Is a tutor necessary to achieve a 99+ ATAR? (1 Viewer)

[AETech]

I've never even considered a tutor but it sounds like many of the high performance students have one. I came first in my school for mathematics and a few other subjects (year group of 300) so I don't feel that a 99 is impossible if I put in the effort.

Do many of you guys have tutors?

I have yet to hit anything that I don't fully understand, would a tutor be helpful to go ahead of my classwork?

Is it necessary to have a tutor to achieve high the higher rankings, and if not, how much extra effort is required to match an equal person with a tutor.

Thanks guys!

 

[Nailgun]

Nah heaps of people get 99+ without tutoring
I've never been tutored, and I'm topping/almost topping almost all of my subjects at a top 10 school
Like, realistically the idea behind tutoring is either compensating for having a bad teacher at school, or supplementing the learning you do at school
It's always helpful to go ahead of the classwork, the question is, do you think you are capable of doing it by yourself?
If yes, then until you feel like you are struggling with something, I don't think you need a tutor.
If no, then perhaps it would be beneficial.

It is absolutely not necessary to have a tutor to achieve high ranks, and tbh I don't think going to tutoring means that you have to put in any less effort.

At the end of the day its still about the work you put in, not about how much you were tutored.

 

[AETech]

Thanks, I'll definitely go without a tutor unless there is a point where I feel like I'm behind my goals.

Do you have any resources you recommend for going ahead of classwork? At the moment I'm just going over the syllabus and using a textbook to go along with it.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Nah heaps of people get 99+ without tutoring
I've never been tutored, and I'm topping/almost topping almost all of my subjects at a top 10 school
Like, realistically the idea behind tutoring is either compensating for having a bad teacher at school, or supplementing the learning you do at school
It's always helpful to go ahead of the classwork, the question is, do you think you are capable of doing it by yourself?
If yes, then until you feel like you are struggling with something, I don't think you need a tutor.
If no, then perhaps it would be beneficial.

It is absolutely not necessary to have a tutor to achieve high ranks, and tbh I don't think going to tutoring means that you have to put in any less effort.

At the end of the day its still about the work you put in, not about how much you were tutored.

Wow and I really thought wrong of you Nailgun...

 

[Nailgun]

Wow and I really thought wrong of you Nailgun...

What ahahah?

 

[eyeseeyou]

What ahahah?

Like when I said in one of the threads (forgot which one it was) "are you working hard or being lazy" (something along those lines, I don't clearly remeber) and then you were like "being lazy enjoying life at my computer" (once again I don't remeber the lines) an then I was like "isn't it the year of your HSC, if so I think you really need to change this habit" and then Sien was like "offt Nailgun, got told off by a year 11"

 

[Nailgun]

Thanks, I'll definitely go without a tutor unless there is a point where I feel like I'm behind my goals.

Do you have any resources you recommend for going ahead of classwork? At the moment I'm just going over the syllabus and using a textbook to go along with it.

Unfortunately being in prelim there's like very few quality resources ahahah
That changes in the HSC when you are suddenly flooded with quality stuff everywhere lol
I'd need to know what subjects you do for more specific advice, but for the most part using a good textbook, perhaps a good set of notes if you can find them and writing out your own notes based off the syllabus is the way to go. From that point on past papers are your best friend. There is legit almost nothing that is as helpful as doing past papers (and getting them marked) after you have learned the content/concepts, especially in maths and science.

 

[Nailgun]

Like when I said in one of the threads (forgot which one it was) "are you working hard or being lazy" (something along those lines, I don't clearly remeber) and then you were like "being lazy enjoying life at my computer" (once again I don't remeber the lines) an then I was like "isn't it the year of your HSC, if so I think you really need to change this habit" and then Sien was like "offt Nailgun, got told off by a year 11"

Oh right. Well that is still kinda true lol. The trick isn't to be working all the time. The trick is that when are working, you really work, and you make it count. Like I spend a shitload of time working, but when I'm not working, I really just chill ahaha.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Oh right. Well that is still kinda true lol. The trick isn't to be working all the time. The trick is that when are working, you really work, and you make it count. Like I spend a shitload of time working, but when I'm not working, I really just chill ahaha.

Hey Nailgun (wherever you are)

Could you please provide us some tips and tricks to how you gained a top 5 rank in a top 10 school without tutoring (other than the stuff you posted above)

 

[RecklessRick]

The vast majority of 99+ students I know (including myself) were never tutored

 

[Nailgun]

The vast majority of 99+ students I know (including myself) were never tutored

That's surprising actually. My experience is the opposite lel. Most people I know who got 99+, or will likely get 99+ are tutored for at least one subject.

You went to a private school yeah? Perhaps that's where the difference arises. Were many kids tutored at your school, like in general?

 

[InteGrand]

While a lot of 99+ ATAR students do get coaching, it is neither necessary nor sufficient in order to obtain such an ATAR (or even 99.9+ ATAR, as asked on another thread). It can be very helpful for some people though, of course.

 

[Nailgun]

While a lot of 99+ ATAR students do get coaching, it is neither necessary nor sufficient in order to obtain such an ATAR (or even 99.9+ ATAR, as asked on another thread). It can be very helpful for some people though, of course.

maths, maths everywhere

 

[Drongoski]

AETech

Agree with what Nailgun and InteGrand said.

As suggested by the former: if you say are one or more topics ahead (via self study) - when your teacher gets round to covering one of these topics, it'll reinforce what you have already taught yourself and, if you have a less-than-full understanding of the topic, perhaps your teacher's coverage in class can help clear up any gaps in your understanding.

As for resources: have two or more good text books, and start working on the exercises from one or more of these.

What is the approx ranking of your school?

 

[AETech]

What is the approx ranking of your school?

If I remember correctly, last year it was only somewhere around 240 and was my only option, although it means getting ahead of classwork isn't much trouble.

 

[eyeseeyou]

If I remember correctly, last year it was only somewhere around 240 and was my only option, although it means getting ahead of classwork isn't much trouble.

If I were you I'd be at least 3 terms ahead so then I have enough time to do practice papers and work on exam technique and any extra study

 

[Nailgun]

If I were you I'd be at least 3 terms ahead so then I have enough time to do practice papers and work on exam technique and any extra study

Dude, 3 terms is like almost an entire year ahahah. Quality over quantity.
I agree with the thought though, but it really depends on what subject. For something like the physics for example I generally finish the topic in the holidays beforehand, and work through past papers through the term. That amount may or may not be unrealistic for you, but as a minimum I would recommend one syllabus section ahead at all times. (You know how each section is numbered and then has a bunch of dotpoints in it). This really helps for the reasons Drongoski outlined above

For something like 2U maths though, I just ended up teaching myself the entire course over the summer holidays (probs only possible cuz it was 2u tbh ahaha) and now I just do trial papers vaguely regularly. Keep in mind though, there's no point in getting too far ahead and then not learning whatever topic you're meant to be doing in class in depth. Keep your endgame of preparing for the hsc in mind, but remember the internal exams are just as important.

n.b. this advice really applies more to the hsc year lol but it's still relevant in yr11 I guess

 

[eyeseeyou]

I find it amusing how some people who get tutored don't make it in the 90s (in terms of ATAR) but that's mainly because of their lazy attitude

 

[davidgoes4wce]

Doesn't hurt to get someone experienced or knowledgeable to get you through a course? Getting a tutor is a win-win situation. (Might impact some people slightly in the pocket) But as one parent once told me its an investment.

 

[Sien]

I find it amusing how some people who get tutored don't make it in the 90s (in terms of ATAR) but that's mainly because of their lazy attitude

Well, some people aren't academically inclined so they use tutoring to help them. Others may only need an atar under 90 to get into their subjects. Maybe they have issues in their lives that prevent them from getting 90+ atar. There can be so many factors that affect why they got below 90, and yes some are just lazy. I don't think it's right to judge someone, just because they went tutoring, they didn't get 90+ atar. It's almost like you have this bias against tutoring lol

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