Getting 85 ATAR

[OGMudSpin]

Hi all,

Would I be able to get an ATAR of 85 with these ranks?

School rank: 35

English Advanced: =64/155----------mark: 84
Mathematics: 38/75------------------mark: 82
Mathematics Extension 1: 71/78----mark: 28
Physics: =30/43----------------------mark: 75
Chemistry: =20/51------------------mark: 85
Economics: 40/44--------------------mark: 70

Also, I am thinking of dropping Mathematics Extension 1, however I am unsure if MX1 is my worst performing unit or if economics is. Although if I do drop MX1, it would take a massive burden off my chest.

Thanks for your time.

[RuiAce]

Short answer: Yes, because anything is possible.

Long answer: So how well is your studying? Are you working hard enough to ensure you achieve that minimum goal of 85?

Your school rank is quite good, and your ranks are moderate. That is implying something well. (After you receive your trial marks you may be given a greater indication of exactly where you are.) Do you know how far your relative mark differences are? I.e. how many marks split you off between say, rank 63 in English, and also from first place?

Keep those questions to heart, but ultimately it comes to how you're studying, and how well is it paying off. Miracles happen - some poor-performing students end up still achieving a 90 ATAR because they fixed it up at the last minute. I got my 12/30 speech in English, was like no I'm done, and I still fixed it back up to a mark of 87. Let us know of how you study and how it pays off for you and then we can give you further ideas.

(I'm not sure who can provide you an ATAR estimate on this forum - if there are then brilliant, but it's just an estimate though. I doubt Jake expected his 99.80 to happen.)

As for your marks, the distinction is becoming quite significant. Say 1st place in economics was on 95. You're much further apart from him/her in MX1 than in economics. At this point, it's more likely that MX1 is what you should drop.

[OGMudSpin]

Thanks RuiAce for you valuable input!

I wouldn't have the slightest clue about how far away I am from the other students in my grade as I don't discuss grades with other students.

I study by doing past HSC questions after completing each topic for chemistry and physics. In both of my mathematics courses, I just do a tonne of questions and past papers. In English, I pre-prepare and memorise my essays for exams and in Economics, I just go through the syllabus myself at home (which I find hard to do) because my teacher is actually terrible. None of this actually seems to work for me because I've been performing the same in all of my exams, except for English where I have improved a lot (last assessment task I ranked 15th).

After playing around with some reverse ATAR calculators, I think 85 would be achievable for me, and whichever way I put it, at the way I am currently performing in 3U mathematics, it would not make my ATAR any higher. In short, it won't count towards my ATAR as it's my worst performing unit.

In regards with dropping 3U maths, the only thing that is holding me back is my future aspirations as I am planning to transfer into Surveying at UNSW (which 3U maths is assumed knowledge) after first year university. I doubt I will achieve an ATAR of 92 and I think 85 is a much more realistic goal, thus I am planning to study Construction Management and Property during first year university.

At this stage, being so close to the trials and almost finishing the 3U maths course, what do you think I should do?

I've booked an interview with my career adviser for the first period (study period for me) back at school and I will discuss my plans with her then. With regards to dropping units, I will talk to my deputy principal about it.

[RuiAce]

Cool. Let me answer step by step.

You don't know mark differences - No worries, we won't worry about it then.

You do past HSC questions for physics and chemistry - Brilliant.
Do you ensure you understand what you are answering and not writing down content you just learnt mindlessly? Do you also check the marking criteria and identify what you covered, and what mark (and hence what band you get)? If yes, excellent. Otherwise, it may be time to send responses to your teacher (assuming he/she is good) and asking for feedback. Or you can post it in a thread (the question thread, for now). Whilst I'm not really near a 'qualified marker' anymore I'm sure Jake will be able to help, and I can also provide additional feedback.

You do past papers for mathematics? Perfect. Nothing much needs to be asked here apart from how you go with the last questions on the paper.

You prepare the essays for economics? This is great, provided you know how to adapt your response. However many essays you actually write, but at the end of the day you must have the capability to adapt them to the question given. (Basically the same as English in this regard.) Also make sure that the multiple choice is never neglected. One of my friends who got a 91 in economics has told me that the multiple choice tends to be the hardest part in the course.
Unfortunately at this point in time we do not have members that focus on economics here, so we might not be able to provide quality feedback just yet...

In regards to ATAR calculators - Your marks undergo two processes called moderation and alignment. Moderation is used to cut off the fact that some schools set harder assessment tasks than others, and standardises it with respect to the difficulty of the final exam. Alignment just caters for the fact that some exams are harder than others in different years. Your mark that you should put into the ATAR calculator is your aligned mark. I recommend you predict your raw mark in the exam, use the raw marks database, and proceed. (Of course, the ATAR calculator is only truly accurate the day you get your marks!

Finally, ok so the thing you must realise is that you have, to some valid extent, satisfied the criteria for assumed knowledge. It's not a prerequisite; it's assumed knowledge. This means that you have learnt the content; just not been properly examined on it. (Bridging courses may be worth considering but they do cost after all.) I recommend that if you feel you're going to waste too much time on MX1, get rid of it. Otherwise, yes feel free to discuss it with the staff at your school