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March 29, 2024, 08:40:46 pm

Author Topic: Bombed X2 - but should I try again??  (Read 4416 times)  Share 

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m.james

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Bombed X2 - but should I try again??
« on: November 02, 2019, 05:09:11 pm »
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Hi everyone,

I'd really love some advice.

I'm a Year 11 student and have been doing accelerated mathematics. I had a rocky start to Extension 2 but did reasonably in the trials (76%) and really put in the hard yards since then to get myself up to hopefully around to the 80-85% range. However, I did rubbish in the exam for some reason, and long story short, I'll probably get around 62%. Much lower than my average.

I've got 13 units at the moment and really want to drop Bio because I hate it, but now I'm having second thoughts because of this X2 result. I don't want this to wreck my ATAR.

At present, I'm unsure what to do. Do I keep Bio? Do I attempt the Extension 2 exam again next year? Do I do neither of those things? I am looking for an ATAR around 90-95.

It's especially hard to make this decision for me at this time because it's very emotional when you let yourself down in such a major exam. I really would appreciate any sort of suggestions or advice. Thanks!

classof2019

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Re: Bombed X2 - but should I try again??
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2019, 08:21:11 pm »
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Hi everyone,

I'd really love some advice.

I'm a Year 11 student and have been doing accelerated mathematics. I had a rocky start to Extension 2 but did reasonably in the trials (76%) and really put in the hard yards since then to get myself up to hopefully around to the 80-85% range. However, I did rubbish in the exam for some reason, and long story short, I'll probably get around 62%. Much lower than my average.

I've got 13 units at the moment and really want to drop Bio because I hate it, but now I'm having second thoughts because of this X2 result. I don't want this to wreck my ATAR.

At present, I'm unsure what to do. Do I keep Bio? Do I attempt the Extension 2 exam again next year? Do I do neither of those things? I am looking for an ATAR around 90-95.

It's especially hard to make this decision for me at this time because it's very emotional when you let yourself down in such a major exam. I really would appreciate any sort of suggestions or advice. Thanks!

First of all, congratulations on completing MX2 accelerated - this is an amazing accomplishment! This is just my personal opinion, so of course take with a grain of salt, but I believe it's best to wait until you receive your MX2 results before you make any sort of decision. Sometimes, how you felt you went doesn't actually reflect how you went, and also remember that your mark will undergo scaling / alignment / moderation - you may be surprised at what your mark looks like after all these factors are taken into account (75% raw is usually the cutoff for an E4, and if you've performed less than expected in the HSC NESA may also take this into account when determining your mark).

Now, 13 units is a lot going into the HSC (though the load is lessened because you accelerated a subject, so that's also a factor to keep in mind). It's often not worthwhile to keep a subject you absolutely dislike, because (1) it is harder to stay motivated for subjects you don't enjoy and (2) it could potentially compromise your time studying for other subjects. It may be a good idea dropping biology to capitalise on all that extra time you gained by accelerating a subject, so you can dedicate more time on your other subjects (which will inevitably contribute the majority to your ATAR).

Also in terms of repeating MX2 - since you've already learned the MX2 course, (if your school allows) you can afford to wait after you've received your results to rejoin the class if you feel as though your results don't reflect your potential in that subject. It's probably not advisable to make any concrete decisions before you receive your results though, because at the end of the day NESA will take your latest MX2 mark, not your best, so if you do repeat you should do so with the confidence that you can achieve a better result second-time round.

I would really advise you to talk with your teachers and seek their opinion.

I hope this advice has given you some assistance. I wish you all the best for the rest of Year 12 and hope you make the decision that's best for you.

« Last Edit: November 02, 2019, 08:31:39 pm by classof2019 »

m.james

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Re: Bombed X2 - but should I try again??
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2019, 09:27:15 pm »
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Thanks a lot for reading through! It's really nice to be able to hear someone else's opinion on this.

I think I'll take your advice on giving things a moment to breathe and waiting for the results to come through. You never know what's going to happen until the marks come out of the washing machine!

RuiAce

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Re: Bombed X2 - but should I try again??
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2019, 08:36:51 pm »
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Definitely wait for the results.

And I reckon, take it easier on the fear over the ATAR. I had a friend who came out with a final mark of 73 in MX2, and it still counted towards their 96.65 ATAR.

Keep in mind that with repeating though, you will have to face a new syllabus. You become blessed with some knowledge that carries over in complex numbers, polynomials, integration, and mechanics. But there's still two other topics that you will need to learn nonetheless - one of which builds on a new MX1 topic.

If you do think it will put your mind at ease, you can always request to enrol into MX2 again, with the liberty of dropping out later. Just don't jump into a final decision so quickly!