What Is Atar Cont? (1 Viewer)

FAIL_URE:-(

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I've seen these what mean chart things and many people have said that your atar is the average of your atar cont. But Nesa's website doesn't mention such a thing. Could someone please explain to me what this is and is there a secondary set of scaling other than normal raw to scaled marks and moderation? @jimmysmith560
 
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iloveeggs

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bump bc ive never heard of this either
 

StudyNotesTips

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You're right in noticing that there's some confusion about how the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is calculated, and there’s often misinformation or misunderstandings surrounding it. Let me clarify how the ATAR works and address the "average of your ATAR contributing subjects" statement.

How the ATAR is Calculated:
  1. HSC Marks:
    • You complete your HSC exams, and for each subject, you receive a raw mark. These marks are then moderated and scaled based on the performance of all students in that subject.
  2. Scaling Process:
    • Each subject is scaled based on the performance of all students in that course, to ensure fairness. Subjects like Extension Maths or Physics tend to scale higher because students in these subjects generally perform well across all their subjects.
    • The scaled marks are adjusted to reflect the difficulty and performance levels of each subject cohort. Scaling ensures that students aren't disadvantaged for taking harder subjects.
  3. Selection of Contributing Units:
    • For the ATAR calculation, they select your best 10 units of study, including English (since 2 units of English are compulsory).
    • These 10 units are chosen after scaling, not based on your raw HSC marks. The best combination of your scaled marks across subjects is used to generate your aggregate score.
 

StudyNotesTips

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SMARTYPANTS_SINGH

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You're right in noticing that there's some confusion about how the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is calculated, and there’s often misinformation or misunderstandings surrounding it. Let me clarify how the ATAR works and address the "average of your ATAR contributing subjects" statement.

How the ATAR is Calculated:
  1. HSC Marks:
    • You complete your HSC exams, and for each subject, you receive a raw mark. These marks are then moderated and scaled based on the performance of all students in that subject.
  2. Scaling Process:
    • Each subject is scaled based on the performance of all students in that course, to ensure fairness. Subjects like Extension Maths or Physics tend to scale higher because students in these subjects generally perform well across all their subjects.
    • The scaled marks are adjusted to reflect the difficulty and performance levels of each subject cohort. Scaling ensures that students aren't disadvantaged for taking harder subjects.
  3. Selection of Contributing Units:
    • For the ATAR calculation, they select your best 10 units of study, including English (since 2 units of English are compulsory).
    • These 10 units are chosen after scaling, not based on your raw HSC marks. The best combination of your scaled marks across subjects is used to generate your aggregate score.
Still doesn’t answer what the atar cont is and what those what mean charts mean
 

StudyNotesTips

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Still doesn’t answer what the atar cont is and what those what mean charts mean
Hi smarty!

The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is a numerical measure that indicates a student's overall academic achievement in comparison to their peers, primarily used for university admissions in Australia. It ranges from 0 to 99.95 and is calculated based on a student's performance in their best subjects, typically in Year 12.

ATAR Calculation
The ATAR is derived from a combination of raw scores, scaled marks, and moderated marks in specific subjects. Here's a basic overview of how it's calculated:

  1. Raw Marks: These are the initial scores students receive from assessments throughout their Year 12 studies.
  2. Moderation: This process adjusts raw marks to ensure fairness, considering factors like school performance and cohort strength.
  3. Scaling: Different subjects have different levels of difficulty and student performance. Scaling adjusts the raw scores to ensure comparability across subjects.
What Mean Charts Are
Mean charts (or "what mean" charts) typically refer to graphical representations that show the average (mean) scores of students in various subjects. These charts can help:

  • Identify Subject Performance: They give insight into how students generally performed in different subjects, helping future students make informed choices about their studies.
  • Understand Scaling Impact: They illustrate how scaling affects the average scores, showing how raw marks translate into ATAR calculations.
Importance of Understanding ATAR and Mean Charts
  1. Course Selection: Knowing which subjects have higher average scores can influence students' choices when selecting their Year 12 subjects.
  2. Expectation Management: Understanding the mean scores can help students set realistic expectations for their performance and the potential ATAR they might achieve.
  3. University Admissions: The ATAR is a critical factor in university admissions, and understanding how it’s calculated can help students focus their efforts more effectively in their studies.
Hope this helps 😀
 

funny123

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I've seen these what mean chart things and many people have said that your atar is the average of your atar cont. But Nesa's website doesn't mention such a thing. Could someone please explain to me what this is and is there a secondary set of scaling other than normal raw to scaled marks and moderation? @jimmysmith560
Atar contribution isn't actually a thing that NESA or UAC uses. The guy who makes them Graham Wright just uses it to help schools or whoever visualize what a particular mark is 'worth' in terms of your atar. Basically it's not an actual thing don't worry about it.
 

FAIL_URE:-(

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Atar contribution isn't actually a thing that NESA or UAC uses. The guy who makes them Graham Wright just uses it to help schools or whoever visualize what a particular mark is 'worth' in terms of your atar. Basically it's not an actual thing don't worry about it.
but the thing is (note: I didn't bother how carrotsss atar calc works) but when I use it and I put in past students' marks that calculator is very accurate and it seems to be averaging the atar cont, so if it isn't a thing how is the calc so accurate.
 

liamkk112

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I've seen these what mean chart things and many people have said that your atar is the average of your atar cont. But Nesa's website doesn't mention such a thing. Could someone please explain to me what this is and is there a secondary set of scaling other than normal raw to scaled marks and moderation? @jimmysmith560
technically its the "aggregate of your scaled marks" (which is fancy statistics, but basically means that they will sum your scaled marks) and there is no such thing as atar contribution, but in effect it's just a statistic to tell you what scaled marks you'd need in every subject to get a particular atar. for example in 2023, you needed an aggregate of 450 to achieve an atar of 99, meaning that, your scaled marks needed to sum to 450. hence, the scaled mark /50 you'd need to get a "99 atar contribution" would be 450/10 = 45, assuming that they're using scaled marks per unit. for example in english advanced, a hsc mark of 47.5/50 was scaled to a 46.7/50, which means that mark would have an "atar contribution" of roughly 99.2 (as a guess). i wouldn't worry too much about it, all this tells you is that you need consistently good marks in all your subjects to achieve a high atar. for example even if you got a 50 scaled (basically 100% raw mark) in 6/10 of your units, and then only got 25 scaled in the other 4/10 units (probably a band 3-4 in most well scaling units) you would have 400 aggregate, which corresponds to a 90 atar (still pretty good lol). hence even if you're godly at 3/5 of your units, your other units will drag you down (and that's in the optimal situation where you max out your scaled mark in your best units). so just try to focus on doing at least moderately well in your worst subjects, as well as obviously maxing your marks in your best ones

(fyi basically everything is in here https://www.uac.edu.au/assets/documents/scaling-reports/scaling-report-2023-nsw-hsc.pdf if you really want to get into the details)
 

StudyNotesTips

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technically its the "aggregate of your scaled marks" (which is fancy statistics, but basically means that they will sum your scaled marks) and there is no such thing as atar contribution, but in effect it's just a statistic to tell you what scaled marks you'd need in every subject to get a particular atar. for example in 2023, you needed an aggregate of 450 to achieve an atar of 99, meaning that, your scaled marks needed to sum to 450. hence, the scaled mark /50 you'd need to get a "99 atar contribution" would be 450/10 = 45, assuming that they're using scaled marks per unit. for example in english advanced, a hsc mark of 47.5/50 was scaled to a 46.7/50, which means that mark would have an "atar contribution" of roughly 99.2 (as a guess). i wouldn't worry too much about it, all this tells you is that you need consistently good marks in all your subjects to achieve a high atar. for example even if you got a 50 scaled (basically 100% raw mark) in 6/10 of your units, and then only got 25 scaled in the other 4/10 units (probably a band 3-4 in most well scaling units) you would have 400 aggregate, which corresponds to a 90 atar (still pretty good lol). hence even if you're godly at 3/5 of your units, your other units will drag you down (and that's in the optimal situation where you max out your scaled mark in your best units). so just try to focus on doing at least moderately well in your worst subjects, as well as obviously maxing your marks in your best ones

(fyi basically everything is in here https://www.uac.edu.au/assets/documents/scaling-reports/scaling-report-2023-nsw-hsc.pdf if you really want to get into the details)
This is actually a really clear breakdown of how the ATAR works in practice! You've hit the nail on the head about the importance of consistency across all subjects. Even if you ace a few, your lower marks can still pull your ATAR down. The scaled marks and aggregate system can be a bit confusing at first, but once you understand that it’s about maintaining solid performance across all units, it makes sense.

I think a lot of students forget how scaling works and get overly focused on a couple of subjects they’re strongest in. But like you mentioned, even if you crush it in those, underperforming in others can stop you from reaching the highest ATARs.

Thanks for sharing that link to the UAC scaling report—it’s a goldmine for anyone wanting to dig deeper into the data! Hopefully, anyone stressing about their ATAR can take this advice: focus on balance, don't get too bogged down by individual scaled marks, and just aim for consistent improvement across the board.
 

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