The Importance of Scaling (1 Viewer)

[smitten_kitten]

Hi I was wondering if someone could help me out with my dilemma. Say that Sally is a really good math student. Would studying Maths Advanced instead of Math Extension dramatically lower her UAI?

 

[insert-username]

That's nowhere near enough information to give a good answer, but I'll try. UAI is based on how well you do in your best 10 units. There is no way that not doing a subject will severely impact your UAI, unless you would have blitzed that subject. If you do well enough in Maths Advanced, not doing Maths Extension won't affect your UAI at all. But if you were going to do really well in Maths Extension, then you could end up with a slightly lower UAI depending on what replaced it.


I_F

 

[smitten_kitten]

That's nowhere near enough information to give a good answer, but I'll try. UAI is based on how well you do in your best 10 units. There is no way that not doing a subject will severely impact your UAI, unless you would have blitzed that subject. If you do well enough in Maths Advanced, not doing Maths Extension won't affect your UAI at all. But if you were going to do really well in Maths Extension, then you could end up with a slightly lower UAI depending on what replaced it.


I_F

What if Sally has gotten High Distinction in previous math comps and got 99 for Schol Certificate? And what if Math Ext. were to be replaced by accelerated Studies of Relgion in year 11 and that replaced by Hist Extension in year 12? Also, what do u mean by "slighty"?

 

[insert-username]

Just because you've done well in Maths comps doesn't mean that you should explicitly do a subject, although with those result I would recommend you keep Maths Ext. 1. However, the first consideration should be that YOU want to do the subject. If you like Maths and want to do Maths Ext. 1, then you'll put effort in, most likely do well, and as a result get a slightly better UAI (slightly because MEX1 is just 1 unit, and in most cases a change in 1 unit won't greatly modify your UAI, unless the results are wildly different).

Anyways, as long as you do very well in whatever will replace Maths Extension 1, then your UAI shouldn't be greatly affected. However, with your results, I'd say keep it. If you can't, then make sure you work extra hard in History Extension (in your HSC year) to compensate.


I_F

 

[smitten_kitten]

Thanks for ur advice. Also, do u know what the site means when it says +?.? on the scaling chart? Is that like the average number of points you get added to you UAI? I realise it probaly isn't but I've always found it a bit confusing and was wondering if u could clarify things for me.

 

[insert-username]

The nuances of scaling aren't really known to many outside the Board of Studies and Universities Admissions Centre. The scaling chart is also some years out of date, as scaling changes from year to year based on how well each year does. Suffice it to say that subjects with a +21 in 2004 scaled up quite nicely in that year, and subjects with a -10 scaled down.


I_F