Been horrible at exams all my life. How bad will it affect my ATAR ?

[inc0gnito]

As the title says, all my life I've always buckled under the pressure of examinations and I don't see that changing for this year. Especially since these are my first ever VCE examinations and I'm going to be twice as nervous.

Just to explain what type of student I am, I've always been the one to come top 3 in my regular tests at school (the same is happening this year) I think I'm ranked top 5 for all of my subjects in SACs, but eventually buckling under exam pressure and getting marks in the 70s and never above.

I'm not really asking for help and how I can overcome this, because sadly it's been happening throughout 10+ years of my schooling years and sadly I've given up. Rather, my question is, How bad will this be of detriment to my ATAR ?

Being ranked very highly in SACs but getting as low as 70s or even 60s in the exam.

Thanks.

[nisha]

It all depends on the subjects that you take. In some subjects the end of year exam is worth 33% of your study score, while others can be 50% -70%.

To be blatantly honest, doing poorly on exams does affect your ATAR considerably. I'm not entirely sure why this nervousness happens (trust me, I'm exactly the same) but I find it more difficult to sit in a classroom with all my peers and us doing a 3/4 SAC which counts 10% rather than in an isolated exam with phony examiners. 

I'm not entirely sure how the system works (if you get a high sac score, and a poor exam score, does your exam score get pulled up to the mark of your sacs? )

But yes, I would imagine that it does affect your ATAR and will. Honestly, I know you have been struggling with this your whole life, but there is always a way to overcome fears;)

[Soul_Khan]

Your SAC score can't pull up your exam score from what I've heard.

For the OP, try to do meditation or breathing in and out before an exam whether it be a practice exam or not. During an actual exam make sure to sleep early to get sufficient amount of rest for the big day, eat a healthy nutritious breakfast, listen to some of your favourite tunes (to make you calm) and make sure you aren't around people who create a stressful atmosphere with their negative thoughts and annoying pessimism.Try to tackle the negative thoughts of failing, not doing well, etc. by combating them with more positive thoughts.

[aes_999]

^To verify this, Soul Khan is right, your SAC score can't pull up your exam score (too much).

Example? I've been fortunate enough (somehow) to score A+ for my English SACs last year. When it came to exam time, got destroyed, scored a B, and SS becomes 36. Lesson? Do well on both SACs and exam.

[pi]

Re: topic

Gonna be honest, but if you're bad at exams your ATAR is gonna take a big hit downwards

[Russ]

Nobody is intrinsically bad at examinations but based on the tone of your post, I gather you have problems with exam pressure, perhaps anxiety and insomnia the night before etc. I used to be the same (for example I got 4/5 hours sleep the night before my medicine entrance exam) but I did some work on meditation and mindfulness and it really helped. I'd strongly recommend you get some advice on this. Try doing some reading on the internet and downloading a few guided meditations or mindfulness (it's a specific form of meditation) instructions and listening to them.
They're rather powerful but they don't show instant benefits, so you have to keep at them for a while. If you start now, you should definitely see results before your Nov. exams

A certain admin can probably vouch for their effectiveness but not for her dedication to them

[MJRomeo81]

What are your studying habits like? When you learn something new do you cram it or try to see the bigger picture?

A lot of students forget unit 3 content in their exams simply because they crammed it to begin with. Keep up with your revision and you will feel a lot more confident in the exam room.

[nisha]

My favourite subject being Chemistry, I almost had a meltdown from nervousness when the midyears came around. I was such a wreck, that I tried even making a thread here to seek advice. Honestly, you can only do the best you can do. Give it your all.
Before the exam, meditate and picture yourself, strong and confidently walking into the exam room. Then picture yourself smilingly coming outside, knowing you have done your best and as confident in your ability as ever. This will make you feel positive enough to make this vision come true