Howdy. 
Straight up, this thread is going to have mistakes, so please contribute your own ideas and let me know where and how I’ve stuffed up! I’ve started this thread because I had some students asking me questions about VCE, and I realised how little I understood the system before I started it. This thread will serve as a Q&A of sorts, with all answers incorporated into the opening post. So if you’re in VCE currently or will be in the future, feel free to ask questions! And I hope that those who have been through it will aid me in answering.
(NatMods, feel free to edit at your will.) Subjects & structure of VCEWhat are “units”?Spoiler
Basically, VCE subjects are split into four units: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3 and Unit 4. Each unit covers half a year (a semester) worth of content. Generally, Unit 1 & Unit 2 are seen to be the Year 11 equivalent of the subject, whilst Unit 3 & Unit 4 make up the Year 12 equivalent.
So say you’re studying 'Year 11' (you could actually do this earlier if desired) Business Management at the moment. Even if you don’t realise it, you’re studying Business Management Units 1 & 2. Should you continue with the subject in Year 12, you’d move onto Units 3 & 4. But just because Units 3 & 4 are usually completed in Year 12, they absolutely don’t have to be – you can study them earlier should you wish. I’ll speak about this more later in this post.
Importantly, only Units 3 & 4 contribute to your study score and eventual ATAR. “What’s that?!” I hear you ask? Don’t worry – I’ll go through this terminology soon, too. But fundamentally, Units 3 & 4 (for each subject that you do) are the ones that truly ‘count’.
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Yes, in theory you can ‘skip’ the Year 11 portion of the subject (Units 1 & 2) and study Units 3 & 4. However, to my knowledge this is only possible (at least without exceptional circumstances) for
some subjects. I’ve heard it done, for example, in Health & Human Development, Psychology, Further Maths, Biology and Legal Studies.
But typically, you will study Units 1 & 2 before moving onto Units 3 & 4. A case study below:
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Year 11: Business Management 3/4, Art 1/2, English Language 1/2, Psychology 1/2, Maths Methods 1/2, Visual Communication & Design 1/2.
Here, you can see that in Year 11, I studied one Units 3 & 4 subject: Business Management. Of the above, this is the only subject that counted toward my ATAR, because unlike the rest, it was the Year 12 equivalent.
Year 12: English Language 3/4, Psychology 3/4, Further Maths 3/4, Visual Communication & Design 3/4, Health & Human Development 3/4.
In Year 12, I continued my studies in English Language, Psychology, and Visual Communication & Design. I no longer studied Business Management, as I had completed it the year before. But you’ll note that I also no longer studied Art or Maths Methods. This is because I dropped these subjects – I had changed my mind as to what I wanted to study. So instead, I picked up Further Maths 3/4 and Health & Human Development 3/4. Noteworthy is that I had not completed Units 1 & 2 for either subject. These five subjects, along with Business Management 3/4 (completed in Year 11), all contributed to my ATAR.
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Minimally, you will need to study 16 units (essentially 8 subjects, each comprised of two units) over Year 11 and Year 12. At least eight units (essentially 4 subjects) need to be at Year 12 (Units 3 & 4) level.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t study more subjects than that. You will note, for example, that in Year 12 I studied 10 units (5 subjects), and a total of 12 units at Year 12 (Units 3 & 4) level. Some students study even more subjects than that, and many of those students are contributors on ATAR Notes. There are benefits of doing this, but it’s important to note that not all of those subjects will be able to count toward your ATAR.
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Yes, I’m afraid there are. You must complete at least
three units from the “English group”.
This group of subjects comprises Foundation English, English, Bridging English as an Additional Language, English as an Additional Language, English Language and Literature. Of those three units, at least
one unit must be at Units 3 & 4 level.
That aside, you can essentially choose what subjects you like, contingent (of course) on your particular school, which can dictate things a little. If you
really want to study a particular subject but it’s not offered at your school, you might like to consider studying it via
Distance Education.
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Sort of. To clarify the above, you need to study at least one subject from the “English group” of subjects, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be English (“mainstream” English). For example, I studied English Language (sort of foundation Linguistics) instead.
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There are lots of things that you might like to consider when selecting your subjects, including but not limited to your interests, abilities, pre-requisites for further study, and so on. Some users here on ATAR Notes have written fantastic guide on subject selection, because it really can be tricky and daunting. I recommend reading
this guide by heidiii and
this guide by Glasses.
My own advice: don’t choose subjects based on “scaling” (I'll go through this soon), don’t choose subjects based solely on what your friends are doing. Choose what you like or what you need (for further study).
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Sick! A very quick of warning: don’t do it if you’re planning on using that subject as a “bludge”. Basically everybody who has done one will tell you that it's a lot of hard work.
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I don’t pretend to know every school in the state’s operations, but yes, you will probably have free periods during VCE (that is, periods with no scheduled classes). Some schools might make you stay at school, others may let you leave – I’m not really sure. What I am sure about, however, is that you shouldn’t waste this time. I actually found my free periods one of the best times to study; I could tuck myself away in a corner somewhere, and just get stuck into work. Was pretty grouse. If I were just starting VCE, I’d really try to get into a routine of staying at school for free periods, irrespective of whether or not you’re technically required to do so.
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You better believe it! Quoting
this:
All VCE units require 50 hours of class time. You need to attend sufficient class time to complete work. Your school sets minimum class time and attendance rules.
I’d recommend speaking with your VCE Co-ordinator should you have any issues about this.
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This is actually very common, and pretty smart IMO. You can read more about starting Year 12 early
here.
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My understanding is a little shaky here. VET stands for Vocational Education and Training.
VCAA says that:
Students who complete all or part of a nationally recognised qualification may receive credit towards satisfactory completion of their VCE and/or VCAL. Recognition can be achieved through:
• enrolment in a VCAA-approved VCE VET program, or a school-based or part-time apprenticeship or traineeship
• enrolment in any other nationally recognised qualification at certificate II level or above – this arrangement is called block credit recognition.
You may be interested in the selection of
VET Programs that can contribute to your VCE. They include things as diverse as Animal Studies, Hair and Beauty, and Sport and Recreation, which is pretty nifty to be honest!
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Another excellent question, if I do say so myself. VCAL (the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) is an alternative route to the VCE. Again relying on
VCAA:
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a hands-on option for students in Years 11 and 12. The VCAL gives you practical work-related experience, as well as literacy and numeracy skills and the opportunity to build personal skills that are important for life and work. Like the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), VCAL is an accredited secondary certificate.
If you’re interested, you may wish to watch
this video. It has a bonus (out of place IMO) beaty soundtrack, and you may also benefit from VCAA’s
information booklet for VCAL.
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Yeah, pretty much! Each VCE subject has its own study design. It goes through all of the content that is assessable (so essentially everything you need to know), how you will be assessed on that material, and a bunch of other useful information. You can find the most recent study designs for
every single VCE subject
here. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking: that’s an absolute shitload of subjects.
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”SAC” stands for School-Assessed Coursework. Basically, it’s just a fancy name for tests. For example:
“Yo bro, have you studied for the Bio SAC?”
“Nah.”
Your SACs, along with your end-of-year exams, contribute to your study scores.
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”GA” stands for Graded Assessment. Again, these will comprise your SACs and exams. Each subject (I think? – correct me if I’m wrong, here) has three Graded Assessments. So that might be, for example, your Unit 3 SACs, your Unit 4 SACs and your end-of-year exam; or, it could be your Unit 3 & 4 SACs, your first exam,you’re your second exam; or, it could be your folio, your SACs, and your exam. Something like that.
At the end of the year, you’ll get a mark for each Graded Assessment. It could be something like this:
Japanese: GA1 B+; GA2 C+; GA3 A. Study score: 32
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If you can’t sit your final exams or have other personal circumstances, you may be eligible for a
derived examination score:
The calculation for the DES uses all other available scores for the student in the affected study and the indicative grade for any external assessments provided by the school and the GAT component scores. For each approved application for a specific external assessment, the VCAA will calculate a range of possible DES scores, which will be calculated statistically from the student’s other assessments, including:
• moderated School-based Assessments
• GAT component scores
• other external assessment scores if applicable
• indicative grades provided by the school.
As above, this is basically a study score based on other factors.
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The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. That is, the overlords of VCE. You know they’re serious because they have “Authority” in their title.
On the VCAA website, you can find a whole bunch of stuff, including but not limited to
frequently asked questions,
past exams and
study designs. Such fun!
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Please speak with somebody – anybody. You’re not alone. VCE is undoubtedly stressful, and letting people know how you’re feeling is a good thing. Some resources of interest may include
beyondblue and
headspace.
Answer courtesy of HopefulLawStudent (thank you!)
If your ATAR is not high enough (i.e. above the cut-off atar) for automatic selection, selection people may consider other factorssuch as – drumroll please – subject bonuses. Subject bonuses go onto your aggregate score (the number that is used to calculate your ATAR, generally in the 100’s – for example, my aggregate score was 200.something or other)
For example, the clearly in ATAR for Comm/Law at Monash is 98. However, an additional consideration for this course is subject bonuses.
In this instance, for this particular course:
Subject Bonus : A study score of 45 in any English equals 2 aggregate points per study. A study score of 40 in any English equals 1 aggregate point per study. A study score of 40 in Classical Studies, Economics, Geography, any History, Legal Studies, Philosophy, Australian Politics, Global Politics or Psychology equals 1 aggregate point per study. Overall maximum of 5 points.
So let’s talk about hypothetical student A:
They got a raw 45 in Philosophy and a 50 in English and let’s say none of other subjects count for this student. Let’s say that they got an aggregate score of 156.23. With their scores, they get a 3 bonus points. Bumping their aggregate to 159.23, in effect bumping their ATAR up from 88.80 to 90.25 which still isn’t enough to get them into their course unfortunately.
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For each Units 3 & 4 subject that you complete, you will receive at the end of the year a study score. The study score is a ranking (important) out of 50, which basically tells you how well you did in that subject. Collectively, your study scores determine your ATAR (you can think of them as mini ATARs for each Year 12 subject, I guess).
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Okay, so I’m not fantastic at explaining the technical side of VCE, but I’m going to give this a crack, again leaning a little on
this document. I’m sure others will be able to provide much better descriptions.
As per
this page:
For studies with large enrolments (1,000 or more):
- 2% of students will get a score on or above 45
- 9% of students will get a score on or above 40
- 26% of students will get a score on or above 35
- 53% of students will get a score on or above 30
- 78% of students will get a score on or above 25
- 93% of students will get a score on or above 20
So essentially, your results (from during the year and from end-of-year exams) are compared with those of everybody else studying the subject that year, and you’re subsequently ranked. Based on this ranking, you receive a study score. But not all schools have equally difficult coursework, so your results are likely to be “scaled”. This is a complicated process, but basically,
this video explains why it needs to happen. Scaling is discussed further later on, but for now, I’ll just note that before scaling, your study score will be “raw”, and after scaling, your study score will be “scaled”. Ultimately, it’s the scaled study score that counts toward your ATAR.
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Firstly, “ATAR” stands for the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. You’ll note that, like the study score, the ATAR is a rank. It was previously called the ENTER (the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank), which IMO was apposite, because your ENTER/ATAR is partially used to determine which university courses you’re eligible for.
It’s a four digit number somewhere between 0 and 99.95. For example, your ATAR could be 31.65, or 48.30, or 72.60, or 89.55, or 99.95, or anything in between, but only in increments of 0.05. 99.95 is the highest ATAR you can receive (seen to be the “perfect score”). Why not 100? Because it’s a ranking. An ATAR of 70.00, for instance, suggests you scored better than 70% of the state – essentially, you were in the top 29.95%. Equally, an ATAR of 85.45 suggests you scored better than 85.45% of the state, and placed in the top 14.5%. If you were to achieve an ATAR of 100.00 (which you won’t, because it’s not possible), that suggests you scored better than 100% of the state, which is actually impossible.
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Hopefully, you will recall that for each Units 3 & 4 subject you complete, you will receive a study score (a ranking out of 50). The ATAR comprises of your
top four subjects, plus 10% of your
fifth and
sixth subject if applicable. Importantly, these are your study scores
after scaling (I promise, we’ll look at scaling next). What does that mean? Well, let’s consider some case studies.
Case Study A (four subjects): ATAR of 93.25
Subject 1: Literature (47.24)
Subject 2: Biology (45.02)
Subject 3: German (39.65)
Subject 4: Further Maths (36.05)
Person A has completed these four subjects, and received the four listed study scores (after scaling). The ATAR is calculated by adding these scores together: 47.24 + 45.02 + 39.65 + 36.05 = 167.96. This number – 167.96 – is known as the
aggregate. The aggregate is then used to find the ATAR, as you can see in this
aggregate to ATAR conversion table (I’ve chosen 2013 for no particular reason).
So in 2013, an aggregate of 168.0 corresponded to an ATAR of 93.25. Nice job, Person A!
Case Study B (five subjects): ATAR of 95.75
Subject 1: Specialist Maths (49.45)
Subject 2: Art (41.69)
Subject 3: Studio Art (40.99)
Subject 4: English (40.32)
Subject 5: Music Performance (34.22)
Person B has completed these five subjects, and received the five listed study scores (after scaling). But as we know, only the
top 4 subjects count fully toward the aggregate. So we have 49.45 + 41.69 + 40.99 + 40.32 = 172.45. Then, because Person B has completed a fifth subject, we add 10% of that fifth subject to the aggregate. 10% of 34.22 is 3.42, so the final aggregate is 172.45 + 3.42 = 175.87. The aggregate is then used to find the ATAR, as you can see in this
aggregate to ATAR conversion table (I’ve chosen 2013 for no particular reason).
So in 2013, an aggregate of 175.9 corresponded to an ATAR of 95.75. Nice job, Person B!
Case Study C (six subjects): ATAR of 79.65
Subject 1: French (44.35)
Subject 2: English Language (37.22)
Subject 3: Maths Methods (29.65)
Subject 4: Chemistry (24.88)
Subject 5: Biology (23.92)
Subject 6: Physics (22.10)
Person C has completed these six subjects, and received the six listed study scores (after scaling). But as we know, only the
top 4 subjects count fully toward the aggregate. So we have 44.35 + 37.22 + 29.65 + 24.88 = 136.10. Then, because Person C has completed a fifth and sixth subject, we add 10% of those subjects to the aggregate. 10% of 23.92 is 2.39, and 10% of 22.10 is 2.21, so the final aggregate is 136.10 + 2.39 + 2.21 = 140.7. The aggregate is then used to find the ATAR, as you can see in this
aggregate to ATAR conversion table (I’ve chosen 2013 for no particular reason).
So in 2013, an aggregate of 140.7 corresponded to an ATAR of 79.65. Nice job, Person C!
Case Study D (seven subjects): ATAR of 61.25
Subject 1: Specialist Maths (31.99)
Subject 2: Environmental Science (30.16)
Subject 3: English (25.05)
Subject 4: Literature (24.80)
Subject 5: Visual Communication & Design (20.18)
Subject 6: Psychology (19.92)
Subject 7: Health & Human Development (17.75)
Person D has completed these seven subjects, and received the seven listed study scores (after scaling). But as we know, only the
top 4 subjects count fully toward the aggregate. So we have 31.99 + 30.16 + 25.05 + 24.80 = 112.0. Then, because Person D has completed a fifth and sixth subject, we add 10% of those subjects to the aggregate. 10% of 20.18 is 2.02, and 10% of 19.92 is 1.99, so the final aggregate is 112.0 + 2.02 + 1.99 = 116.01.
Person D also completed a seventh subject, but it doesn’t count toward the ATAR, which comprises a maximum of six subjects. The aggregate is then used to find the ATAR, as you can see in this
aggregate to ATAR conversion table (I’ve chosen 2013 for no particular reason).
So in 2013, an aggregate of 116.0 corresponded to an ATAR of 61.25. Nice job, Person D!
These are all just random scores, so don’t think there’s any sort of correlation there. You might notice, though, that in all of the cases above, a subject from the English group has been in the student’s top 4 – it was already one of the best 4 scores. So even if it was your sixth best subject, it has to count as a ‘full’ subject, and not one that just adds 10% to your aggregate. For example:
Case Study E (English outside top 4): ATAR of 96.20
Subject 1: Maths Methods (49.96)
Subject 2: Food Technology (48.42)
Subject 3: Informatics (45.98)
Subject 4: Physics (45.62)
Subject 5: Specialist Maths (44.12)
Subject 6: English (24.36)
Okay. So English was clearly the sixth best subject, but it has to be moved to the top 4, meaning we have to rearrange things:
Subject 1: Maths Methods (49.96)
Subject 2: Food Technology (48.42)
Subject 3: Informatics (45.98)
Subject 4: English (24.36)
Subject 5: Physics (45.62)
Subject 6: Specialist Maths (44.12)
English is now in the top 4 by default, meaning that Physics (45.62) now only contributes the additional 10%. Which is a shame. Going through the same aggregate process, we find a total of 177.79 (ATAR of 96.20). Without the English in the top 4 rule, the ATAR would have been 99.25, so this can make a big difference!
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Interesting question. In theory, sure, because you’d improve your ATAR in doing so. That is, it’d be better to do really well in four subjects and okay in two than pretty good in six. But the reality is, it’s really hard to accurately guess which subjects will be your best ones.
Case study: going into Year 12, VCD was my best subject. During Year 12, it was by far and away the one on which I spent the most time. Easily. I probably spent double the time on VCD than my next subject. And yet, it ended up being my sixth subject. Luckily, I didn’t rely on VCD being in my Top 4 (despite the many, many hours) insofar as I didn’t entirely neglect any of my subjects.
There has been a lot of debate on these forums over the years about prioritising your Top 4 subjects. I definitely see the advantages of doing so, but strictly on the assumption that you’re absolutely sure what those subjects will be. So think very carefully before doing so.
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Great question. I’m going to pass you off to these threads:
Guide to how Study Scores and ATARs are calculated! {SAC RANKINGS} -All you need to know about it- But basically, scaling standardises scores across the state. Objectively, it is deemed easier to score, say, a study score of 30 in some subjects than others, and VCAA doesn’t want to essentially punish those doing ‘harder’ subjects. As such, VCAA looks at how everybody in the cohort (everybody studying the particular subject in the same year) performs in their
other subjects, thereby determining that first subject’s ‘difficulty’.
This is why some subjects scale up a lot (say, Specialist Maths, languages, and so on), and others scale down a lot. Honestly, I wouldn’t concern yourself with this too much if at all – I’d just focus on your performance in whatever subjects you choose!
And I’ll again link this video, because I think it explains it all pretty well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSXIYf4SMK4 Spoiler
No. How your subjects scale determines nothing of the sort.
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To quote directly from Orb:
Rankings:
Imagine that we have a cohort of 5 students (Yes, most cohorts are much larger, but for the sake of demonstrating the concept of rankings, i'm only going to use 5.)
Student A: Average 95%, Rank 1
Student B: Average 80%, Rank 2
Student C: Average 65%, Rank 3
Student D: Average 40%, Rank 4
Student E: Average 10%, Rank last/5.
Your teachers submit your SAC averages out of whatever score criteria VCAA requires them to submit as, for example, 95/100 or 190/200 or 285/300, you get the gist. They also submit what is known as your 'Rank' (this is highlighted in bold above (see Rank 1). It is essentially the ranking or what place you are within your year, based on your performances in SACs throughout the year. To those of you who believe that this is a competition in your own school, it IS. Note, do not attempt to sabotage your friends because that just makes you pretentious, self-interested and sets you up for failure later in life. There's more to life than just VCE, trust me, there is
Seriously, I cannot recommend enough reading his amazingly fantastic thread on rankings and scaling and whatever else
here. It’s really great and explains the system very well. As becomes apparent in that thread, your ranking for each subject is, objectively, important, and will impact your study scores and eventual ATAR.
But:
a) It’s absolutely not worth worrying about it too much, because you can’t change your rank through any method other than performance; and
b) Please, please – for the sake of everybody – don’t try to sabotage other people in your cohort. It won’t end well for anybody involved.
For more on this, please read this thread on the importance or otherwise of rankings:
Rankings - the secret behind them allSpoiler
According to
VTAC, SEAS (the Special Entry Access Scheme) “allows selection officers to grant special consideration for course entry to applicants, but does not exempt you from meeting any of the institutional and course entry requirements”. SEAS has
four categories:
- Category 1: Personal information and location
- Category 2: Difficult circumstances
- Category 3: Disadvantaged financial background
- Category 4: Disability or medical condition
If you’re deemed eligible and your application accepted, the required ATAR to gain access to a certain course may be lowered due to your personal circumstances (somebody please correct me if I’m wrong, here; I don’t have any personal experience).
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Yeah, not really. A lot of students don’t take the GAT (the General Achievement Test (these acronyms are starting to remind me of Hogwarts, what with its NEWTs and OWLs)) very seriously, and that absolutely boggles my mind.
I’ll try to be clear, here. If you’re doing at least one Units 3/4 subject, the GAT is compulsory. Under usual circumstances, it will
not count toward your ATAR.
However:
Although GAT results do not count directly towards a student’s VCE results, they play an important role in checking that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed, and in calculating Derived Examination Scores.
So the GAT is really important for derived scores (as discussed earlier). If you don’t try on the GAT, and then get sick at the end of the year, you’re not going to have a good time. I’m not advocating studying or anything for the GAT – it’d be pretty difficult to do so even if you wanted to – but at least try whilst you’re there!
In terms of the structure of the GAT, it includes three very broad sections – written, maths/science/technology, and humanities/the arts/social sciences – and goes for (IIRC) three hours.
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Realistically, yeah, it probably will to a degree, but that absolutely does not mean that you can’t score highly. And for many people, I actually think being at a ‘worse’ school would be beneficial (different environments and so on).
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This is really subjective, and the answer will change from person to person, so there’s simply no way I can say something like “do xyz and you’ll get a 99.95!” If you’re currently in Year 9/10/11, or even Year 12, my best advice is to experiment. You might find that,
for you, you might remember a lot more by drawing pictures. Or maybe you like turning content into rhymes. Or maybe it’s best for you to record the information and listen to it whilst you’re walking. I don’t know, but the point is that there’s no definitive method that will guarantee success.
Much more important is hard work and dedication.
Of course, the way you still will also change from subject to subject, and it’s important to keep that in mind. My personal preferences and what worked for me: studying alone, writing notes by hand, and continually writing summaries. You can find out more
here.
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No. Year 12 will probably require more effort than previous years, but keep in mind that it’s not your entire life. It’s important, sure, but
please, for your own sake, don’t feel like you need to study 24/7. If you do, I guarantee that you will
burn out, and that’s not a good thing.
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Again, debatable. I tutor, but to be honest I think the benefit of tutoring in general is very varied. Put it this way: I wouldn’t be getting a tutor without doing all I could to do well in the subject without one.
Despite rhetoric that commonly permeates discussion regarding VCE, you
do not need a tutor to do well.
But this, on the other hand, looks absolutely incredible.Spoiler
Up to you, but it’s not necessary. Your subjects are designed to fit the year, so you don’t need to start working before school starts in order to fit in all of the content. There are certainly benefits, IMO – you can essentially work a little ahead of your class, and subsequently have longer for exam revision – but I don’t think it’s a necessity.
Personally, all I did (apart from travel and relax) in the holidays before Year 12 was catch up on a couple of definitions for Health & Human Development (remember, I didn’t do HHD 1/2, and had no experience with the subject).
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My view is that you should write your notes by hand, but that’s the way I’ve always done it (even for uni). I think that you get more out of handwriting; you’re less likely to just absent-mindedly write stuff without really letting it sink in, and you’re also less likely to be distracted by cat videos on Facebook. But, as with most things, different strokes for different folks. If typing your notes works for you, then go with that.
More generally, I’d advocate consistent, clear and concise notes (this wasn’t intended, but let’s call it “CCC Notes”). Have some sort of filing system (either saving it in various folders or using certain books or whatever) for ease of access; have designated ways of writing headings and sub-headings; don’t waffle on too much; consider using different colours for content, your own additions, and questions. That’s just me, though. I even had two notebooks for each subject: one for the notes I took in class, and another for summaries, which I used for SAC and exam revision.
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Revision lectures will change a little from organisation to organisation, but they’re essentially the same. They tend to cover the year’s material (or semester’s if it’s a mid-year lecture), and are presented by somebody super qualified – like, a teacher, or VCAA examiner, or really highly-achieved past student. They’re not for everybody: some people swear by them, but others don’t find them overly useful. I’m personally somewhere in between.
You don’t need to go to revision lectures to score highly, so don’t be fooled into thinking that you do.
But when they’re free, you’d be pretty silly not to.
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A lot of people do; I don’t personally think it’s necessary, to be honest, should you have the discipline to avoid it. If you’re concerned, you can always manually set website blockers to essentially ban yourself for a certain period of time. But even better than that, I’d study as much as possible away from any sort of device.*
*I realise this may be a little divisive, as many students would prefer to study on laptops or whatever.
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Debatable. I mean, having teachers that you like in Year 12 is a great thing, but if you have one that you don’t get along with, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t use it as an excuse. Don’t ignore the subject. See it as a challenge – something you can rise above. It’ll do wonders for your independence and maturity.
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There’s simply no objective answer to this but, anecdotally, yes – most students seem to find VCE difficult, at least at times. But importantly, it is by no means insurmountable. Countless users of ATAR Notes, for example, will tell you that you will be able to get through it and come out the other side a better person.
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This is entirely up to you, and not a decision that other people can make for you. I know that’s not really helpful, but it’s true. It depends on your time management, priorities, ambitions, and whatever else. Some people in my year worked absolutely crazy hours further to completing their VCE, and that worked out well for them (particularly in the financial stakes). I didn’t work as much, but studied more, and that worked out for what I wanted.
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I wouldn’t go as far as saying that this is good, necessarily, but I don’t think it’s a huge deal. You’ll have heaps of time to chill out with your friends during Year 12, so maybe this is actually a great opportunity to a) meet some new people, and b) get some work done! I honestly don’t understand why people don’t pay attention in class, and then spend time afterward trying to catch up. It’s so much more efficient to pay attention at the time, take good notes, and then relax by doing whatever you want later on.
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Maybe! But not necessarily. Consistently getting A+s before VCE does not mean that you will do so during VCE.
Spoiler
I asked myself the very same question. Leadership positions are great for a few reasons: the experience, the personal development, and CV purposes (or in my case, my best friend LinkedIn). I actually really, really recommend at least heavily considering applying for some sort of leadership position. Doing so truly enriched my Year 12 experience, and I don’t think I’ve spoken with anybody who particularly regrets doing it.
It might take you out of your comfort zone but, at the end of the day, that could be a good thing.
Spoiler
Probably! Anecdotally, students in VCE seem to be a lot closer to their teachers than students in earlier years. The relationship tends to be founded more on mutual respect. It’s not surprising for students and teachers to become quite chummy during VCE; I went back after I graduated, for example, and just chilled out with some hahaha.
Spoiler
Honestly, getting over this was probably my biggest accomplishment in Year 12, and really set me up for future success in life. Ask questions. Constantly. I have a couple of magnets on my whiteboard at the moment from National Geographic. One reads “Ignorance is boring.”, and the other reads “Question everything.”
Nobody knows everything. Everybody is going to have something seemingly ‘basic’ that they completely missed one time. Ask that question – it’ll be worth it.
Spoiler
If you’re in a position to do so, I’d actually encourage it! As per earlier in this post, you don’t need to be studying 24/7 during your holidays. Take a break; Year 12 is a long year (in some ways – it’ll actually go pretty quickly), so try to make sure you’re nice and fresh when you go back to school.
Spoiler
The general trend seems to be moving away from muck-up day in it traditional form, and toward something more like “celebration day”. I don’t blame schools, to be honest; some of the stuff that used to go on was just ridiculous. But maybe that’s just because I’m a pretty conservative sort of guy haha.
If you’re going to do stupid shit, please at least be safe (for you and everybody else) and respectful. You don’t have a right or obligation to go around ruining things for others.
Spoiler
Changes from school to school, of course (some may have neither or just one or something different instead). I enjoyed them, though, and I hope you do, too! They’re a celebration of your schooling life to date, and you should absolutely be proud of your achievements.
I plan to continually add to this as time goes on. If you have any questions, please post! If you spot any errors (there will be errors), please post! If you feel you can offer some great advice, please post! VCE can be tough, but it can also be equally rewarding. I wish you all the very best in your own schooling journey (and beyond); please stick around at ATAR Notes!
P.S. I've just moved some things around, so there are likely continuity errors throughout (but there are also continuity errors in Harry Potter, so I don't feel too drastically bad). 
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