To drop down or not? That is the question (1 Viewer)

[mmmmmmmmaaaaaaa]

yeah i actually completed my HSC 20 years ago, idk why im on these forums

how's your analyst/ib at bb career going

 

[jimmysmith560]

Hi. So recently in my school we did a yr 11 bridging course where we got to try out our subjects for yr 11 to see how we find them. Then we gave unassessed short exams for them to test our knoweldge. Im currently doing advanced maths but I achieved a 50% for the functions and logs topic that our test was assessing. My teachers recommeded me to drop down to standard but ive been searching online and stuff about dropping down sounds so negative. Like i read that you cant achieve an ATAR of 99.95 which i wouldnt want to get robbed of not getting a chance to try for it. I also heard you cant get a 99 atar even which I hoped to atleast achieve. I also heard it scales really low. Im just confused as I enjoy adv maths and put in the effort but im not sure why im unable to do well. Like even when I gave that tested i estimated a 70%. I would really like some advice on this, and if anyone has done their hsc with standard math lemme know if these things im reading online are true or not

my subjects currently:
eng adv
legal
eco
chem
bio
adv math

It is true that Mathematics Standard is a lower-scaling subject compared to Mathematics Advanced. However, a 99+ ATAR can be achieved with Mathematics Standard and this has happened in previous cohorts. For example, the highest ATAR achieved by a student who took Mathematics Standard in 2022 was 99.80. Even a 99.95 ATAR can be achieved with Mathematics Standard, and this has happened in 2021. This brings us to whether you should drop to Mathematics Standard, in which case each subject has different advantages and disadvantages.

Mathematics Advanced:

This subject inherently provides you with greater mathematical knowledge compared to Mathematics Standard and is treated as a prerequisite (in the case of USyd) or assumed knowledge for a range of universities/degrees. You enjoy Mathematics Advanced, which would indicate that you are willing to do your utmost to improve in this subject. The good thing is that you have plenty of time to improve your performance. However, you should consider whether significant improvement is possible. If you keep 12 units in year 12, and if Mathematics Advanced ends up being your lowest-performing subject, it would not count towards your ATAR anyway, allowing you to still work towards your ATAR goal and meet any relevant prerequisite/assumed knowledge.

Mathematics Standard:

While this subject does not provide you with the same level of mathematical knowledge compared to Mathematics Advanced, it is generally considered easier. This means that, provided you regularly study and address areas of improvement, you can definitely perform favourably in this subject and consistent with your ATAR goal. However, Mathematics Standard does not meet relevant prerequisites/assumed knowledge for a range of universities/degrees, which could affect your ability to either receive an offer for a particular course, or perform well in the course if you do receive an offer. Of course, there are post-HSC options that you can use to address this, such as self-studying Mathematics Advanced content (if treated as assumed knowledge) or completing a special short course (if treated as a prerequisite, as is the case of USyd).


I hope this helps!

 

[cossine]

Hi. So recently in my school we did a yr 11 bridging course where we got to try out our subjects for yr 11 to see how we find them. Then we gave unassessed short exams for them to test our knoweldge. Im currently doing advanced maths but I achieved a 50% for the functions and logs topic that our test was assessing. My teachers recommeded me to drop down to standard but ive been searching online and stuff about dropping down sounds so negative. Like i read that you cant achieve an ATAR of 99.95 which i wouldnt want to get robbed of not getting a chance to try for it. I also heard you cant get a 99 atar even which I hoped to atleast achieve. I also heard it scales really low. Im just confused as I enjoy adv maths and put in the effort but im not sure why im unable to do well. Like even when I gave that tested i estimated a 70%. I would really like some advice on this, and if anyone has done their hsc with standard math lemme know if these things im reading online are true or not

my subjects currently:
eng adv
legal
eco
chem
bio
adv math

Do not drop down.

The issue could be the way you are approaching your studies.

Try reading Advanced Mathematics by Terry Lee. Solutions are inside the textbook. If you are getting 50% on the test the issue is you have not learned/understood the content. You should start noting down what are the theorem, definition or axioms you need to know.

Practise a couple of past papers from thsc.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Hey thankyou for the advice and comparison. I really appreciate it!
In terms of the example you gave me for the ATAR results do you mind sharing where i can access these type of stats? It would be helpful to understand the trends of scaling etc : )

I also wanted to clear something up. If a subject is marked as 'assumed knowledge' for a course and you dont do that subject would you not recieve an offer even if you have met the atar requirements? because from my understanding i thought that 'prerequisites subjects'were the only compulsory ones.
Thankyou again!

No worries! Every year, UAC publishes a report on the scaling of that year's HSC cohort. These contain information regarding the maximum ATAR achieved by students who took specific subjects. You can access the 2021 and 2022 reports using the following links:

https://www.uac.edu.au/assets/documents/scaling-reports/scaling-report-2021-nsw-hsc.pdf

https://www.uac.edu.au/assets/documents/scaling-reports/scaling-report-2022-nsw-hsc.pdf

No, assumed knowledge means that you are assumed to have studied a particular subject (and therefore have relevant knowledge at a particular level) if you wish to study a particular degree. You can still receive an offer for a degree, even if you do not have the relevant assumed knowledge. However, you may struggle with your university studies.

On the other hand, a prerequisite must be met (in addition to the ATAR/selection rank requirement) if you wish to receive an offer for a particular degree. If you do not meet a prerequisite, you will not be made an offer for the degree.

 

[cossine]

Thanks for this. My main concern was that I was already doing all of this, but still had trouble understanding the concepts. would you recommend anything to improve that?

math stackexchange.
youtube videos
Ask math questions here on boredofstudies.

 

[its_ace21]

math standard too easy

 

[C_master]

math standard too easy

then u shouldve done advanced

 

[its_ace21]

then u shouldve done advanced

forced

 

[C_master]

forced

so u were forced to do english standard as well as maths standard??? bye

 

[lolcti]

forced

that’s why I hate private schools

 

[its_ace21]

so u were forced to do english standard as well as maths standard??? bye

i missed the math adv cut off mark by a few marks, and i was also forced to do business

 

[C_master]

i missed the math adv cut off mark by a few marks, and i was also forced to do business

Damn

 

[Average Boreduser]

that’s why I hate private schools

her school is like the only priv school that does that my dude... + selecs do the same thing. I heard its likely to a worse extent too.

 

[carrotsss]

her school is like the only priv school that does that my dude... + selecs do the same thing. I heard its likely to a worse extent too.

noone is worse than her school