How Talent student Farah received an ATAR of 99.45

Need to know the secrets to the 2019 HSC?

We’re asking our Talent 100 Hurstville student and 99.45 ATAR recipient her HSC tips which are fresh off the press! We discuss everything from effective study tips to the doubts she had before starting the 2019 HSC Examinations, and how Year 12 can often be the best part of high school.

Farah Maudud (All Rounder and Distinguished Achiever)

ATAR: 99.45

HSC Marks: Chemistry (96), English Advanced (93), Mathematics Extension 1 (98), Mathematics Extension 2 (93), Physics (92)

What was your best performing HSC subject and why?

My best performing subject was Mathematics Extension 1, most probably because I had already finished learning both the 2 Unit and 3 Unit Mathematics courses in Year 11. As such, I had a very good foundation for and understanding of Maths Extension 1 going into Year 12.

Do you have any tips for students sitting the HSC in 2020?

Keep in mind that disappointments are essentially inevitable during the HSC year

I personally had at least one disappointing result in 4 out of 5 of my subjects throughout the year. In spite of this, everything turned out alright in the end, as everyone has their highs and lows, and in the end these balance out with each other. The people who achieve the higher internal marks at the end are the ones who always keep this in mind, and pick themselves back up after disappointment.

Don’t underestimate the amount of content that will be tested in your trial exams (this is particularly relevant for the Humanities and Science subjects)

It’s not uncommon to underestimate how much you have to know for trials, particularly because the other three internal exams you do will only respectively cover one or two topics max, not four. I made this mistake for my Chemistry trials, cramming my memorisation and re-familiarisation of the year’s content into just 4 days. In the end, my results reflected this and consequently, my final rank.

RELATED: Talent 100 HSC Results Year 12 2019

Don’t grow too comfortable with an impressive rank

I was ranked fourth in my grade and 3 Unit Mathematics in the first semester but come my third exam, for which I studied and revised less than I should have, my rank for that individual exam was 70 (out of ~140)

Treat yourself well during the HSC year

If you ask me and a lot of my peers, we will all tell you that Year 12 has been one of the best years of our high school life.

For me, this is because although I did study consistently (completing homework, writing notes throughout the term), I never pushed myself too hard throughout the year. For example, I stopped studying at 10:30pm on most nights, I usually had 1-2 hours a weekday to relax (eg. TV and dinner with parents), and I always went with our family (to the beach, to eat) and to calm down whenever I was overly stressed. These were just a few things that kept me happy and feeling myself throughout the year, but obviously, it varies from person to person.

What was the best part about studying at Talent 100?

The devoted and supportive Mentors, the friendly peers and the relaxed environment. Talent 100 was such a great place to go as due to all the above, I was able to attend lessons and learn content efficiently without it feeling like a chore.

How was your experience with our Talent 100 Holiday Courses?

I took holiday courses for both Physics and Chemistry on more than 2 occasions. I’m definitely happy with what I got out of these holiday courses and I highly recommend going if you can. This is because for me, I tend to forget content when it is spread out over long periods of time and as such, condensing the content into a smaller period of time worked to my benefit. Also the Mentors teach the content in such a manner that you don’t feel overwhelmed and such that you forget how quickly you’re learning everything.

What are your future career goals and objectives after the HSC?

I am an aspiring actuary and the big dream is to work my way up to a leadership in a large business firm one day.

Want to achieve a stellar ATAR score like Farah? Why not try Talent 100 for free and see what you think!

Our 2 Week Free Trial is available for all students Year 7-12 across our learning centres in Epping, Chatswood, Burwood, Hurstville and Sydney CBD. Click here to find out more about how we can help you achieve your dream ATAR.