I have notice an increasing amount of ATAR estimates and i want to make a few things clear before people get their hopes up or down.
I will add and style later but
When I ask for an estimate what information should I add
When you ask ensure that you list
1. All the subjects you do
2. All your subject ranks
3. Your school rank ( this can be found by a google search)
The reason you don't need to add marks is that simply they don't matter as the HSC is about ranks
How accurate are these estimates
In short not very.
However it will give you a rough estimate ( if estimably properly).
How does this work
In short, since the ATAR is a rank a highly ranked school should in theory have a large amount of candidates who can achieve high. Therefore what people look at is your relative rank in your school and then they look at your schools relative rank.
For example a student in James ruse who is ranked first in every subject statistically is more likely to get a higher ATAR than someone who is ranked first in a school in Mount Druit
Basically we accumulate these factors to guess an ATAR which is likely
So am I going to get a bad ATAR just because I go to a poorly ranked school (mount druid )
No.
That school rank was based upon last years cohort. So anything can happen with your new cohort. However if your school constantly comes a certain rank e.g. Usually around 120 you can assume your school follows a similar trend. ( Since James ruse usually tops the state we usually associate that James Ruse will always be there, this is why people often compare schools to James Ruse. )
To note schools ranked beyond 200 often are too closely ranked together to distinguish properly n
In short you are not disadvantaged if you go to a poorly ranked school.
The estimate given to me is different to that on the online calculator.
Often this is the case. However the online caculators don't factor in school ranks whilst we do. Therefore there often are differences.
Why are ranks so important
This is an over asked question. There is a sticky of this which provides a good answer but in short.
Your HSC mark is in two parts a internal and external part (each worth 50%)
Everyone keeps their external mark as their external
But your internal mark is based upon your cohorts performance in the external exam. BOS uses this with your ranks to get your internal mark. How this works is that ranked first internally will recieve the highest external mark as their internal and the person ranked last will receive the lowest external mark as their internal mark. The rest are then calculated based upon relative gaps and what not.
If you understand this, you'll see why your ranks makes a difference and not marks.
which members will give you the best estimates
This is a debatable question. I would say most HSC leaders could and all mods/admins. However this doesn't mean a normal member can't give a good estimate. Also don't hassle people for an estimate, it's not nice.
( I am a 2012 HSCer so I haven't left. I am writing this because a lot if people ask this)
What else do I need to know
It doesn't matter what school/subject combo you do, you aren't disadvantaged. What happened last year doesn't mean it will happen this year
Just remember that people will just estimate your ATAR purely on the factors presented which are your ranks. This will not impede your ability to obtain your desired ATAR. Also regardless of what people say don't get your hopes up or lose your motivation, just because someone says you should get around 90 or 40 doesn't mean you'll get it.
I will add and style later but
When I ask for an estimate what information should I add
When you ask ensure that you list
1. All the subjects you do
2. All your subject ranks
3. Your school rank ( this can be found by a google search)
The reason you don't need to add marks is that simply they don't matter as the HSC is about ranks
How accurate are these estimates
In short not very.
However it will give you a rough estimate ( if estimably properly).
How does this work
In short, since the ATAR is a rank a highly ranked school should in theory have a large amount of candidates who can achieve high. Therefore what people look at is your relative rank in your school and then they look at your schools relative rank.
For example a student in James ruse who is ranked first in every subject statistically is more likely to get a higher ATAR than someone who is ranked first in a school in Mount Druit
Basically we accumulate these factors to guess an ATAR which is likely
So am I going to get a bad ATAR just because I go to a poorly ranked school (mount druid )
No.
That school rank was based upon last years cohort. So anything can happen with your new cohort. However if your school constantly comes a certain rank e.g. Usually around 120 you can assume your school follows a similar trend. ( Since James ruse usually tops the state we usually associate that James Ruse will always be there, this is why people often compare schools to James Ruse. )
To note schools ranked beyond 200 often are too closely ranked together to distinguish properly n
In short you are not disadvantaged if you go to a poorly ranked school.
The estimate given to me is different to that on the online calculator.
Often this is the case. However the online caculators don't factor in school ranks whilst we do. Therefore there often are differences.
Why are ranks so important
This is an over asked question. There is a sticky of this which provides a good answer but in short.
Your HSC mark is in two parts a internal and external part (each worth 50%)
Everyone keeps their external mark as their external
But your internal mark is based upon your cohorts performance in the external exam. BOS uses this with your ranks to get your internal mark. How this works is that ranked first internally will recieve the highest external mark as their internal and the person ranked last will receive the lowest external mark as their internal mark. The rest are then calculated based upon relative gaps and what not.
If you understand this, you'll see why your ranks makes a difference and not marks.
which members will give you the best estimates
This is a debatable question. I would say most HSC leaders could and all mods/admins. However this doesn't mean a normal member can't give a good estimate. Also don't hassle people for an estimate, it's not nice.
( I am a 2012 HSCer so I haven't left. I am writing this because a lot if people ask this)
What else do I need to know
It doesn't matter what school/subject combo you do, you aren't disadvantaged. What happened last year doesn't mean it will happen this year
Just remember that people will just estimate your ATAR purely on the factors presented which are your ranks. This will not impede your ability to obtain your desired ATAR. Also regardless of what people say don't get your hopes up or lose your motivation, just because someone says you should get around 90 or 40 doesn't mean you'll get it.
Last edited:
