How to Get a High ATAR - 3 Study Tips & Tricks
Choosing the right Year 12 subjects and developing effective study habits is essential for students aspiring to study medicine. We created this guide to break down the sometimes daunting Year 12, explaining ATAR requirements, subject prerequisites, and practical study tips to help you succeed.
Why Your Year 12 Subjects And ATAR Really Matter For A Future In Medicine
Medical schools assess your ATAR against their mandatory ATAR requirements, which students must meet to be considered competitive applicants. Your ATAR ranks your achievement from 0 to 99.95 based on your individual subject results, comparing you with other students in your cohort. This is why making informed decisions such as choosing subjects that align with future medicine studies alongside developing strong study habits can make a significant difference to your Year 12 results.
Let’s look at the top three exam study preparation tips that can elevate your chances of achieving a high ATAR and building a successful future in medicine.
3 Study Tips To Help You Achieve The ATAR You Need For Medical School
Choose Subjects You Enjoy, that Scale Well, and Prepare You for Medicine
When it comes to securing a high ATAR, it begins with strategic year 12 subject selection. This includes choosing subjects you enjoy and are naturally good at, as you’ll perform better and stay motivated giving yourself the best chance of achieving a high ATAR. It’s also important to understand how your subjects are scaled, and to consider selecting subjects that may scale to your advantage.
Understand how many subjects contribute to your ATAR depending on your state
VCE – Victorian Certificate of Education
- The ATAR calculation includes a maximum of six VCE Unit 3 and 4 subjects, with the Primary Four made up of English (compulsory) and the next three highest-scoring subjects. A 5th and 6th subject can also contribute as increments, each adding 10% of their scaled study score to the overall aggregate.
HSC – Higher School Certificate
- Students must complete at least 10 units of study in Year 12, which usually equates to 5–6 subjects, with at least 2 units of English required. The ATAR is then calculated using the best 10 units (typically five subjects).
QCE – Queensland Certificate of Education
- Students must earn 20 credits from contributing courses of study, typically achieved by passing five or six subjects (including VET) across Years 11 and 12, with at least one English subject (English, Literature, or EAL) required.
WACE – Western Australian Certificate of Education
- To achieve the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), students must complete a minimum of 20 units across Years 11 and 12, typically 10 units per year, including four units of English (two in Year 11 and two in Year 12).
SACE – South Australian Certificate of Education
- To complete the SACE, students must earn 200 credits across 10–12 subjects, including at least 60 Stage 2 credits and mandatory English, Mathematics, and the Research Project.
TASC – Tasmanian Certificate of Education
- To calculate a Tasmanian Tertiary Entrance (TE) Score for the ATAR, students must complete at least four Level 3 or 4 TASC-accredited courses, with the score usually based on the best results from four, five, or more subjects.
Choosing Year 12 Subjects That Support Your Progression Into a Medical Degree
A good starting point is our article, Year 12 Subjects That Help With Medicine, which details the subject combinations that best prepare you for medical school coursework, the ATAR subjects that strengthen your application, and the self-directed study habits required in medicine.
The most important tip is selecting the correct high school subject prerequisites required for the medical school admission process as undergraduate medical schools across Australia have specific, mandatory ATAR requirements and subject prerequisites.
Important reminder:
Meeting the minimum ATAR and subject requirements does not guarantee an offer. Many universities also consider UCAT scores and interviews. Published ATARs usually reflect the lowest ATAR or selection rank that received an offer last year, and may change each year.
The table below can help guide your subject selection by showing the prerequisites for various undergraduate medical programs.
Year 12 Subject and ATAR Prerequisites for Universities That Offer Undergraduate Medicine
Develop Study Habits That Maximise Your Academic Performance
1. Be Proactive and Build Consistent Study Habits
Understanding content on the day it’s taught helps prevent knowledge gaps from building up. Reviewing material before class keeps you ahead and strengthens long-term memory retention. Evenly distributing your workload throughout the week can also prevent burnout and the stress of content piling up..
2. Prepare for Internal assessments, Tests and Exams with Past Papers
Incorporating exam style practice questions into your study throughout the year ensures you not only know the content but can also apply it to different scenarios, leading to a deeper understanding.
Knowing the content is also critical to your success. Find the study method that suits you best whether it’s mind maps, flashcards, or teaching concepts to someone else to help you memorise important material. Finding study techniques that work for both you and the content you’re learning is essential.
3. Learn From Your Mistakes
Don’t let one bad result stop you. Each assessment is a learning opportunity, and consistent effort always adds up. Performing poorly on one test doesn’t mean you should give up treat it as a lesson. Remember, the exam is worth 50%, so you still have the chance to make up for it. Write down the questions you get wrong to ensure you don’t repeat the same mistakes in the exam.
4. Prioritise Your Mental Health
Study when you can without pushing yourself to burnout sacrificing your wellbeing will affect your grades more than taking a needed break. If you feel overwhelmed, reach out to teachers, friends or family. Using your support network is one of the strongest ways to stay on track.
Thank you for reading. We wish you the very best in your Year 12 studies, and remember Fraser’s is here to support you every step of the way as you work toward your future in medicine.
Where To Next?
Go check out more articles from our team, We have created a series of articles attached bellow designed to help you perform your best in Year 12 and give yourself the greatest chance of securing a medicine offer. A good place to start is Year 12 Subjects To Help With Medicine.
- Undergraduate Medicine Guide to VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre)
- Undergraduate Medicine Application Guide
- Importance of The WACE Certificate for Year 12 Students
- How To Apply For Undergraduate Medicine in Australia?
- What Parents Need to Know About Undergraduate Medical Admission
- Undergraduate Medicine Written Application Guide
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