How I got a 99.00 ATAR

01 Choose subjects that you love and subjects that know you have natural ability in.

VCE was made much easier by the choices I made prior to starting it.

I love Humanities/English based subjects, it made sense to make sure I took as many of those subjects as possible.

This meant that I was learning content that was aligned with my interests and my pre-existing skillset. All of the subjects I chose (with the exception of Economics!) had strong written components within their SACs and their exams.

I know that university pre-requisite requirements do sometimes mean prioritising a subject or two that is unconnected to your skillset naturally.

However, if you have the option I do encourage you to choose subjects that connect to your individual strengths.

02 Prioritise consistency in work ethic

I am going to be honest - my first attempt at pretty much everything in Year 12 was terrible.

I wasn’t very good at VCE History, despite how much I loved it. In VCE English, I often prioritised having sophisticated language in my essays, to the detriment of my own clarity.

I had a lot of weaknesses in my approach to many of my subjects.

And I think that’s perfectly fine.

I personally found that consistency in work ethic and resilience in the face of lower grades was more valuable than immediate perfection.

My first essay for Section A of the English exam, text response, that I penned in early March just barely scraped a 7/10. Another March essay scored a 5/10.

In VCE History my first extended response left me with a 4/10.

These grades are absolutely okay to start with - Year 12 has much tougher criteria and marking standards.

What is key is responding to these grades in a manner that is productive.

I did have to rewrite that extended response 7 times before I managed to get a 10.

That experience was time consuming, and difficult both on myself and on my poor teacher who I constantly nagged! But in the end, it meant I understood what defined a stronger extended response from a weaker one in relation to the criteria.

It meant the I could work towards consistently getting a 10, every single time.

03 Be mindful of how best to spend you time.

Every single Saturday, from the very start of Year 12 to the very end of it, I went to the library from 9AM - 5PM.

This was when I was at my most productive.

I think setting out time in the week to study is really important. Having a designated location where the only goal is to be productive is also really valuable.

Back in Year 12, I would prefer to stay at school later or hop to the library on Saturday, as opposed to coming home with additional work.

Nowadays, I associate my desk with work, and other areas of my home with relaxation.

Having a mental split between locations where work is done and where work is not done meant that when I was working, I was optimising my time.

I was also very religious in using my school diary to map out due dates. I had a separate notebook where I created daily to-do lists, and I would use the to-do lists in conjunction with the diary in order to steadily work towards competency in areas of assessment.

Knowing when your assessments are due and knowing how much work you need to complete in order to ensure you are well prepared for them, is really vital to ensuring success in Year 12.

I absolutely encourage you to spend time penciling in due dates into your diary in advance to better prepare for your SACs.

04 I focused on attaining as much self awareness as possible around my weaknesses in each subject.

I personally feel spending time thinking about personal weaknesses in skill and ability brings tremendous value when it comes to raising your grades throughout the year.

Before Year 12 started, I was aware that I went to an average public school in Victoria.

I looked carefully through the data of how many past students from my school had achieved a score over forty in the subjects I had chosen. I did this through databases such as Quppa and also through The Age’s listings of 40 plus scorers.

I also considered how the education I was receiving might compare to some of my competitors.

I felt as though, in certain subjects, there was more of an onus on me to prepare for my exams. This was in order for me to be able to match the skillsets that a student with greater resources may have been more readily able to attain.

Having an awareness around your ability and skillset and the resources your competitors may be accessing allows you to be mindful of how you may need to work to expand your skillsets.

05 Be kinder to yourself. You’re doing better than you think you are.

When I finished my English exam I immediately headed home. I remember one of my friends shouting at me to wait up, but I didn’t want to listen to her. I ended up coming home, closing the door of my room, curling up in my bed and refusing to talk to anybody.

I thought I had failed.

I felt like I had missed the most important features of the language analysis piece and that my writing lacked sophistication and flare. I felt as though all my effort was for nothing.

I ended up getting a 50 in English and a 99.00 ATAR.

Year 12 is a really tough year.

There are multiple deadlines, competition is tough and its hard to stay ahead in terms of revision for both the exams and SACs.

Please remember to be kind to yourself, and remember that many students are struggling with the same experiences that you are.

Prioritising your mental health can come in many different forms. I mostly slept and took spontaneous naps. Sometimes under the table in the Year 12 only building.

That’s okay! Coping mechanisms differ for everybody, and health may look different in my body than it may in yours.

If you need a couple of extra ten minute breaks, a morning run, or additional snacks, go for it. Do what you can to be kinder to yourself this year.