Is 15% of my overall mark a big chunk?

[juicebox_441]

So far, I have finished 35% of my overall Maths Methods mark. I got 19/20 for my PSMT which is worth 20%, (so 95%), however, I recently did my 15% exam, and can already tell I will barely pass it (I am expecting a 55% mark). Is that the end of the world for me? Say that I ace my other two exams (somehow), will that 55% mark forever hunt me down? Or will they bring up my mark?

Cheers 
_{also, side question, how exactly is our overall mark calculated? Do we just add up all marks for the whole year and see how they add up out of 100?}

[K.Smithy]

So far, I have finished 35% of my overall Maths Methods mark. I got 19/20 for my PSMT which is worth 20%, (so 95%), however, I recently did my 15% exam, and can already tell I will barely pass it (I am expecting a 55% mark). Is that the end of the world for me? Say that I ace my other two exams (somehow), will that 55% mark forever hunt me down? Or will they bring up my mark?

If you get 55% on the exam you sat, you will be at ~27/35 so far - which is very good. You can think of it like this... Out of the 100 possible marks you can get, you have only lost 7 so far. So no, this will not hunt you down, you are on track to getting a very good end of year result
If you are worried about how you're tracking in methods, just remember that practice makes progress. Keep working at it and keep asking questions.
My biggest recommendation would be to sit practice papers - nothing beats 'em in my opinion

_{also, side question, how exactly is our overall mark calculated? Do we just add up all marks for the whole year and see how they add up out of 100?}

Yep, your individual scores for each assessment will add up to some number out of 100. This is your raw score and scaling is applied during the ATAR calculation process. You won't get to see what your result scales to but you will get access to a scaling report next year, and that will give you a rough idea of how your subject results scaled.
So, the PSMT in methods is worth 20% of your grade because it is only 20 out of the 100 points you can get in methods.

[juicebox_441]

You can think of it like this... Out of the 100 possible marks you can get, you have only lost 7 so far. So no, this will not hunt you down, you are on track to getting a very good end of year result

That made me feel better Thank you so much for the reply !

My biggest recommendation would be to sit practice papers - nothing beats 'em in my opinion

That is very true -practice makes perfect!

You won't get to see what your result scales to but you will get access to a scaling report next year, and that will give you a rough idea of how your subject results scaled.

I've heard a couple (actually, l o t s) of people complaining about how unfair scaling is, so some subjects get scaled down and marks in the 90s will be dragged down to an 80 something I don't really get scaling, why do they scale down? Should I be scared of it too?

Thank you Katelyn for the reply !!

[Bri MT]

That made me feel better Thank you so much for the reply !That is very true -practice makes perfect! I've heard a couple (actually, l o t s) of people complaining about how unfair scaling is, so some subjects get scaled down and marks in the 90s will be dragged down to an 80 something I don't really get scaling, why do they scale down? Should I be scared of it too?

Thank you Katelyn for the reply !!

Complaining about scaling is a tradition across the other states too lol. The important thing to know about scaling is that it's not some people deciding "oh I think this subject is easier/less important so we'll scale that down"; it's a mathematical process that the scores go through to make sure you don't have to try and pick subjects based on how easy/hard other people find them.

There's a post here which explains scaling a bit more that you might be interested in

[juicebox_441]

Complaining about scaling is a tradition across the other states too lol. The important thing to know about scaling is that it's not some people deciding "oh I think this subject is easier/less important so we'll scale that down"; it's a mathematical process that the scores go through to make sure you don't have to try and pick subjects based on how easy/hard other people find them.

There's a post here which explains scaling a bit more that you might be interested in

And here I was thinking all my hard work will be gone, but I guess it is what it is. I mean, is a student really a student if they don't complain abut everything 24/7 
Thanks for linking the post Bri, it was an interesting read and definitely helped clear things up

[asube5]

mate I got a 14/20 and a 6/15 for my ia2. I am so disappointed. I studied so hard for that exam and never have gotten such a bad grade in math. My teacher is a really harsh marker so I am praying my 14 gets bumped but I feel so burnout. I need to get at least a 12 on the next one so I can get a good star. Do you think its possible?

[Bri MT]

mate I got a 14/20 and a 6/15 for my ia2. I am so disappointed. I studied so hard for that exam and never have gotten such a bad grade in math. My teacher is a really harsh marker so I am praying my 14 gets bumped but I feel so burnout. I need to get at least a 12 on the next one so I can get a good star. Do you think its possible?

Sucks to hear that :/

Yeah it's possible for you to get at least 12 on the next one - try to learn from what has & hasn't worked on the previous ones. Try to get specific. Silly mistakes? What types of silly mistakes? (units? comprehension? basic math errors?) Then once you've figured that out you can work on specifically addressing those things (e.g. for the above: slowing down reading time, reading twice, highlighting, end of question mental checklist, redoing questions with previous working covered, clearer working, less steps at a time...) If you're not sure what tactics you can use feel free to post on here

In the above I've focused on test-taking with my examples but you can also critically look at your studying methods in a similar way.

Don't forget that your teacher can also be a great source of guidance - letting them know you want to improve and asking for help and/or feedback can be powerful.


Welcome to the forums btw!