Affecting atar and prediction?

[VVVCCCEEE]

1. Just asking, if I get good scores for the 4 subjects that I'm doing rn, and did really bad on my fifth subject, ( which means it'll be 10% increasement) will it affect my atar badly or not? If so, by how much?

2. Say if I was to get 50% on everything (including the  exam) in psy, could you give a prediction of what my raw score will be?

[Quantum44]

1. In my opinion and experience, prioritising your top 4 subjects at the expense of your 5th (and 6th if applicable) is almost always beneficial for your ATAR. Even if you cut down your 10% subject by 10 study scores (which is difficult given the bell curved nature of study scores), it is compensated for by an increase of one study score in one of your top 4 subjects, which is easily possible with all the extra time you have. Obviously, this has the potential the backfire and is somewhat risky advice, but if you handle it with care, it can work well.

2. Based on the graded distribution from last year, 50% across the board in psych would be around a D+, so you’d probably get a study score of 26-28