Is it possible to score a high atar without extension subjects? (1 Viewer)

[ThreeDots]

Hi. I'm in year 11 and my current subjects are modern history, English advanced, chemistry, biology, economics and maths advanced + extension 1.
I'm planning to drop biology next year, but I'm struggling a lot in math. I barely passed 50% for math advanced but I got over 70% for extension.
My dream is to study Law, so I need to get at least over 95. Is it possible to get an atar of at least 97 if I don't have any extension subjects?
So far, I've been dreading math and I don't find any joy in it. It's taking up a lot of my time, but I still suck at advanced. I don't know what to do.
Is it better to drop extension 1 math to focus on my other subjects (which I genuinely enjoy learning) or should I just keep at it? I really want to study Law, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that high atar. I'm just worried because math is taking up a lot of my time, which also seems to be dragging my commitment to other subjects.
But my school isn't that highly ranked, so I'm not sure if dropping the extension subject is the right thing to do in this situation.

 

[jimmysmith560]

While Extension 1 scales well, you are technically able to achieve a 95+ with any combination of subjects as long as your ranks and HSC exam performance are good enough. For an ATAR that high you'd need at least high band 5's and band 6's (you should be aiming for band 6's as they give you a much better chance of getting 95+).

How are you performing in Biology compared to Maths?

If you're sure you want to drop bio, I would advise you not to drop 3U, instead keep working hard while at the same time try to improve your marks in Maths Advanced. If you drop Extension 1 but fail to get good marks in Advanced it will not have a good effect on your ATAR as the 2 Advanced units will count whereas if you keep Extension 1 and fail to get good marks in Advanced, only one unit from Advanced will count, which reduces the effect it has on your ATAR.

 

[ThreeDots]

While Extension 1 scales well, you are technically able to achieve a 95+ with any combination of subjects as long as your ranks and HSC exam performance are good enough. For an ATAR that high you'd need at least high band 5's and band 6's (you should be aiming for band 6's as they give you a much better chance of getting 95+).

How are you performing in Biology compared to Maths?

If you're sure you want to drop bio, I would advise you not to drop 3U, instead keep working hard while at the same time try to improve your marks in Maths Advanced. If you drop Extension 1 but fail to get good marks in Advanced it will not have a good effect on your ATAR as the 2 Advanced units will count whereas if you keep Extension 1 and fail to get good marks in Advanced, only one unit from Advanced will count, which reduces the effect it has on your ATAR.

My biology teacher is quite terrible at teaching so more than half of my class is dropping it. However, I'm planning to take extension history in year 12. Would that be a better choice than dropping biology and extension 1 math?

 

[jimmysmith560]

My biology teacher is quite terrible at teaching so more than half of my class is dropping it. However, I'm planning to take extension history in year 12. Would that be a better choice than dropping biology and extension 1 math?

I don't think 14 units in year 12 is a good thing at all. If you're doing well at history and are confident you can perform well in History Extension, definitely pick it. However, you should drop a subject. If you drop Biology and Extension 1 you'll end up with 11 units, which is much more manageable than 14 units. If this is what you end up doing, you'll end up with additional time which you can use to focus on Advanced and improve.

 

[ThreeDots]

I don't think 14 units in year 12 is a good thing at all. If you're doing well at history and are confident you can perform well in History Extension, definitely pick it. However, you should drop a subject. If you drop Biology and Extension 1 you'll end up with 11 units, which is much more manageable than 14 units. If this is what you end up doing, you'll end up with additional time which you can use to focus on Advanced and improve.

Thank you for the advice! I'm passionate about history and I'm confident in my skills so I'll just pick up extension and drop the other two. I really don't want to regret anything so I hope this is the best choice...

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thank you for the advice! I'm passionate about history and I'm confident in my skills so I'll just pick up extension and drop the other two. I really don't want to regret anything so I hope this is the best choice...

No worries! It's great that you're passionate about history, that'll make it much more enjoyable (and potentially easier) for you.

As long as you are diligent and study regularly for all your subjects, you'll be fine.

You should now focus on managing your time effectively to suit that change in subjects and try your best to improve in Advanced.

All the best!

 

[Ice-Cream-Man]

If you fail there’s always acu

I still don’t know why it’s like 72-75?!