Everyone has an ATAR goal in mind that they would like to achieve. But how do you make it a reality?
Well, the first step is to properly set your ATAR goal and we’re going to take you through how you can do this!
Let’s get straight into it!
Why should you set an ATAR goal?
Step 1: Research University Courses
Step 2: Identify the Marks You Need to Achieve
Step 3: Write Down Your Goal ATAR
Why should you set an ATAR goal?
Now, perhaps you’re not sure what you want to do after school and you’re thinking that you don’t need a goal ATAR. However, the thing is that everyone should have an ATAR goal because it will:
- Motivateyou
- Providedirectionon what you need to do
- Act as anindicationof how hard you need to work
- Maximiseyour university options
That means that it will help enable you to study whatever it is you want to if you reach that goal.
We’ll take you through three steps to help you set the ultimate ATAR goal!
Step 1: Research University Courses and their ATAR Cut-offs
You’ll need to spend some timeinvestigating which university courses you might want to study after school.Remember to keep your options open and it’s a good idea to create a list of possible university courses that you’re interested in.
Check out what’s on offer
Go check out theuniversity admission centresfor their respective states (UAC,QTAC,VTAC). Perhaps you really know what you want to study, maybe you have a few different ideas or you just aren’t sure.
Either way, what you want to do isfind all the universities that offer a certain degree you’re thinking about.You want to see all your options so don’t rule any universities out yet.
We know that you might have your eyes set on a degree at a particular university but for now, it’s just a good idea toget an understanding of what’s out there.
What’s the guaranteed ATAR for the course?
Now, the next thing is to find out if there is a guaranteed ATAR for each of those courses. That means thatif you get the guaranteed ATAR or above, you’ll get an offer for that course.
Don’t worry, if you don’t meet the guaranteed ATAR because increasinglyup to one in two students receive an offer for their chosen degree below the guaranteed cut-off.
On the university admission centre portal, for each university course you’ll be able to findthe range of ATARs that previous students have been accepted into that specific course for.That includes the Lowest ATAR, Median ATAR and Highest ATAR.
From this data, you canget an idea of where you’ll need to be to get into the degree. So if you get close to the median ATAR, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get an offer.
What’s the highest ATAR you need to achieve?
It’s time to find the highest ATAR cut-off out of all the university degrees you’re interested in. This is all aboutmaximising your optionsbecause if you can reach that highest ATAR cut-off, then you’ll still be able to apply for any of the other courses.
It’s all about keeping your options open! Don’t forget tokeep the ranges in mind because that will help take some of the pressure off.
It’s like a back-up plan in case you don’t reach that highest ATAR cut-off that you’re after.
Step 2: Identify the Marks You Need to Achieve
So, now you have your ATAR goal and know the range you need to get into.
This next step is确定所需的标记需要为每个子jectso that you can achieve your ATAR goal.This way, you’ll be more motivated because you’ll have a better understanding about the amount of effort you need to put in to get those marks.
It’s time to head over to anATAR calculator— now there’s no need to freak out because we’re just using the calculator to work out what marks you need to get for, let’s say, an ATAR of 90.
Here’s a quick step by step on how to do this:
- Put in the highest ATAR cut-off you want to achieve
- Select your all your HSC subjects
- Play around with the HSC mark for each subject (depending on how confident you are with a subject, put your best subjects a bit higher and the ones that you find more challenging lower)
- Get a sense of the the scaled marks you’ll need for each subject to reach your chosen highest ATAR cut-off
This exercise is by no means meant to scare you — instead it willhelp you get a solid idea of how hard you need to work to meet your goal.
Before we move onto the next section,let’s quickly recap everything you should have by now:
- List of all the possible university degrees you’re interested in
- Guaranteed ATAR cut-off and the range for each of the degrees
- Your highest ATAR cut-off and range that you’re aiming for
- The marks that you need for each subject to hit your ATAR goal
Step 3: Write Down Your Goal ATAR
That’s right! You gotta see it to believe it. So,write all the info down and stick it up where you’ll see it everyday.
That way, it will motivate you, inspire you and encourage you to keep working hard because there is an end goal in sight.
It’s always a great idea tomake these reminders colourful and fun— you’ll be looking at it everyday so make it something that you want to look at!
And there we go!
Those are our three steps to help you set an ATAR goal! We want you to maximise your university options so if you haven’t already, it’s time to start working on your ATAR goal!
Check out some of our other uni articles below:
- The Essential Guide to Applying for University Through QTAC
- How Do UAC Offers Work and How Can I Use Them To My Advantage?
- Top 10 Most Employable Degrees in Australia
- The Ultimate Guide to Applying for Early Entry to Universities
- 5 Alternative Entry Pathways into Uni if You Don’t Get the ATAR You Need
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Tanna Nankivellis a Senior Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently in Germany completing a year of study for her double degree in Communications (Journalism) and Bachelor of Arts (International Studies). She has had articles published on Central News – the UTS Journalism Lab and wrote a feature piece for Time Out Sydney during her internship. Tanna has a love for travel and the great outdoors, you’ll either find her on the snowfields or in the ocean, teaching aqua aerobics or creating short films.
