ATAR score

[mark.12345]

How will a class of 3-4 people affect my atar? I understand how its calculated by ranking students in each cohort. But if in a class of 3, I come second does that mean I'm in the lower or top half of my year? And what if lets say all students score great and similar but I score last, does that mean that my whole atar score will be ruined even if I did well? And technically doesn't this all mean that even if all 3 of us score fairly well, only one of us can get a good mark and the rest will be below average?
Im stressing a lot because I'm a high achieving and hardworking student but might get a low atar because there is literally no other students I can rank against. My only hope is to be better than the other students but in some classes one of them is clearly better than me. In one class theres only 2 people, so does this mean one of us will be seen as above average and the other one below average even if our grades were both around A's?

[leo999.8152]

Hi there, as a past HSC survivor I can honestly say you should't really worry much about this. Just to the best you can in the upcoming exam, that is all I can say.

[Poet]

How will a class of 3-4 people affect my atar? I understand how its calculated by ranking students in each cohort. But if in a class of 3, I come second does that mean I'm in the lower or top half of my year? And what if lets say all students score great and similar but I score last, does that mean that my whole atar score will be ruined even if I did well? And technically doesn't this all mean that even if all 3 of us score fairly well, only one of us can get a good mark and the rest will be below average?
Im stressing a lot because I'm a high achieving and hardworking student but might get a low atar because there is literally no other students I can rank against. My only hope is to be better than the other students but in some classes one of them is clearly better than me. In one class theres only 2 people, so does this mean one of us will be seen as above average and the other one below average even if our grades were both around A's?

Oh hi Mark,

I did VCE but the ranking is similar. In a smaller class, scores are much more pronounced and so is overall cohort performance. If your cohort are all getting around A's, you will be ranked from 1 to 4 or however many there are; that doesn't necessarily mean that you, as number 4, end up with a low ATAR score. Rankings for tests are in-school and unless they are drastically separated will not have a serious impact on your overall score; particularly if your exams are done well. So Leo was correct; you don't have much to worry about - especially if your cohort is scoring well and consistently, which could be helped through the use of a study group. If you are a high-achieving student worried about getting a bad score because your cohort is struggling, find the time to help them improve their marks. It benefits everyone.

For any other questions you have about technical score discussion in HSC, please refer to this thread. Best of luck!

[Jimmmy]

Hey Mark,

I know this only for VCE, but it's probably the same; the authorities require a minimum of 10 students per cohort, so it's probable your teacher has been teaming up with another teacher to mark SACs and likely they will combine with your cohort.