The Importance and Relevance of Your ATAR

When I was in high school, I was always so focused on getting a good ATAR. I think I speak on behalf of the many students who sit their VCE® Exam/HSC® Exam each year when I say that the primary purpose of working hard in school is to do well and get into the uni course you want to get into. If your goal is a competitive health course, it can also help to understand early what the UCAT is and how it may fit alongside your school results.

As a first year uni student, I can honestly say that I really regret worrying and stressing about my marks in Year 12. I know getting the marks seems super important but I wished I had developed a broader sense of mind and thought about things in the long term.

In the hope that I can alleviate some unnecessary stress, here are three tips of which I think a Year 12 student should be aware when in comes to approaching their ATAR:

1. Keep things in perspective

You’ve probably been told this many times but it is very true, the VCE® Exam/HSC® Exam is only a small obstacle in your life! Try your hardest and do your best in Year 12 but also remember that it is your final year of high school so make precious memories with your high school friends.

2. Know that there are many ways to get into your course

In some courses at some universities, you can get bonus points. For example, in NSW, if you get a Band 6 in Advanced English, you might be able to gain 3 bonus points, which means if you needed a 97 ATAR to get into Law, you’d now only need a 94 for that specific course at that university. You might  also, for example, be able to apply for bonus points if you’ve represented the State in a sport. Check individual university websites - each can vary. Also note that you may be able to do an internal transfer after your first year of uni. For example, you might be able to transfer from International Studies to International Studies/Law if you achieve a distinction average in your first year of uni. Discuss this with the representatives of your university to learn the precise criteria that institution might enforce. For medicine, those criteria can include more than school marks, so it is worth checking the UCAT requirements for medicine at each university you are considering.

3. Make sure you have many different options

The most important thing in the VCE® Exam/HSC® Exam is to ensure that you keep an open mind. If you don’t get into a certain course, you might want to consider studying something different. Don’t forget, you can also apply to universities that are interstate! Students who miss out on direct-entry medicine, for example, may still have other pathways to medicine in Australia to consider later on.

The VCE® Exam/HSC® Exam is important, but don’t let it rule your life! There are so many things you will encounter in the future. Don’t let your marks in Year 12 define what you dream of doing or becoming. Just do your best and if you continue to work hard in the future, I am quite certain that life will work out the way you want it to.