This year, an incredibly hard-working Year 12 student from Bega High School pulled in an ATAR of 98.8.
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The highest score one can get under the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is 99.95.
“I was just really excited, my goal was to get into Vet Science at Sydney which usually has an ATAR of around 98 so I was just glad to get into that,” Judith Browne said.
“I’ve wanted to be a vet since primary school, so I’ve sort of been working towards that at school.”
In order to achieve her result she studied “pretty consistently” most afternoons from the start of the year.
“Nothing crazy, I’d probably do a couple, maybe three hours a night,” she said.
“I’d make sure I’d take the odd days off.”
The Tanja resident’s two older sisters, who attended Lumen Christi Catholic College, scored ATARs of 98.6 and 94.6, which has meant there is a little competition in the family.
“We kind of joke around, but it’s nothing too serious!” Judith laughed.
“I think having them go through it probably helped me a bit to keep things in perspective and know it’s possible to go well.
“We’re pretty supportive of each other, but I think we’re a little bit competitive.
“I’ve got another little sister so she could come along and knock me off; Mum reckons she would beat us all!”
Judith had a few studying secrets to share with those completing their HSC in the future. These included having your own textbooks so you can continue learning anytime, taking notes and going through past papers when you think you know enough content.
“Make sure you know your syllabus, so you’re not surprised when the questions come out,” she said.
“Just don’t rely too much on teachers, they only have a limited time to show the content to you so you need to make sure you’re going home and studying as much as you can as well. They’re just there to support you really.”
While Judith has a conditional offer for university, she said the formal offers had not yet been announced.
She plans on having a gap year where she will work and save money for travel, before going to university the year after.