Starting to feel the stress from sac scores + ranking...

[chocobun]

I know it's not good for me but...
I am super worried about my ranking after my last English sac. I have maintained perfect scores so far until the most recent one where i dropped  3 marks and I'm scared that unless I continue to get perfect scores, I won't be able to get rank 1. The main reason i dropped the marks was because I didn't choose to do the basic expository form which my school LOVES and decided to do a creative + persuasive (don't worry, i know i won't be doing that again for context).
I don't intend to come off as arrogant but there is quite a level of difference b/w me and the other ranks. However, my cohort is extremely weak. My school has constructed a really off bell curve where rank 2 or 3 would receive 29/30 but i would receive 30/30. Although it is a 1 mark difference, if you were to read my essay and theirs, there would be an obvious difference in quality.
I also REALLY want to get into my course (dentistry), but it's quite competitive and the atar is unbelievably high.
What do i do???

[HopefulLawStudent]

Breathe.

SACs < Exam

There are still so many other variations and things that could possibly happen that it's not worth stressing over what losing a few marks at this stage of the year could have done to your study score or what ranking you are in your cohort or any of that stuff. It's not healthy and it won't get you anywhere anyway. Just focus on doing the absolute best that you can.

[Swagadaktal]

Breathe.

SACs < Exam

There are still so many other variations and things that could possibly happen that it's not worth stressing over what losing a few marks at this stage of the year could have done to your study score or what ranking you are in your cohort or any of that stuff. It's not healthy and it won't get you anywhere anyway. Just focus on doing the absolute best that you can.

^ This

I might also add that you're actually not losing your rank 1 --> you need to look at things in culmination. VCAA get's a total mark out of 200 at the end of the year - so losing 3 marks on this sac might be equivalent to losing 1 mark on 3 sacs, which in retrospect is not catastrophic.

And even if you do become rank 2 (unlikely but still possible) -> you can still do really well. You won't be penalised for being rank 2 (or if you are, it'd be minimal) - rank 1s of a subject generally do not get the highest study score in my experience soo relax.

in saying that if you are rank 1 you'll be fine xD

[sarangiya]

Everyone really hit the nail on the head.

Just for further clarification on the SACs < Exam thing - the reason for this is moderation.
When you take the standardised exam, your exam score will be scaled/moderated according to it. Because all schools have SACs of varying difficulties for the same subjects, they have to use a standardised test to level out the playing field. Thanks to this, if you do well on the exam, your moderated SAC mark will also reflect this. Of course, the reverse is also true.

The one piece I can confidently give you as advice (being a Rank 2 who got a study score higher than Rank 1, also):
Keep in the present. Thinking about your SAC will only demotivate you. You can't do anything about it except for channelling your emotion into something more productive. Something I also see mildly reflected in your post is perhaps looking too much into the future. It is just as detrimental to be too comfortable with your current standard of work as it is to be terrified by the thought of exams, how every tiny thing will affect your ATAR/what your ATAR 'means'. Keep in mind that you're against not just your school, but the state. Aim higher and higher and aim to excel not at your class's standard but your own and the state's standard.
I don't know if that will help you - but I'm sure you'll find your way. Good luck.