Low scaling in 2017 HSC?

[vikasarkalgud]

Hi, was wondering why overall ATARs were lower last year compared to previous years, as in a range of subjects may have in other years got u at 95.5 say, but last year got u a 95.2. This was found on HSCNinja, why did this dip happen last year? Was it a particular subject that did this? Thanks, kinda confused about the reason for these differences between years.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! So we have to remember the ATAR is a rank, meaning it is dependent on the cohort of your year. Year to year the quality of the candidature varies slightly, so the aggregate mark required to get a certain ATAR will change.

As an example, here are the aggregates you would have needed to get a 90+ over the last 5 years:

2013: 371.3
2014: 372.2
2015: 371.2
2016 :371.7
2017: 372.4

So we can see that the candidature was actually quite competitive in 2014, then it dropped a bit in 2015, picked up again in 2016 and was (as you hint at) most competitive last year. It depends on the range you are talking about as well, for example, it was actually easier to get an 80.00 in 2017 than it was in 2016.

tl;dr -> Fluctuations are normal. It's the nature of a system based on how everyone performs that year! Nothing really causes it, just how the system works