Talent 100 Learning system is composed of a three stage cycle.  Students are issued a workbook and attend a 3 hour Seminar. During the seminar, the teacher goes through the key theory and familiarizes the students with the typical range of HSC question and breakdown simple methods to approach these questions. The purpose of the seminar is to build a solid understanding of the syllabus, rather than memorization.

At the end of the class, the student is issued with Examination Style Homework. Unlike school homework, our homework mirrors the HSC exams in style, structure and difficulty to improve our students’ examination technique. Homework is submitted at the beginning of class and is marked returned before class finishes.

Students may then attend Interactive Tutorials, held from 12pm – 4pm on Saturday and Sunday where they can receive individual attention on their Talent 100 homework; on their school work or to prepare for any upcoming assessments. Although tutorials are optional, where a student’s homework falls below 65%, tutorials become compulsory.

For a more detailed explanation of our learning system and homework policy, please see the following attachments.

The Talent 100 learning system is unique in its results-focus and ability to maximize ATARs. We help you maximise your ATAR-

1. On an overall basis, by creating a personal study plan that shows you exactly what it takes to score the ATAR they are looking for;

2. On a subject-specific basis, through superior expertise and a practical understanding of what it takes to score maximum marks in Physics, Chemistry, Maths and English. This two-tier approach allows us set and achieve the right goals for our students, i.e. those that will help you score the ATAR you are looking for.

There are many places where you can get good instruction for HSC subjects. However, Talent 100 is unique in its approach and expertise in teaching.

Approach: Maximise ATAR
Our vision is to get students into the University course of their preference and we see what you do in high school as merely a stepping stone to that end. Therefore, we have a very strong results focus that seeks to maximise ATARs, rather than encouraging students to try score their absolute best in every subject. Whilst this is the conventional wisdom, you will realize that you have a limited amount of time to study, and you need to pick your battles. Trying indiscriminately to score the best mark in a particular subject can lead you to understudy the very subjects that will most significantly improve your ATAR. You need to understand how the scaling system works properly in order to know how to allocate your time efficiently.

Expertise in Teaching: Teaching you what you need to know to top exams
Our style of teaching is highly results focused, and teaches students what they need to know top exams. Our system of seminars and tutorials help develop deep understanding of the concepts required. We comprehensively cover EVERY SINGLE DOT POINT, and include for instance, practicals and research required in Physics and Chemistry. More importantly, our system of teaching is concise and practical. We teach students exactly how to structure their responses to particular question types, with answers written by students who came 1st in the state in that subject. That way our students know exactly what to write in examinations to score full marks.

In a seminar, a Talent 100 teacher goes through our workbooks in a structured fashion to a class of up to 13 students. During this time, you will learn the key theory and go through the typical range of HSC questions as well as strategies and techniques to help develop a deep understanding of the topics. 

In a tutorial, a Talent 100 tutor gives directed and individual feedback to students who require further assistance, would like to know answers to particular homework questions, or simply clarify any conceptual difficulties they may be having at school or in class.  Whilst the small class numbers give students ample opportunity to ask teachers questions in the seminar, the tutorial system is designed specifically to give students more individual attention. The tutorial system functions like a 'study group' in which a tutor will help a small (up to six) group of students work through any difficulties they might be having.

Overall, the teaching system helps combine the best of a competitive class environment, with the personal attention and care of having a private tutor.

In order to book for a tutorial, you simply need to book with the student services. Tutorials are provided at no additional cost, so you will not have to pay anything extra. Usually, one tutorial is provisioned per student per subject per week. However, if you feel you need to go to more tutorials you are free to do so. There is no maximum number of tutorials that you can go to, and is only subject to "fair usage"

Ultimately how well you do in your HSC depends upon how well you are able to perform in exams. Hence, students who are naturally very intelligent but fail to develop good examination technique will often perform worse than those students who are well prepared and have developed perfect examination practice.

Our examination style homework helps students consolidate their understanding whilst simultaneously improving their examination technique. This helps students perform better in exams, firstly by introducing them to the typical range of HSC questions that they are likely to see and to condition them to the style, structure and rigour of examinations.

By doing exam-style homework under exam-style conditions, our students become acutely aware of the type of mistakes they make under pressure and are therefore able to quickly identify and eliminate such errors. Our system of homework ensures that sitting exams is literally like doing another piece of homework

In contrast, whilst school homework helps students improve understanding, it fails to improve examination technique and hence even naturally gifted students are likely to make careless mistakes, and perform suboptimally.

The Talent 100 course materials have been prepared by our notes development team, which consists of students who have scored above 99.9 or scored a state ranking. In fact, for every subject that we teach, we have the students who scored 1st in the state, i.e for Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English overseeing the development of the notes.

Our unique team knows exactly what it takes to achieve the top marks, and have translated that into a very practical set of notes that cover everything you need to know for the exams, in the level of detail that you need to know it. The notes are well structured and guide students through the syllabus in a step-by-step fashion that is easy to understand and follow.

Our notes are written with the central principle of exam relevance - they cover everything that is required by the syllabus in the level of detail needed to score FULL marks. The notes are thorough and comprehensive and designed to make your study time efficient. For instance, in Physics and Chemistry we include write ups of all practicals with a discussion of reliability, validity and accuracy which ensures that you are able to answer questions, even if you did not perform your practicals successfully.

Effectively, our system of notes and teaching allow you to leverage the collective expertise of the HSC's top performers.

Our teachers are composed of exceptional individuals with a strong level of commitment to helping students achieve their highest marks. Whilst strong academic achievement and expertise in a particular subject is mandatory in becoming a teacher at Talent 100, teachers at Talent 100 must also have strong leadership and communication skills. 

You can be certain that all Talent 100 teachers have:

1. Outstanding levels of academic achievement, to ensure that our students receive the highest quality of instruction
2. Outstanding communication skills, to ensure that the theory can be taught to the students in a way that they will understand.
3. Outstanding character and commitment, to ensure that students always feel comfortable to ask questions and are confident that they are prepared and willing to guide them through their latter years of high school.

If you'd like to join the our results-focused courses, simply fill in the Enrolment Form and send it via email to info@talent-100.com.au. Alternatively, you can contact us on 8003-6887 to let one of our friendly staff know what classes you wish to join.

Scaling is a process of standardizing marks (the mean, highest and lowest marks) so that marks can be compared across different subjects. Without scaling, it would be impossible to know whether a 90 in a subject like 4 Unit Maths is better than a 90 in a subject like Legal Studies.

In laymen's terms, scaling marks is like converting them into a 'Universal currency' so that marks in different subjects can be compared. To draw an analogy, when tourists from the US, China and Europe come to Australia, how do we know how much their money is worth? First, we must convert all their currencies into a single Australian Dollar, so that they can be compared. In much the same way, the Universities Admission Centres converts all HSC scores into a universal UAC score, so that marks in different subjects can be compared.

It is important to know about scaling because it has a very large impact on your ATAR. It is important to know about scaling so that you can get a measure of how you marks in different subjects will ultimately contribute to your overall ATAR. For instance, when doing a very highly scaled subjects such as 4 Unit Maths, you only need to be average in order to achieve a mark that is comparable to a very top mark (Top 2%) in a subject such as legal studies.

In fact, understanding scaling properly can help you organise your studies in a very efficient and results-focused manner.

For instance, suppose you are going to a fairly decent school and are coming 10th in Mathematics Extension 2, and 25th in a subject like Advanced English. Furthermore, let's assume that you have a limited time to study, and that if you invested all your time in Mathematics Extension 2, you know you could come 1st, whilst alternatively, if you invested all your time in English you believe you could only come 15th. Where should you invest your time?

Your intuition might tell you to invest all your time in Maths, as you will be topping the highest scaling subject. However, what scaling actually tells you is that you should invest your time in English. The reason is that the scaling for 4U mathematics is so high, that whether you finish 10th or 1st, you are only likely to see a very marginal increase in your ATAR, simply your scaled mark would have already been quite high even if you did come 10th. In contrast, improving 10 ranks in a lower scaling such as English will improve your scaled mark much more than it will in Maths. This is because in a relatively lower scaling subject, you need a relatively higher rank in order to score an equivalent mark.

The above example is a simplification, but demonstrates how you can use your understanding of scaling to organise your studies in the most ATAR efficient way.
In fact, you can use an understanding of scaling to 'translate' any ATAR goal into ranks in each of your particular subjects. For instance, if you were looking to score 99 and were doing Mathematics Extension 1 & 2, Physics and Chemistry and Advanced English, you would need to score in the top 46% of Math Ext 2, 23% of Maths Ext 1, and approximately the top 4-5% of Physics, Chemistry and English. You can use the information in our 'HSC Study Guide' to show you exactly what you need in each of your subjects to target a better ATAR.

In order to book for a tutorial, you simply need to book with the student services. Tutorials are provided at no additional cost, so you will not have to pay anything extra. Usually, one tutorial is provisioned per student per subject per week. However, if you feel you need to go to more tutorials you are free to do so. There is no maximum number of tutorials that you can go to, and is only subject to "fair usage"

The highest scaling subjects are

1. 4 Unit and 3 Unit Mathematics
2. Physics, Chemistry
3. English
4. Economics

The scaling for 3 and 4 Units Mathematics is significantly higher than the rest. Physics and Chemistry do not scale as well as Mathematics, but scale much higher than the other sciences (Biology and Earth and Environmental science) and certainly the other humanities. Advanced English scales in rough parity with Physics and Chemistry, and much higher than Standard English. Standard English is to be avoided where possible.

Finally, the humanities do not generally score as well as Maths, Physics and Chemistry and Advanced English.

Economics and Modern History scale much better than Legal Studies, Commerce, and Business Studies.

There are no 'right' or 'wrong' subjects, only subjects that scale higher and subjects that scale lower. There's nothing wrong with taking low-scaling subjects. What this means is that you will need to score relatively higher positions in those subjects than you would in high-scaling subjects.

Generally, if you are looking for the highest ATAR you should take the highest scaling subjects if you are certain you can score reasonable marks. This last part is very important. No amount of scaling can help you if you are failing your subjects.

As with many other things in life, you need to weigh up the costs and benefits of your own decisions. Your ATAR is very important in determining the course you study at University, and therefore the early part of your career. Thus, even if you enjoy the lower scaling subjects, it might be advisable to opt for the higher scaling subjects if you are capable so that you can do pursue your professional interests later in your life.

If you would like to learn more about scaling, please refer to the scaling article in our 'HSC Study Guide'.

For a more in depth and personalised analysis, Talent 100 regularly provides Scaling Seminars in both our branches, which are completely free to join. Email us now to book your place.

Headstart is an excellent, results-focussed program for Year 10 Students that helps students score the highest ATARs by starting early. By introducing Year 10 students to the core concepts of the Year 11 Mathematics, English, Physics and Chemistry course, Headstart students are able to perform much better when they get into Year 11, and are therefore able to position themselves for achieving the highest marks and ranks in Year 12.

The philosophy behind Headstart is simple: When students study subject for a first time, most students are aiming to merely pass or score 70%. In contrast, when students do a subject for the second time, they are more likely to be aiming to score in the top 10 of their school, or above 85%.

Headstart therefore gives students a competitive advantage when going into Year 11 and 12 by teaching them the bulk of the course at an earlier date.

We currently offer:

1. Headstart English
2. Headstart Phys&Chem (Science)
3. Headstart Mathematics

One of the main advantages of Headstart is that by teaching the fundamentals of the year 11 course a year early, Headstart Students can achieve a competitive advantage on their peers in Year 11, who will be covering the material for the first time.

In contrast, our students will have already covered the key theory in the highest scaling subjects, leaving more time for: exam practice where they can work to eliminate costly careless mistakes; consolidating knowledge so that they can tackle harder questions; and most importantly, more time to allocate to weaker subjects. Overall, this allows Headstart students to achieve a higher ATAR.

One of the best features of the Headstart program is that it allows students to 'test' the subjects BEFORE they get into Year 11. That way students are able to see if they are capable of coping with the demands of the highest scaling subjects and then able to make an informed decision about which subjects to pursue in their final years.

Despite the high scaling of the Mathematics and Science subjects, many Year 10 students opt not to do Physics, Chemistry and Extension Mathematics because they perceive the subjects as difficult, even if they are capable of achieving a good score.

Headstart is for any year 10 student looking to score top marks in Year 11, without having to 'cram' all the information in a short space of time. By teaching Year 11 coursework earlier, it gives students flexibility in their frantic final years of school, so that they can achieve top marks, and still have time to pursue other activities

Whilst Headstart covers Year 11 course material, it has been developed specifically for Year 10 students in mind.

Many of the harder concepts are approached in a way that is easy for Year 10 students to understand, whilst at the same time, maintaining the standards required in Year 11.

There is in fact a big 'jump' in standards in the syllabus from Year 10 to Year 11 & 12. For instance, calculus is not taught in Mathematics until Year 11, and many students who may have performed well up to Year 10 suddenly find themselves struggling in Year 11 & 12. Likewise, students who were good at 'junior science' (a mix of biology, geology, chemistry and physics that students study in Year 7to 10) can find the Physics and Chemistry course difficult because they are forced to specialise in one topic area of science.

Headstart hence provides a good transition from the junior years to the senior years, and helps students adapt more smoothly to the rigours of the Year 11 and 12 course.

Even if you're scoring top marks in Year 9 and 10, our Headstart programs can ensure that you remain competitive in Year 11 and 12 - the years which will ultimately determine your ATAR.

Many students who do well in the earlier years of secondary school are often surprised when their rankings and scores start to drop in Year 11 and 12. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the syllabus from Year 7-10 is much easier than the syllabus for Year 11-12. As stated before, hard topics such as calculus are only covered in Year 11 and above, and science is taught in a very general way in Year 7-10. Because the course material is relatively easy, it is often not the most capable students who score the best marks in exams.

Secondly, in year 11 and 12, the level of competition becomes much higher, as most students start to take their studies seriously. A lot of students find that their marks start suddenly start to drop, as many students who did not usually perform well academically start concentrating more time and effort on their studies.

If you are a top student, Headstart will in fact be well suited to you because it will extend you to a Year 11 level, and hence prepare you to score top marks next year.

Whilst the Headstart Program covers topic areas from the Year 11 program, the main difference lies in the standards and rigour of the courses. Headstart is designed to introduce the core concepts of the Year 11 course. In contrast, the Year 11 Yearly Program is designed to teach and test comprehensively ALL parts of the syllabus. Concepts are tackled in greater depth in the Year 11 course, with harder questions to challenge and extend students learning. Whilst Headstart aims to build understanding, there is a much greater emphasis on examination technique in the Year 11 course and on marks maximisation.

Furthermore, the Year 11 Physics and Chemistry Yearly Program, teaches part of the Year 12 course early to once again, help students maintain their competitive advantage in their final year.

Whilst there is no 'right' or 'wrong' combination of subjects to take, there are subjects that scale higher and subjects that scale lower in terms of calculating your ATAR. In general, the best subjects to take are:

1. Advanced English or higher
2. Mathematics Extension 1 or 2
3. Physics and Chemistry
4. Economics or Modern History

Doing moderately well in these subjects will ensure that you get a relatively high ATAR whilst doing even exceptionally well in the lower scaling subjects does not guarantee a high ATAR, after the marks have been scaled.

For instance, if you were in the top 1% of Standard English, your score will be scaled lower than someone who ranked in the Top 25% of Advanced English. Similarly, scoring the average mark in 4 Unit Mathematics will give you a higher mark than someone who came in the top 2% for Biology, Top 3% for Economics, and Top 5% of English and Physics. For this reason, the profile of most students who score a ATAR of over 99 usually includes 3U or 4U Mathematics as well as Physics, Chemistry and Advanced English.

For more information on Scaling, please read our Scaling FAQ here

Our aim is to help our students score the absolute maximum ATARs, and it is for this reason that we only offer courses in the highest scaling subjects Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English. Of course, if you are not able to do moderately well in these subjects, then no amount of scaling will help you. One of the best features of Headstart is it lets you "try" these subjects before you are forced to make a choice, and if it is clear that you can perform relatively well in these subjects, you should definitely take them if you are looking to maximise your ATAR.

If you would like more specific information on scaling and how it is used to determine your ATAR, you should attend our "Secrets of the HSC' Seminar", which explains the process in detail.

If you'd like to join the Headstart course, simply fill in the Enrolment Form and send it via email to info@talent-100.com.au. Alternatively, you can contact us on 8003-6887 to let one of our friendly staff know what classes you wish to join.