How hard is it to get a 93 ATAR?

[Jay.C]

I will be completing Biology 3 and 4 next year and Methods, Chem, English, Psychology and Health in 2016. Are there certain subjects I should focus on more then others? Are there any strategies you recommend? What scores would I need in sacs and exams? General Advice?

[aqple]

You should have a read of Joseph41's '41 Tips For VCE Success': HEY! Want to succeed in VCE?
Very insightful and should answer all your queries Good luck!

[All†Fiction]

ALWAYS keep on top of your work! Don't fall behind!

Don't neglect subjects - devote time to all of them as you see fit. You never know which one you may end up doing better in! (personal experience haha)

Develop a solid study ethic. It's a cliche, but VCE really is a marathon from start to finish. Remember an hour of study a day over six days is always better than a last minute six hour cram session! You have to keep chipping away at it; pace yourself and don't burn out too early!

Remain positive, and don't lose sight of your goal. As long as you are motivated and are willing to put in the work, you can achieve anything!

Good luck, hope that helped!

[clidedescope]

Conveniently, I received a 93. My advice:

-When it comes to exam prep, do the VCAA past exams. There is no better revision than those; I did every single past exam that was for the current study design for further, and don't regret a single one. I didn't even touch practise exams from other companies unless I absolutely had to.
-In terms of what subjects to focus on, that depends on what you find you do best in. It's smart to play to your strengths (there's a reason I nearly gave up on literature ). Of course, I'm not saying you SHOULD give up on the subjects you aren't as good in (it would be a silly idea to not have anything to fall back on in case), just prioritise those which you feel you can achieve a higher score in.
-Skim over ALL your notes for a subject every few weeks, so you don't have to relearn everything at the end of the year. At the end of Unit 3, I typed a summary of all my notes for the more content heavy subjects, then in Unit 4, before each SAC I made a summary. By the end of the year, I had a neat set of notes that saved my atar. It's something to consider.
-Don't study 24/7. It varies from person to person, but tried not to study past 8pm in Unit 3. I increased my hours in Unit 4, and I'm glad that I eased myself into it because I didn't burn out before exam time.
-Lectures are worth the time, but you don't always have to go to the most expensive ones. My end of year revision lectures were $5 and run by Melbourne Uni students; I received a higher atar than my friend, who attended Engage and TSFX lectures. It's what you do AFTER the lectures that matters most.
-As for what marks you need, check out the grade distributions for your subjects. http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/statistics/2013/statssect3.aspx Don't obsess over them (remember, your SAC scores are going to be moderated by the exam anyway), but it's a nifty guide to figuring out what marks you should aim for. As a general rule, A+ in every GA means a 40+ raw study score (I managed a 40 in legal with Unit 4 being just an A, too).

Best of luck! Feel free to PM me with any questions 

[publicbin]

I received a 93.3, although I am now in my 3rd year at uni. Here are two things to note:
- this is not a spectacular score at all, whilst I studied throughout the year, I also got very slack and cocky when I did well in my mid-year exams (High A+s)
- it is a very possible score for anyone to get

Now for advice:
I have always seen this advice on atarnotes which is to "not burn yourself out", and even some (not all) of my very high achieving friends (99+ ATARs) have told me this. It is horseshit advice.

My high achieving friends were the top of their classes in year 11 and had already finished half or all of a few subjects before they started year 12. I  was getting maybe B+s and As on my subjects and was at the top 5 of a pretty weak cohort for all my subjects in year 11.

I myself spent approximately 8 hours a day for a week and a half on the holidays finishing the first half of Accouting. I was burned out by day 3, took a rest day and rinse and repeat. I received a mark of 176/180 on the mid year exam. For unit 4 I did some study, but did not go ahead and finish the course in advance. I fell behind on SACs, and ended up with an A on the exam (Didn't get my statement of marks, but I felt it was probably a low-mid A).

Burning yourself out at the start of the year is good because it helps build your stamina. You don't go to the gym and complain when you're sore the next day. You get sore, rest up, and then you are stronger than you were before. Same goes for studying.

Finish as much as you can on the holidays. Push yourself really hard. If you are not naturally smart and didn't do great in year 11, then this is compuslory for you.
Anyone telling you to not work hard is wrong. It doesn't make sense.

Of course, you don't want to burn yourself out right before an exam. You are fairly young, although I have done this for a year now, and can sit a 3hour exam with 3 hours of sleep in a 32 hour period with a clear enough head that the extra study was worthwhile.

Scorewise I had two subjects above 41 and my other top two were in the high 30s.
You could get a 93 with a few A+s and mostly As on your exams. You need to make sure your scaled sacs are also A+s and As

[spectroscopy]

with your subjects, id say if you just study to the point where you break the A+ barrier, you should get around 93 (probably higher because of scaling)
by that i mean, do practice sacs and get them marked until you are getting consistent A+s, and then come exam time do prac exams until youre getting A+'s. they dont need to be high A+s but as long as you break that A+ barrier you wont get below 39s which with your subjects will give you around 95. i say aim for this in case you dont do so well in some subjects or have a bad day or something and dont do as well as you could
good luck