Need some reassurance

[imnotdani]

So Semester 1 ended with me getting above 70% for all of my subjects. Not overly high–only one of them is above 90 and that's English Advanced. The percentages ranged more or less in the high 70's to low/mid 80's. Is it still possible for me to turn things around with Term 4 assessments, then the HSC Trials and of course, the actual HSC? I'm aiming for at least a 90+ ATAR. I do:
Biology
Math Extension 1
Math Advanced
Studies of Religion II
English Advanced
Economics

[jamonwindeyer]

So Semester 1 ended with me getting above 70% for all of my subjects. Not overly high–only one of them is above 90 and that's English Advanced. The percentages ranged more or less in the high 70's to low/mid 80's. Is it still possible for me to turn things around with Term 4 assessments, then the HSC Trials and of course, the actual HSC? I'm aiming for at least a 90+ ATAR. I do:
Biology
Math Extension 1
Math Advanced
Studies of Religion II
English Advanced
Economics

Hey there!! Welcome to the forums 

To start, great work on your results in Semester 1, they sound excellent! Props for your Advanced mark, Band 6 in Advanced this early in the game is really impressive 

Absolutely can you still get the ATAR you are aiming for, you've done nothing to exclude yourself from getting it! The HSC Exams are obviously the most important bit, so doing well in them will be crucial. Besides that, keep improving and building your skills and you can definitely reach your goals; you always can!! Improvement is key, you want your best results to happen right at the end in the big exams itself, the HSC rewards consistent improvement over time almost as nicely as someone who sits at a high mark the whole time 

Your marks sound stellar already, definitely you are on the right track!!

Here is an article I wrote about how your ATAR is calculated in case you were interested in that at all.

Good luck! 

[Jakeybaby]

So Semester 1 ended with me getting above 70% for all of my subjects. Not overly high–only one of them is above 90 and that's English Advanced. The percentages ranged more or less in the high 70's to low/mid 80's. Is it still possible for me to turn things around with Term 4 assessments, then the HSC Trials and of course, the actual HSC? I'm aiming for at least a 90+ ATAR. I do:
Biology
Math Extension 1
Math Advanced
Studies of Religion II
English Advanced
Economics

I'm not going to lie, the road will be tough, but remember, not even 50% of your assessments have been completed at this stage. I just take one test at a time, ask LOTS of questions, and I mean LOTS! Make sure that you get your study habits in order too, because at this stage, it seems like your exams will play a crucial part in your final score(especially in your case as you're trying to lift all of your final grades). This is very far from impossible and quite achievable if you just put your mind to it and get motivated. I tell myself that the ATAR is everything, but I know it's not, but it helps me to think of it like a competition as I'm quite a competitive person (not sure about you). I challenge myself to just be better than person 1, person 2 etc. etc. Just the way that I achieve my best ahaha, you'll be fine! Just put your mind to it mate!

[imnotdani]

Hey there!! Welcome to the forums 

To start, great work on your results in Semester 1, they sound excellent! Props for your Advanced mark, Band 6 in Advanced this early in the game is really impressive 

Absolutely can you still get the ATAR you are aiming for, you've done nothing to exclude yourself from getting it! The HSC Exams are obviously the most important bit, so doing well in them will be crucial. Besides that, keep improving and building your skills and you can definitely reach your goals; you always can!! Improvement is key, you want your best results to happen right at the end in the big exams itself, the HSC rewards consistent improvement over time almost as nicely as someone who sits at a high mark the whole time 

Your marks sound stellar already, definitely you are on the right track!!

Here is an article I wrote about how your ATAR is calculated in case you were interested in that at all.

Good luck! 

First, wowee thanks for such a fast response!
Second, thank you for the welcome
Third, thanks heaps! This ought to lower my stress levels a whole lot.

[imnotdani]

I'm not going to lie, the road will be tough, but remember, not even 50% of your assessments have been completed at this stage. I just take one test at a time, ask LOTS of questions, and I mean LOTS! Make sure that you get your study habits in order too, because at this stage, it seems like your exams will play a crucial part in your final score(especially in your case as you're trying to lift all of your final grades). This is very far from impossible and quite achievable if you just put your mind to it and get motivated. I tell myself that the ATAR is everything, but I know it's not, but it helps me to think of it like a competition as I'm quite a competitive person (not sure about you). I challenge myself to just be better than person 1, person 2 etc. etc. Just the way that I achieve my best ahaha, you'll be fine! Just put your mind to it mate!

Yeah I see what you mean. I'm a competitive person as well, it's just the motivation slips from me like 80% of the time, and I can see that that's putting me at a huge disadvantage. I'll be sure to clutch up these last assessments and exams Appreciate it!

[jamonwindeyer]

Yeah I see what you mean. I'm a competitive person as well, it's just the motivation slips from me like 80% of the time, and I can see that that's putting me at a huge disadvantage. I'll be sure to clutch up these last assessments and exams Appreciate it!

Keep picturing the light at the end of the tunnel; trust me, the feeling of getting back a great mark in a tough exam, or meeting your target mark/rank, is worth every hour of the effort! 

[RuiAce]

http://rawmarks.info/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.talent-100.com.au/atar-calculator/#welcome

But if you want a 90+ ATAR you need to push for it. If you're determined to get it then there's NO reason for you to miss out. If you're NOT determined to get it then there's EVERY reason for you to miss out.

I got hammered down in English by a speech in which I got 12/30 in. Got so depressed about it at the time. Came out getting a mark of 87 anyway.

[kb123]

Of course you can improve!
If you study better, you will definitely raise your marks.

Do you:
-make sure you learn and fully understand the content?
-memorise key definitions?
-do at least 3 practice tests on the subject? The more the better, often school exams may use questions from past papers from the HSC or other schools, has happened to me
-completely and fully understand each point in the syllubus?
-are confident  you can answer ANY question the exam can throw at you?

If you answered 'yes' to all of the above, you should be able to ace your exam.

In the exam:
-make sure to stay calm, think you answer through before writing it down onto the paper
-check if it make sense and answers the question
-write as much as you know around what the question is asking about, so you have a greater chance of hitting the marking criteria. However, if the question asks for 2 points specifically, DO NOT write 3, they will only accept the first 2. Choose wisely
-if you have time, DEFINITELY go over your answers, I assure you that you will find at least one stupid mistake somewhere. Go back to the questions you weren't sure about, try them again. Then go through the multiple choice again (if there is one in the test), and by this I mean, do all of the questions AGAIN with greater depth, particularly those you weren't sure about during the test. Minimises any unnoticed errors.

Good luck!!!
Katya