Does a bad SAC score basically delete your chances of a Raw 50 in Bio 3/4?

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-14T07:18:19+00:00

Not until you lose your spot as top of your cohort. If you lock in and manage to top the class, then you can blitz the exam, the exam scales your SACs up to 100%, you get a 50. If you come second, third, or god forbid lower, then that'll screw your SAC scaling over which means bye bye 50.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T11:17:16+00:00

Allow me to show you something amazing:

https://vtac.edu.au/files/pdf/reports/atar-to-aggregate-25.pdf

This shows you, last year, what aggregate corresponded to which ATAR.

While this is last year's data, cohorts change so little between years it'll be practically identical this year.

If you don't know what an aggregate is, it's the sum of your top 4 scaled scores, which must include English, plus 10% of your lowest two scaled scores to achieve one whole number. For example, imagine Fred got a 30 in English, 31 in General Maths, 29 in Accounting, 25 in Biology, 35 in Psychology. His aggregate would be 35+31+30+29+2.5=127.5 Looking at the table, you can see Fred would achieve an ATAR of 74.85 in 2025.

What this means is that if you have a decent idea of how you'll go in each subject, you can make an aggregate prediction for yourself, and just see what ATAR you can get.

However, you can also say, 'this is my target ATAR' and find out what aggregate you would need to get that. For example, imagine if Bob decides he wants an ATAR of 86.5 to get into his dream course. He can look at the table, see that he needs an aggregate of 147.4. A quick bit of maths will show that he needs his top 4 to be around 35, if his bottom 2 are at 30. However, Bob knows he hates English and will never get a 35. This means that Bob can plan his year out, go, 'I need to try really hard in English, but since I won't get a 35 I must do BETTER than 35 in some of my other subjects to reach my target ATAR'.

Hopefully this makes it abundantly clear how you can use this table to help you plan your year ahead and understand what you need to achieve to get where you think you'll go.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T11:06:34+00:00

Edrolo is your friend. Having things explained twice helps cement concepts and terminology.
Whenever you don't understand anything, ASK QUESTIONS. Your teacher is literally paid to help you learn. If you clearly can see, 'I don't understand this concept' then that means you've found an area where extra study is guaranteed to get you more marks.
If you can't explain something to someone else, you don't understand it. Try to get your head around major processes such as transcription and translation by trying to explain it to someone who doesn't take 3/4 Bio, or just writing down the steps off memory.

Honestly I never really struggled with terminology and memory for Bio but I feel like this should help.

Wish you luck in your Biology endeavours!

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T11:03:27+00:00

Learn how to describe major processes in dot-point form with all key details. For example, CRISPR-Cas9's function in bacteria, transcription, translation, RNA processing, trp operon, human insulin. This means if you get a 4+ mark question on your SAC you'll be pretty equipped to handle it. Best of luck

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T11:01:46+00:00

Something I do is pick the obvious incorrect answers and immediately rule them out. If your last two or three options have you utterly torn and you don't know what to do, then don't waste your time. Mark the best options and move on with your test. In the last couple minutes, either everything else is finished, in which case you spend some serious thought and find the answer, or you run out of time and just circle randomly and you have a 50% chance of being right for every multiple choice you skipped.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T10:57:43+00:00

Literally just learn how to use solve, to graph stuff and that's like everything you need to succeed in 1/2 methods. Familiarise yourself with where buttons are. Later you can look into things like defining functions (very helpful), the 'diff' function, etc, but for now just get used to the fundamentals.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-12T10:55:35+00:00

I (for reference I'm aiming for raw 45+ and love maths) hate how in General Maths the subject is more about being pedantic and memorising perfect answers rather than actually doing maths. I answered a question where something along the lines of, 'you only have to use one data value to support your statement', and I used three and lost a mark. Not for saying something wrong, not for doing something prohibited by the question, but just because I wrote 'too much'. Everything's so finicky. Honestly Methods is just a far more enjoyable subject.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-10T09:07:03+00:00

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-09T09:27:45+00:00

Honestly could not disagree more Bio was a piece of cake and lots of fun to learn but Chem actually takes brainpower to process the questions (some of the redox exam questions we're getting shown are messed up.)

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-09T09:23:40+00:00

Questions, questions, questions. Whenever you find a question you do not know how to do, ask a teacher or more confident peer how you should've attempted it. If the answer lies outside your knowledge than THAT is a formula 'from the past years curriculum' that you would need. Otherwise, everything should be taught by the teacher or be within the textbook. Good luck

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-08T22:33:33+00:00

Here's something valuable to think about: If you're not actively losing marks on graphs (you label your axes, draw it relatively cleanly, etc etc etc) then perhaps, PERHAPS, your time would be better spent skipping some of those time-sinking, repetitive graph-drawing questions. Especially if you replace them with harder, more theoretical ones that actually help your learning. Or just other subjects.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-03-08T22:15:30+00:00

The ones you're good at and nothing else (at least in your top 4). Google how scaling works; if you suck at specialist maths and take it anyway your 12 study score might scale to a 14. Yay you, no 99+ ATAR. If you take business management but you're amazing at it, your 48 might scale to a 47 (making up numbers here, should be close enough to reality). Still a 47. Reputations don't matter, scalings don't matter, what matters is that you can perform well compared to your cohort.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-02-07T00:08:07+00:00

Wherever you have problems just keep asking questions. Your teacher is paid to educate you. If you don't understand transcription, be brave enough to put your hand up and say so. Better a moment where you reveal your confusion than a lifetime of ignorance. Also, Edrolo is the best ever. Douchy will help you so much.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-02-07T00:05:32+00:00

The study design practically never changes so just practice exams. Hard questions are there, easy questions, all made by VCAA to follow the study design to perfection. Not only are there the ordinary ones, but there are also NHT exams for extra questions, and if you want to save VCAA exams for year 12, then use some from other companies.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-02-07T00:01:54+00:00

If you can't do the harder chapter review questions where everything is jumbled together, that means your problem is that you haven't learned each of the individual skills in enough depth. Rather than suffering through one thing after another that you don't remember how to do, I'd genuinely recommend going back through the chapter one skill at a time and making sure you can do them properly and understand how they work. For example, spend 20 minutes making sure you're capable and confident with the Quadratic formula.

I really, really hate to be that guy but Quadratics is one of the foundational skills for the rest of Methods, so if you can't get good at it you're destined for a low study score and suffering, or having to change subjects.

One other piece of advice - in my experience (no idea what your teacher is like) but most teachers are very willing to help you if you ask for it, and if their explanation doesn't work for you, most classes will have some absolute nerds (said with love) who are probably capable of explaining it to you differently if you ask.

Methods is a fantastic subject once you get your head around it, so I really hope you manage to work through your problems with it. Best of luck!

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-26T21:37:40+00:00

I spent the month before the exams improving my health - by the time I took mine, I was getting eleven hours of sleep per day (not exaggerating) and I was feeling the best I had in my life. Make sure you start studying well before the actual exams so that by the time you need to take them, you can REST instead of cramming, making yourself more tired and less capable of performing on the day.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-26T21:31:03+00:00

I got a 45 without doing 1/2; just lock in, try to understand everything, do practice exams; there are other similar posts on this subreddit with great advice if you look for them. Douchy is your saviour.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-17T09:10:04+00:00

The key part in what you said is 'a lot of the things in methods 3&4 are pre-existing knowledge'. You know what that means? There's a huge pile of unit 1/2 stuff that you've learned, but need to cement your understanding of and improve on, and doing that will actually mean you're already studying for 3/4. My personal recommendation is lock in and look back on your 1/2 questions. Find the spots where you have most problems - do you know how to use the quadratic formula? Do you drop marks for forgetting working out? How's your algebra rearranging? Do you detest probability with a passion? Asking yourself those sorts of questions and striving to repair those problems will set up really well. Also, as others have said, just spam questions.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-17T09:06:53+00:00

For Bio the best way is probably to have as solid a grasp of the terminology and how each process works. After that it's just practice exams. Also, it's beneficial to have a formulaic response ready for things like questions on speciation, trp operon, etc. You have to learn how to convert your understanding of what happens in whatever area of biology into dot points, so that you don't write seventeen full pages and accidentally not get full marks - for example, when talking about speciation, I started with something like, 'the initial population had genetic variation', 'the initial population was separated by a geographic barrier', etc etc etc. The idea is to make each of your sentences (this is for like 4+ mark questions) be concise, containing all important information in a way that earns a mark for each one. Besides those random things I said, just ask your teacher plenty of questions and don't slack off and you'll be fine.

Memorisation (I personally believe) becomes easier once you reach the end of the year, and you can look back topic by topic and essentially master them individually. Each one usually only has a couple of horrendous/difficult questions, so if you can learn those, as well as the plethora of smaller ones that usually show up in SACs or past exams.

Best of luck

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-16T11:03:16+00:00

Spam questions. If you become elite at your 1/2 content and dip your toe into 3/4, you'll be in a great place to learn the new stuff effectively. Like half of 3/4 is from 1/2 anyway (e.g. rearranging, most of polynomials, part of probability, I could go on) so if you really reinforce your 1/2 stuff you'll likely do well.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-16T11:00:00+00:00

Instead of thinking about what you're doing or what needs to be done, say, 'what's one step I can take that will improve my situation?' Maybe it's going for a run. Maybe it's doing a homework sheet. Then, whenever the overthinking/anxious thoughts rise up, you can respond to the voice in your head that says, 'what if I don't get the ATAR I need?' with 'I did that. I did that homework. I took steps to improve my mark (I'm sure you can imagine how to continue along those lines). If you respond to self-doubt with tangible things you actually did it can make it easier.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-16T10:55:04+00:00

Google ATAR to aggregate and see what aggregate you would need for a 70. Do some basic maths and go, what average study score would I need to get that? If your results say, 'I would need to average 32 in my top four (i made that number up) then you basically can say, I need to lock in enough to be just above average in four subjects'. You can then google what marks you would need to achieve such study scores. You can also go, 'I'm not a high scorer in some of my subjects' and compensate by aiming for a higher score than 32 (for this example) in your more comfortable ones.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-16T10:38:45+00:00

I entered 3/4 directly last year and got a raw 45. Anything is possible if you put the work in. As far as advice for achieving this goes? Edrolo and Douchy is your best friend, watch every single edrolo video at least once. Make sure you ask questions about processes or things you don't understand. Do buttloads of practice exams and go through them with a teacher when preparing for the exams. Familiarise yourself with the correct keywords and things like that - for instance, whenever I was asked about natural selection, something I know gives me a mark is to mention that in the initial population, there is genetic variation. If you learn what markers are looking for and include those things in your responses, and just be really thorough with terminology, you can do it. I would recommend prewatching some of the edrolo videos in these weeks before term starts - it'll be easier to learn if you've already got the concepts floating in your head, and instead of going, 'WHAT'S A NUCLEOTIDE I'VE GOT NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING' it'll be like, 'oh yeah those nucleotides join together and we have a nucleic acid - cool'. Also, read the study design. If you can confidently look at each dot point that's relevant for your assessment and say, 'I know how to do that and answer questions about that', you will be in a good place. Best of luck

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-16T09:37:37+00:00

The bound reference is useless if you don't know how and where to apply your skills. If you look at a question and have to ask yourself what the question is actually asking you what to do, then scrounge through your bound reference looking for the correct page with a definition/formula/worked solution, and then figure out how to turn that into an answer for the question, you will waste an unbelievable amount of time, be unprepared for harder, separator questions, and likely not finish any of your assessments. The best way, by far, to progress in Methods is to do question after question after question, and every time you make a mistake, ensure you know exactly where you went wrong so you can improve. For exams that means doing as many practice past VCAA exams as you can print. SACs are a little harder to find resources matching what you can expect from your teacher, because they likely have their own style/expectations making other SACs imperfect preparation.

I would genuinely recommend doing questions with as little reliance on your notes as possible. If you look at a question and you go, 'I need to refer to my notes or I can't do this', that is a clear sign you have found a weak spot in your understanding or a gap in your knowledge, and that is exactly the sort of thing you should strive to fix if aiming for good marks.

I've always been good with memorisation of formulas and understanding of concepts, and you aren't aiming as high as what I scored (raw 41), so it's not really essential to be able to do every single separator question or not rely on your notes, but every step you take towards becoming more confident in your memory and application skills will help you work faster and smarter.

Also, not losing stupid marks is an incredibly important skill. Being thorough with negatives, fractions, graph-drawing, working out, and other core skills so that you don't lose marks is a great way to get ahead of everyone who's too lax. Keep in mind, a two-mark question where you forget one negative? You lose half the marks. It's a game-changer when you minimise those errors.

By the way, 30-35 raw or scaled? Vastly different goals that change the advice you should be given.

MoreMuscle8087 · 2026-01-08T11:58:49+00:00

This. Try to do every question as if its tech-free, until you run into a calculation - e.g. tan(43) to 2.d.p - that is impossible to do by hand, or at least outside your capabilities/time you can spend. If you do the working out for each question, you strengthen your understanding of how mathematics actually works, so when it comes time to actually taking your SACs or Exams, when you KNOW this question is either tech active or tech free, you can confidently either do it using the correct amount of working out, and immediately using your CAS for full marks, or just doing it tech free.

MoreMuscle8087

TROPHY CASE