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theoretical hsc scenario (1 Viewer)

xisti

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not that im even doing my hsc anytime soon,
but i was just curious if you do like 12 units in year 12 and just do really horribly in one subject internally, would it be a stupid or not that stupid idea to not study for the actual hsc exam and put more time into your other better-performing subjects if you already know its not going to count to your atar

or like does it still reflect badly when unis look at ur whole ass record and are like wtf happened here or does it not really matter?

thanks
 

howcanibesmarter

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if ur doing really horribly wouldn't it be better to just drop? That way u don't even need to go take the exam, let alone waste any time going to the classes.
 

jimmysmith560

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Essentially, the main purpose of taking more than 10 units in year 12 is for the additional units to act as backup units in the event of unexpected unfavourable performance in a particular subject, allowing a student to negate the effect that unfavourable performance would have on their ATAR by having the low-performing subject not count towards their ATAR. Of course, the student would aim to perform at the highest possible standard in all of their subjects to avoid that possibility altogether, especially since taking more than 10 units would be inefficient if the student knows/discovers that their performance in a particular subject will be/is unfavourable.

In terms of your question, the rational course of action would be to disregard the low-performing subject (and drop it where possible) and allocate more time towards your preparations for your other better-performing subjects. Of course, an exception would be if a student is taking and not performing well in 2 units of English (i.e. English Standard or English Advanced), in which case they must address their areas of improvement because this is the only subject that will always count towards their ATAR.

Another factor is the possibility of making a comeback in a particular subject. You mentioned unfavourable internal performance and that the student is yet to sit their HSC exam for that subject. Depending on their exact performance level, they may be able to make a comeback by thoroughly preparing and ultimately performing well in their HSC exam because it contributes the remaining 50% of their overall HSC mark in the subject. It is not unusual for HSC exams to be treated as an opportunity to make a comeback.

Additionally, the reason for which a student is taking a particular subject should be considered. Some subjects may be treated as assumed knowledge or prerequisites for the university degree(s) that a student is interested in studying. In such a case, the student may perhaps wish to still do their best to prepare for the HSC exam of that subject, even if they are certain that the subject will not count towards their ATAR (especially in the case of prerequisites).

However, if there is no reasonable justification for studying for studying for the HSC exam of a particular subject, the subject should be disregarded or dropped altogether, and the other subjects should be prioritised.

Regarding standard ATAR-based entry, universities only consider the student's ATAR in deciding whether to make them an offer to study a particular degree(s). They are not interested in the student's performance in individual subjects, except in the case of prerequisites. They do however consider individual subject performance where relevant. In addition to prerequisites, this applies to early entry schemes where the criteria includes favourable subject performance.

I hope this helps! 😄
 

ZakaryJayNicholls

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not that im even doing my hsc anytime soon,
but i was just curious if you do like 12 units in year 12 and just do really horribly in one subject internally, would it be a stupid or not that stupid idea to not study for the actual hsc exam and put more time into your other better-performing subjects if you already know its not going to count to your atar

or like does it still reflect badly when unis look at ur whole ass record and are like wtf happened here or does it not really matter?

thanks
To be completely honest, most universities don't care too much about your subjects so long as you do well in them. An ATAR/rank of 80+ will get you into any professional degree through at least one of Australian 30+ unis, and an ATAR below 80 can be fixed by taking a bridging program or transfer year (you can either do subjects again to get 80+ or go into a degree with a lower ATAR and transfer across when you do well in the first year). Almost every university has some flexibility in their entry procedures, excluding the 99+ programs at top Ivys like USYD/UMELB/UNSW/ANU.

As has been pointed out already, the minimum requirement of school is that you should be doing well in subjects which align to your chosen career path (Band 3+ is ok, ideally Band 5-6), if you don't know what career path then doing moderately well in whatever you choose is a good substitute. Lecturers/Employers will judge you extremely harshly for not bothering to be good at the fundamentals of their domain. (E.g. If you're bad at math/physics and go into a professional engineering degree you've got a snowballs chance in hell of surviving, or if you go into a car mechanic trade and are not good and interested at technology/automotive they will really not want to keep you around).
 

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