 14, 474 Flinders Street in Melbourne. This is located on the corner of Flinders Street and Highlander Lane in Melbourne, opposite the Melbourne Aquarium.

TSSM - Head Office & VCE Centre (Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm)
Suite 1, Level 14, 474 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 1300 134 518
F: (03) 9078 4354
E: info@tssm.com.au

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Our Regional programs are currently held at:

• Ballarat at Ballarat Grammar School, Senior College;
• Bendigo at Bendigo Senior Secondary College,Senior Campus; and 
• Gippsland at Lavalla Catholic College, Kildare Campus.

Stay tuned for more regional areas in the future.

Can you post me information on your courses?

Of course we can. By entering your contact details on our mailing list, you will be posted all updates and information regarding all of our VCE programs and resources. Join our mailing list now!

Are your courses worth it?

Absolutely. At TSSM we provide you with longer and more detailed programs, better teachers, more comprehensive notes with multiple examples, one-to-one interaction, and most importantly, small class sizes. Your investment will be clearly reflected in top quality service and improved VCE results.

Can I ask questions during the course?

Yes. We believe that you should be free to have your questions answered immediately. In fact, we are the only educational service provider that will answer all students' questions during the program.

Other providers expect students to wait for two or more hours until a scheduled break. We do not wait until it suits our teachers, our teachers are instructed to answer questions immediately so that the student can move on and continue to learn.

Can I buy copies of your notes if I’m not attending your courses?

Our comprehensive study materials are only available to students who enrol in our programs. However if you have missed a program, please contact us to discuss your options.

Do you offer parents and students a written guarantee?

**Our guarantee terms and conditions for all programs (courses) can be found under 'conditions of enrolment' on each course brochure.  Please read this carefully.

Am I guaranteed to get an ‘A+’ if I do a TSSM course?

All of our programs are designed for students that are seeking an A+. However, realistically, not all students can receive an A+. Some students are extremely happy to achieve a B+ or a B grade for a particular subject. For this reason, our teachers are instructed to spend one-to-one time with each student to help them reach their individual academic goals.

Our programs will not be able to get a D grade student to an A+ unless they put in a serious amount of work into their development. A student's success is heavily dependent on the student’s competencies. However a D grade student can definitely improve and get a better ATAR than they would have otherwise.

Our vision is "Helping VCE students be the best they can be." Therefore, we will help you to achieve your best in each subject.

Does TSSM discount their programs?

Our programs are never discounted. Quality programs do not need to be discounted and for this reason the quality of our programs far surpass the required investment.

At TSSM, we recognise that in order for students to achieve their best, they may need help across a wide range of subjects.  For this reason we would like to encourage students to take multiple subjects helping them achieve a better overall ATAR. 

One way we do this is by offering students 3 subjects for the price of 2 for many of our courses.  Get in quick to enrol as there are expiry dates for each course explained on each course brochure.

Why is TSSM the best educational service provider available?

TSSM was established in January 2002 and has since built a reputation for being a modern and innovative provider of unparalleled quality in VCE examination revision programs and resources.

We are willing to accept change and continue to enhance our programs. We have closely studied the industry and have propelled our VCE programs beyond that of any other educational institution. We are very excited about this progress and wish to share it with as many of you as possible.

We realise that some methods can become dated, and often don't apply year after year. For this reason, we analyse the results of student evaluation forms and develop new and improved ways of creating programs that suit todays student.

We have mastered what other service providers have been trying to master for years. We have created more detail, more questions and we cover more subjects than any other educational institution in a fraction of the time.

So, why not invest time your and money with a company that is innovative in style and can respond to student concerns quickly?

How do I know if your testimonials have actually been written by real students?

We are convinced that we are the only educational service provider that publishes testimonials written by real students! How do we know this?

Our testimonials are stated with the student's full name (the school they attend has been with held for privacy reasons). Each testimonial is completely authorised by the student themselves.

We publish genuine testimonials by genuine people. Any requests to see the hand written testimonials and authority we receive is more than welcomed.

Will the English Study Maps help me with my understanding of the text?

Yes. In fact they will help students explore many ideas within the text that they may not be able to do otherwise. For visual learners, it is even more effective as these students will be able to associate pictures and colours with different topics and themes of the text.