Anyone who got full scores (i.e. 99.95, or 50 in one subject)

[YouAreNowReadingMyName]

So, what did you do to get this amazing score? Let's not talk specifics for each subject - i.e. learn this topic and that topic blah blah blah because they're the most important - but what about the intangibles? How much effort do you need to put into study? Effort, in this case, might encapsulate all of concentration, efficiency, consistency, and more... And anyway, how much do you need to think about your subjects to get full marks? Are there any particular things that you need that another high achiever, even someone who got, say, a 99.90 or a 49, does not need? For instance, I can imagine that you might need to be extremely careful, seeing as perhaps 2 marks lost would mean you don't get 50. This might lead on to the next question; what personality traits do you need to do well? It might be more relevant to success in general, but are there any personality types that are just more conducive to doing well? For instance, would someone who does not give up on their own ideas be more likely to do well, even when a teacher says they are wrong, or would it be better to be more humble and accept all the ideas of everyone else?

[meganrobyn]

Well, one thing I did that very few people I know did - I just did my work. By that, I mean I had no idea what study scores were, how they were calculated, what the entry score for my course was, what an ATAR score (ENTER score) was, how many marks I could lose for what result, what my ranking was or why it was important, and so on and so on.

Part of that was my school not explaining it to us; part was me being very busy with non-school commitments; part was me being young and a bit clueless; part was me living in denial and pretending Year 12 wasn't happening. But in hindsight I think it was a great move (especially since I'm bad under pressure). I think people worry far too much about what they NEED to get, what they think they're GOING to get, etc.

[ShortBlackChick]

Are there any particular things that you need that another high achiever, even someone who got, say, a 99.90 or a 49, does not need?

Luck, perhaps? Not to downplay those that did get 99.95 or a 50, but do people think there is a large difference work ethic and intelligence wise between a 99.95 and a 99.90 and a 50 and 49? All are massive achievements

[alondouek]

I worked much, much harder for my 31 in Methods than for my 48 in English. I'd argue that a strong work ethic and a commitment to learn effectively is the most important factor in achieving high scores, but it would be wrong to ignore the effect of natural aptitude in certain areas.

Those who are very proficient in maths will do maths and likely score highly in maths; the same can be said for humanities, sciences, languages et al.

[lala1911]

There is no strong positive correlation between hours studied and study scores, that's what I believe. I study so hard for English and I'm only on a C average where as for mathematics I study for a few hours a fortnight and I score much higher.

Differences between 99.90 and 99.95 would just have to be luck I guess.

[pi]

Differences between 99.90 and 99.95 would just have to be luck I guess.

Eh I know some people with 99.95 who were never looking to get any less (and they didn't)

[appianway]

I agree with just doing the work. When I got a 50 in physics, honestly, I knew that there was a good chance I'd get a 50 because I understood the material well and had gotten perfect scores in all but one of my SACs. For the 99.95, I was super busy, and worked when I could but didn't work myself to exhaustion. 

[Planck's constant]

Luck, perhaps? Not to downplay those that did get 99.95 or a 50, but do people think there is a large difference work ethic and intelligence wise between a 99.95 and a 99.90 and a 50 and 49? All are massive achievements

The ATAR is a measure of dedication and hard work.
It is NOT a certificate of intelligence.

[Lolly]

 Having natural ability helps but ultimately I don't think that you have already be a certain type of person to score well. However,  you do have to become a certain type of person. Persistence isn't a personality trait, it's a choice.

[Professor Polonsky]

The ATAR is a measure of dedication and hard work.
It is NOT a certificate of intelligence.

I'd somewhat disagree with the first part of this. I know several people who put very little effort into very high (99+) scores, whilst there are people who work their asses off for a 90 (or lower). Aptitude to succeed in school is not the same as intelligence, but as Alon said natural ability to succeed certainly is a factor.

[Planck's constant]

Polonium,

I cannot deny that there are a few (very few) naturals amongst the high achievers.
But as a rule, the overwhelming majority of elite level ATARs are normally intelligent kids who have worked their butts off. And good luck to them.

[BigAl]

It's either everything or nothing...fly or die...

[Alwin]

well there's really nothing that I can say that hasn't been said already, but I'd say there's really not much difference between a 49 and a 50, down to luck I guess.

I was allowed to acclerate in my two subjects because apparently I had "natural ability" or "affinity" for maths and sciences. Personally I put that down to work ethics (aka i just did the work that was set) but I always had a tendency to remember things faster which helps in less mathsey subjects like physics
This brings me back to my first point I guess, since I actually tried a LOT harder in methods than physics. Ultimately, when I got my statement of marks (that i applied for) I saw I had made wayy to many silly mistakes like on simple domain/range qs so I was "unlucky". I reckon I'm just careless, which is why I dropped out of further haha. So being meticulous and careful is important too, if you're aiming for that high score.

As for physics, I spent less time on it and I was rather lucky that I did well on the two exams which boosted my relatively low sac marks.

On the other end of the spectrum, one of my friends COMPLETELY aced all her economics sac was completely shattered when she only got in the mid 30s.. she hadn't lost a single mark in her sacs. What had happened was she, and a portion of the rest of the state, had mis-interpreted a 6mark question... back luck(?)


Finally, to round off a nice and long post (I have way too many frees at school =w=) my 'answer' to your personality question. Umm, pretty much I'm determined. This one competition q took me nearly a whole year to work out but i finally got there! I also prefer working alone, read textbooks by myself rather than be taught the same thing in class and i guess to an extent, rather humble.
There are others in my cohort that excelled and got 47-50s and they all have very good work ethics, sometimes staying back hours after school. While im usually all over the place, some people are really organised which helps in getting work done on time and gives structure to your day.

Oh, and this probably has nothing to do with your post, but I sleep a lot. Like, 9:30pm(or earlier) - 7:30am. I live close to school, ~10min walk so I used to go for a morning run (got lazy, not anymore) but I found that good sleeping patterns and exercising regularly helps study patterns. I'm usually the only one awake for indo school on saturday morning haha, which means I can learn in the morning   Some people do sleep late but they.. well.. I'll leave at they always seem tired at school and its a bit hard to learn if your in sleep-deprived zombie mode

GOOD LUCK =D

[lala1911]

Eh I know some people with 99.95 who were never looking to get any less (and they didn't)

Yeah that's true, but it may come down to luck. It's become a habit of me not articulating myself properly. I'd say that you can have a high chance of scoring 99.95, but in reality that person may get a few clumsy marks wrong for a few exams and drop to 99.90. Also, someone who scored 99.90 may have even learned the coursework better than someone who scored 99.95.