Whirlpool

Does anyone know if year 11 marks, in Queensland, contribute towards to our OP?

Could u guys confirm this with any source, cos i need to know if it is true, not based on generalisation? (teachers, sites etc.)

I do subjects:

Math C
Math B
English
Chemistry
Physics
Biology

I think all these subjects are in the old syllabus.

I heard it counts a bit, but others say quite a lot...

thanks

Most year 11 subjects are formative – which means they don't count towards your OP. But it also depends on your subject because I did accounting and some of the assessments towards the end of year 11 were summative which meant it counted towards my OP.

codes08 writes...

I did accounting and some of the assessments towards the end of year 11 were summative

Yeah, I do accounting in year 11, and from the end of term 2, all our assessment was summative which was good because I got A's.

BCT also started summative on our last exam at the end of the year.

Not really looking forward to next year when everything is summative :P

MoonHoplite writes...

Biology

I know the kids at my school in year 11 Biology had their final piece of assessment, which was a huge written report they did after doing research on a camp, and this was their first piece of Biology assessment that counted towards their OP.

MoonHoplite writes...

Math C

Formative

Math B

Formative

English

Formative

Chemistry

Summative

Physics

Summative

Biology

Summative

kchap42 writes...

Math C

Formative

Math B

Formative

English

Formative

Chemistry

Summative

Physics

Summative

No. It depends on what syllabus the school is teaching. For example, physics this year was summative for my grade, but next year it won't be.

OP, best bet is to ask the school, however I believe it is a requirement for the school to tell you whether it is or not on the front of the task sheets for assessment pieces.

Biology

Summativ

It depends, I don't know if it's really specific to subjects. I had an IPT one at the end of Term 4 Year 11 which was summative. When it comes down to it, the teachers let you know well in advance so it's not a lot to worry about now.

MoonHoplite writes...

I heard it counts a bit, but others say quite a lot...

My geography teacher told me a story of how a student got a D on one of the summative yr 11 exams. He got straight A's in year 12 but was only allowed a B+ exiting mark because of that important year 11 exam. Careful now.

MoonHoplite writes...

I heard it counts a bit, but others say quite a lot...

Any piece of assessment that is marked summative counts A LOT!
All summative assessment should be taken seriously and 100% effort should be put into it as you cannot go back and change it.

well i got (through out year 11 in all terms),

Maths C = A to A+

English = -A to A

Maths B = B's, later until semester 2 i got A's

Chemistry = A in first term, then a few B+ later on ( with one C on a test)

Physics = all A's

Biology = A+, -A, -A, B+

If i get straight A's for every subject in year 12, might i still have a shot at OP 1?

Everyone else get their results in the mail today? I was surprised how spiffy the certificate looks, gold print and everything!

Got an A on the QCS too, so I'm pretty stoked. How did everyone else go?

Beasticly writes...

Got an A on the QCS too, so I'm pretty stoked. How did everyone else go?

Congrats.

It seems like the postman is taking forever.. mine still hasn't come and it's past 12 pm!

My OP didn't arrive today. I live outside the city and usually get letters one day later. Is every year 12 student reveiving an OP supposed to get them in the mail on Monday?

David. writes...

Congrats.

It seems like the postman is taking forever.. mine still hasn't come and it's past 12 pm!

Thanks, I swear my postie came a bit later today too.. they must like the power they hold in making us all anxious or something. :P

kabamb91 writes...

My OP didn't arrive today. I live outside the city and usually get letters one day later. Is every year 12 student reveiving an OP supposed to get them in the mail on Monday?

I'm on the Sunshine Coast (1hr north of Brissy) and I got it today. If it doesn't come tomorrow maybe ring QSA?

David. writes...

It seems like the postman is taking forever.. mine still hasn't come and it's past 12 pm!

Our local postie actually got off his bike, knocked on the front door and personally handed over the YR 12 results envelopes to the students where they were at home. A nice personal touch I think.

Mollie writes...

A nice personal touch I think.

Definitely!

I'm still waiting for mine! Weird considering I'm in the Brisbane metro area.

What a pickle that the ranking marks won't be available until next Wednesday the 31st!

If we did the QCS but didn't go for OP do we still get any info in the mail?

Mollie writes...

Our local postie actually got off his bike, knocked on the front door and personally handed over the YR 12 results envelopes to the students where they were at home. A nice personal touch I think.

My postie wasn't quite that personal but he was nice enough to sit the letter on top of the letterbox rather than ignoring the 'do not fold' stamp and shoving it into the letterbox like my friend's postie did!

Hamish! writes...

What a pickle that the ranking marks won't be available until next Wednesday the 31st!

If we did the QCS but didn't go for OP do we still get any info in the mail?

Yeah, you should get your exit statement and QCE if you were elligible for one. What do you mean by ranking marks?

Beasticly writes...

Yeah, you should get your exit statement and QCE if you were elligible for one. What do you mean by ranking marks?

I did this... http://www.qtac.edu.au/Applying-CurrentYr12/NonOP.html

State school I was at last year encouraged us to do it, Then when I went back to my previous GPS school this year they where just like..... what the? As they haven't started encouraging the principle of going for a rank quite widely yet at the school.

Does any1 know what the highest marks for physics and chemistry were in the state cause i havent seen any peoples marks above my vha8 for phys and vha7 for chem :P i expect there to be sum1 that has beaten it but not entirely sure lol

yep our dux got straight VHA10s apart from english. she did bio,chem,phys,maths b, maths c, eng

Ok my stuff finally came.. but my senior statement is incorrect. The school obviously didn't submit the right information to the QSA.. I've got "incomplete" for both my Cert II in Business and Cert I in IT when I'm the only one who has never failed a competency out of 60 people doing the course.

I hope I don't have to pay to get it fixed.. I'm expecting the school to.

David. writes...

I've got "incomplete" for both my Cert II in Business and Cert I in IT when I'm the only one who has never failed a competency out of 60 people doing the course.

I think I may have the same Issues... Cert 2 In IT 'Not Complete' but then the next page included has that Cert 2 with all passes...

A question for all; I have 22 Semester Units but I only have 15 which where passes which obviously means I'm unable to get the QCE which I don't give a flying duck... But does it mean for the Ranking system I am still eligible for a rank? even if I failed three subjects at exit?

As I can not find anything on here saying about it been passes? http://www.qtac.edu.au/Applying-CurrentYr12/NonOP.html

Hamish =]

Maybe you didn't complete all the modules. If I remember correctly not all modules are necessarily included in the subjects which have certificates embedded into them. Although saying that I got a Cert II in Business by doing BCT in 04. However, I seem to remember us having to do extra modules which weren't included in our assessments,

asgirl writes...

Maybe you didn't complete all the modules. If I remember correctly not all modules are necessarily included in the subjects which have certificates embedded into them.

As I started IT in grade 12 with my absence at another school in year 11, Is that what it could possibly be caused by? Even tho I spent the last few weeks catching up on the modules that I missed out on?

Well I got an OP 9. Satisfied I guess.... it guarantees me an entry to the course I would choose if I was going to attend uni.

Is it possible to view the marks for individual QCS tests?

It just says B overall.

False alarm. I received my OP today. The postie came 5 hours late. I'm so relieved. I was expecting a 10 or 11 but ended up getting a OP of 6 and with no VHAs. I go to a pretty dodgy school too. **kabamb91**

Yes, that could very well be it. I started a subject with the IT modules in it in Year 12 and only got select modules. One day I might actually get around to finishing up all these select modules I have (some for IT, some for hospitality).

Btw anyone here win or know anbody that won the Australian Student prize this yr?

Air87 writes...

Is it possible to view the marks for individual QCS tests?
Not that I know of, I simply received a grade in my letter (some years ago)

Hamish! writes...

I think I may have the same Issues... Cert 2 In IT 'Not Complete' but then the next page included has that Cert 2 with all passes...

That's exactly the problem. My friend has hers 'Awarded' with 12 passes written on the modules. I also have 12, but mine's incomplete.

I completed the cert 3 for it and have it printed on an actual certificate and it says not complete? I also managed an A on the QCS, I AM SOOO STOKED :P I was expecting a B at best cause my average for the WT for ea of the practices was around a 3 lol

David. writes...

That's exactly the problem. My friend has hers 'Awarded' with 12 passes written on the modules. I also have 12, but mine's incomplete.

Just checked with my friends and they have the same issues as "In Complete" What do you think? Send a letter back and hopefully they might notice that it might be a computer error?

Only in QLD this could happen... *sigh* I'm just wondering with my self and among my peers if the $40 review fee is really worth it? I'm sure if enough of the OP1 students complain with a massive ass essay, the QLD government will surely re-issue us with new ones acknowledging it 'was' a wide issue.

As long as you have the actual certificates from TAFE I wouldn't bother. The QSA senior statement isn't really needed if you have you last report card and TAFE documentation.

As for the competencies, I was awarded a Cert II and III in IT without any dramas. I have a result of 'awarded' for both of them as well as passes in all the competencies. Might just be your school?

edit: Apparently I can't read and its happening to more than one of you. Maybe I just got lucky or something? I actually remember my IT teacher having some trouble with the certs... logging on now to the CIS site they have my cert II listed twice, once where I've apparently failed all the modules and once where I've passed them all. She said it was some problem with TAFE and QSA or something, so maybe there's something to chase up there?

Thank God I had a good cohort. I was expecting an individual mark of a B on the QCS but was shocked to see a C. I had 3 SAs and 2 HAs and managed to get an OP 9. I guess it really does matter where you sit on the rank orders.

Hamish! writes...

$40 review fee is really worth it?

In the magazine Exit Lines that came with results it mentions (4th page) that if you send away an application form to QSA and they issue either a new Senior Statement/Statement of Results/Tertiary Entrance Statement, they'll pay back the application fee. So if it actually is an error on their part it shouldn't cost anything.

I received incomplete on my Cert II of Information Technology and all the modules are listed as complete on the other page as well and I know that I completed them all.

Glad I'm not the only one who seems to have this problem lol...

Looks like i'll be sending my review form off.

matt932 writes...

I received incomplete on my Cert II of Information Technology and all the modules are listed as complete on the other page as well and I know that I completed them all.

Glad I'm not the only one who seems to have this problem lol...

Looks like i'll be sending my review form off.

My mother suggested it might be handy if we show this case to the Courier Mail, doesn't harm to give the QLD government, yet, another wake up call about there debacles in society and life!

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/storytip
Here's the link if anyone's keen. I don't think students should have to pay for stuff ups obviously made by the QSA or whoever is in control of that sort of thing. I haven't actually got any certificates but I think it will stop a lot of confusion for some people.

kabamb91 writes...

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/storytip
Here's the link if anyone's keen. I don't think students should have to pay for stuff ups obviously made by the QSA or whoever is in control of that sort of thing. I haven't actually got any certificates but I think it will stop a lot of confusion for some people.

Sent =]

Re-posting from old thread with QCS Test results added in:

For anyone who looks through this thread in the years that follow, here's my subject level of achievements and my OP as a reference.

Maths B: VHA9 (2nd)
Maths C: VHA8 (2nd)
ITS: VHA8 (Equal 1st)
IPT: VHA7 (Equal 1st)
English: VHA4 (2nd)
Physics: VHA4 (2nd)

The same person was the top in all of my subjects, including ITS and IPT where we shared top honours (he was the Dux of our school).

Result: OP 1 and FPs: C:1 D:1

QCS Test: B (Though I'd love to know what I got for the Writing Task)

So, seems I'm not the only one who has been denied their respective Cert in IT (III in my case). Wonder whose fault it was this time :S

I'm still super shocked that I got the same OP as a student doing Physics, Maths B, Chemistry and Maths C – and I was only doing subjects like Maths A, Legal Studies, Modern History and Geography. We both got 3's (highest in school) and topped those subjects.

Edit: Has anyone else's school contacted them and asked for the senior statement back? Mine emailed me and asked me to bring it, apparently they're sending them and requesting new ones.

David. writes...

Has anyone else's school contacted them and asked for the senior statement back? Mine emailed me and asked me to bring it, apparently they're sending them and requesting new ones.

Our school automatically sent ours out?

I also received the details on how our school went in OP wise, I remember some rough details about it, but 5 students got OP 1's.

Hamish! writes...

Our school automatically sent ours out?

New ones with everything fixed up?

Good to hear.

David. writes...

New ones with everything fixed up?

Good to hear.

Oh! I thought you were talking about our report card we got from the school as a senior statement? Silly me!

I'm still yet to contact them about fixing the issue

Well you got the top so you shouldn't be that surprised. There must have been reasonably intelligent people in your classes.

western45 writes...

Well you got the top so you shouldn't be that surprised. There must have been reasonably intelligent people in your classes.

Suppose I underestimated everyone then :)

I was expecting an op of about 10 or 11. My school doesn't really have a lot of smart people and I don't think anyone got any 1s or 2s. Does any one think it is unusual that I got a 6 with these marks? They are estimations.

Maths B HA 9 (2/30)
Maths C SA 2 (?)
Chemistry HA 1 (4/11)
Biology SA 3 (15/30)
Ancient History HA 6 (4/20)
PE SA 5 (14/20)
English HA 6 ( 12/55)

I did 2 semesters of Maths C and PE.

B in QCS

kabamb91 writes...

I was expecting an op of about 10 or 11. My school doesn't really have a lot of smart people and I don't think anyone got any 1s or 2s. Does any one think it is unusual that I got a 6 with these marks? They are estimations.

That's pretty weird but you should just accept it haha.

Yeah, you should probably complain to the QSA and ask for them to bump it up. :P

In all seriousness, that seems like quite a good OP for your marks, maybe your school did considerably better on the QCS than expected?

Anyone know when the QUT office opens back up? I emailed them like a week ago about the OP guarantee and she said she forwarded it to the law faculty, but no word since. Does anyone know definitively if I am guaranteed a spot in http://www.courses.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Courses.woa/wa/selectMajorFromMain?courseID=8470 since it says that OP Guarantee applies? I got a 5. The cut off for journo was a 5 last year. Just need to know if they'll be open before I have to finalise preferences.

western45 writes...

Just need to know if they'll be open before I have to finalise preferences.

Should be. If you got between 1 and 5, which you did, the OP guarantee applies to you and thus you are going to be guaranteed a place. You should be right for your preferences unless you're applying for other programmes that require a 5; just make sure you put QUT Journalism as you're #1 preference and you should get it.

I'm curious. What's the main reason people tend to choose QUT for Journalism over UQ? Better faculty?

David. writes...

Should be. If you got between 1 and 5, which you did, the OP guarantee applies to you and thus you are going to be guaranteed a place. You should be right for your preferences unless you're applying for other programmes that require a 5; just make sure you put QUT Journalism as you're #1 preference and you should get it.

I'm curious. What's the main reason people tend to choose QUT for Journalism over UQ? Better faculty?

I am partly going because I want to do it with law as well, and obviously I needed a 3 at UQ. Only reason I would have gone to UQ is because of college...obviously because it's a good way of life for uni.

But yeah, the QUT facilities are much newer and the course for journo is much more up to date eg. they have digital journalism as one of the courses.

western45 writes...

I am partly going because I want to do it with law as well, and obviously I needed a 3 at UQ.

Would one option be to transfer into a double degree (Law / Journalism) after one year of Journalism with good grades?

Rogue writes...

Would one option be to transfer into a double degree (Law / Journalism) after one year of Journalism with good grades?

Can you do that?

Would it be possible for me to complete a four year Engineering degree and at the end of that, if I decide to, simply complete another year of study to get a Science degree on top? I'm guessing that the only problem in doing that is that I'd have to make sure all the electives I choose in the Engineering degree can also be counted toward the Science degree?

Beasticly writes...

Would it be possible for me to complete a four year Engineering degree and at the end of that, if I decide to, simply complete another year of study to get a Science degree on top? I'm guessing that the only problem in doing that is that I'd have to make sure all the electives I choose in the Engineering degree can also be counted toward the Science degree?

Speak to the faculty advisors at the university concerned. Many things are possible with them on the side. One of my kids is planning on going the other way because the pre-requistes for a single engineering degree at Adelaide are more than those for an engineering/science double. The word we've had so far is that you can get a course transfer as early as mid year in the first year of the degree. Plus in his case it goes through the university and not SATAC, so the prerequiste requirements can be gotten around, but only with prior approval.

Just curious to know what OP u guys think i got with these marks?

BCT – VHA2 (1st/50)
Accounting – VHA7 (1st/27)
ITS – VHA4 (2nd/40+)
English – HA8 (In the top 10/200+)
Math B – HA4 (In the top 10-15/50+)
Physics – SA9 (In the top 10/34)

You need a bit more info in there like how many students were in each class and how your school normally goes on the QCS. But I'm guessing a five or seven, though it's probably not an accurate guess because I haven't seen many results.

So what did you get anyway? I'm curious.

5-7 seems like a good guess.

kabamb91 writes...

how your school normally goes on the QCS

Our school is just about on the state average when it comes to QCS.

I disagree with the OP system. Students, teachers and parents should know exactly how it is calculated and student individual ranking shouldn't be so significantly influenced by other students in the cohort.

Beasticly writes...

Can you do that?

Yes, but YMMV.

the only problem in doing that is that I'd have to make sure all the electives I choose in the Engineering degree can also be counted toward the Science degree?

Indeed.

It may also be difficult because the required Science units in one year will probably be at different levels and level 1 ('first year') units may be required before doing level 2 ('second year') units and so on.

However, it would be easier to transfer into the Eng/Sc double early on (which should be relatively easy after one year of good grades).

Thanks for the info.

Rogue writes...

However, it would be easier to transfer into the Eng/Sc double early on (which should be relatively easy after one year of good grades).

It's more a case of me not being sure of whether I want to do Science on top of Engineering rather than not having the grades to do them together. I'm still very iffy on it but I'm defering for a year so hopefully I'll get time to work something out.

At this stage I'm considering doing the Science degree purely for the chance to learn and possibly get into the academia or research side of things (though I know that is very hard for most fields) and also because it only adds an extra year on.. however I'm not sure if it'd end up benefiting me in the long run or if taking on that extra work load (I made a bit of a plan and it seems as though I won't have any "rest" subjects as all my elective spaces in the Engineering degree are being used to get a major in my Science degree!) will heavily impact my performance. I realise that there'd be a lot of common ground between the two fields but I just thought that maybe it'd be easier if I was only thinking of one of them at a time.

Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated. :)

Beasticly writes...

my elective spaces in the Engineering degree are being used to get a major in my Science degree!

One downside of this that is worth mentioning is that you'll essentially 'miss out' on the choice to take some of those extra Engineering subjects.

Since you've deferred you've got some time to decide what you'd prefer to do.

You could also look at alternate options like a Graduate Diploma in Science after you've completed your engineering degree, which would allow you to take a Science major if you still wanted to at the time.

Something like that might be easier to structure than taking Eng/Sci but having your Science subjects in the final year.

I just thought that maybe it'd be easier if I was only thinking of one of them at a time.

You might actually find that it's refreshing to have the odd Science unit while you're studying Engineering as it gives you some variety in study content.

Since there will be some common ground it should give you some variety while also not requiring an entirely different way of approaching your studies.

Out of interest, which units would you like to study as part of your Science degree?

Thanks again for the reply!

Rogue writes...

One downside of this that is worth mentioning is that you'll essentially 'miss out' on the choice to take some of those extra Engineering subjects.

It'd actually be the other way around I think, for the UQ dual degree you have to take 62 units in Engineering, instead of 64 if you were to do it alone, and 18 for Science – which is just enough to allow me to qualify for a major.

You could also look at alternate options like a Graduate Diploma in Science after you've completed your engineering degree, which would allow you to take a Science major if you still wanted to at the time.

I did consider that but it said in the entry requirements that you needed a minimum of a BSc. for entry? Also all the subjects in it were a step up from what was offered in the BSc. too and it looked as though it was offered for people who wanted to get into masters but missed out on honours.

You might actually find that it's refreshing to have the odd Science unit while you're studying Engineering as it gives you some variety in study content.

Since there will be some common ground it should give you some variety while also not requiring an entirely different way of approaching your studies.

Out of interest, which units would you like to study as part of your Science degree?

I'm looking at doing Electrical Engineering for my Engineering major and Physics for my Science major. The UQ program list has it all pretty much set out for me – I'd have to do the 16 units for the major as well as STAT1201 which would use up all 18 units I have for science (I'd be doing all the physics prerequisites in Engineering anyway).

I guess in a way it would give me some variety, but I imagine it could get a bit stressful in semesters where I have two physics units, an electrical engineering unit and a maths unit! :P I'm just a bit worried that I might burn out too easily, but I guess that could happen if I were doing a vanilla engineering degree anyway. I'm also a bit worried about being 'locked in' to a major and not being able to change my mind half way through and swap over. Hopefully I'll get a bit more direction in this coming year though! :)

Beasticly writes...

It'd actually be the other way around I think, for the UQ dual degree you have to take 62 units in Engineering, instead of 64 if you were to do it alone
While it's not the other way around, it's only one unit difference so you're not going to lose out on much at all.

There shouldn't be any attendance list and lectures are generally big enough that no one will know you're not enrolled :)

I did consider that but it said in the entry requirements that you needed a minimum of a BSc. for entry?

Yeah, it does and your summation of the course seems spot on.

I had a quick look on the UQ website but couldn't find anything – I was thinking something along these lines:
http://www.sci.monash.edu.au/postgrad/pgdiploma.html

I'm just a bit worried that I might burn out too easily

The study load looks to be the same for the single and double degree – four units per semester – so that's good.

Often double degrees have an overload (ie. one extra unit every second semester) but the UQ Eng/Sci degree is weighted at a normal load...just that you'll be there an extra year

I'm also a bit worried about being 'locked in' to a major and not being able to change my mind half way through and swap over.

You can always change your mind, it just might take you a little more time.

It's not ideal, but plenty of people spend more than the minimum amount of time at university.

Obviously it's best to make the right decision initially though =)

Hopefully I'll get a bit more direction in this coming year though! :)

You could arrange to speak to people who teach the various majors during your 'gap year'.

You might also want to sit in on some of the lectures for the subjects you're considering.

This could be a good way to get a feel for the subjects before you begin.

Sorry for the repost.
Just curious to know what OP u guys think i got with these marks?

BCT – VHA2 (1st/50)
Accounting – VHA7 (1st/27)
ITS – VHA4 (2nd/40+)
English – HA8 (In the top 10/200+)
Math B – HA4 (In the top 10-15/50+)
Physics – SA9 (In the top 10/34)

My school's QCS results are normally just on the state average.
I'm asking for your opinions because I'm not sure if I should send my results for reviewing.

Thanks for your replies.

NF$ writes...

Sorry for the repost.
Just curious to know what OP u guys think i got with these marks?

They won't review it...

western45 writes...

They won't review it...

There is an option to have your OP reviewed. They simply check that the calculations and the like were correct. If your OP is good enough to get in to your preferred course, I wouldn't bother. If you need a better OP, you might want to consider it as an option.

Rogue writes...

While it's not the other way around, it's only one unit difference so you're not going to lose out on much at all.

Sorry, I should've made myself a little bit clearer.. by 'the other way around' I meant that I'd miss out on Science subjects rather than Engineering ones, which is a bit concerning but at the end of the day I guess I'll still be able to do all the subjects to get a major.

You can always change your mind, it just might take you a little more time.

That makes sense, as long as I'm willing to keep paying for subjects I can stay there as long as I want (within reason)? For example if I got halfway through my physics major and decided I wanted to have a chemistry major instead could I just extend the life of my course?

You could arrange to speak to people who teach the various majors during your 'gap year'.

You might also want to sit in on some of the lectures for the subjects you're considering.

Good points, but I'm going to be doing the 9 – 5 thing next year! Hopefully there'll be a few lectures after hours.

You know its not only based on how well you did in the subjects you choose (and not only your standing), but also directly related to how well your school did in QCS. IIRC (or it used to be).

I think it's easier to get an OP1 if you're intelligent at an average school and you perform well in both your selected subjects and QCS than it is in a more renown school with a higher weighted tier.

In regards to tertiary education, a lot of schools allow public access to their lecture materials and videos (MIT for example). Google should help you if you're interested.

Justin. writes...

There is an option to have your OP reviewed. They simply check that the calculations and the like were correct. If your OP is good enough to get in to your preferred course, I wouldn't bother. If you need a better OP, you might want to consider it as an option.

Oh righto. That being said, I'd say maybe a 6 or 7. What'd you actually get?

What's with the offer dates on courses? It shows from 16 December to 15 January. Shouldn't it be something like 1st January to 15 January? Check out the picture:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8867/courseqj8.jpg

They're two different offer dates I think. The 16th must be QUT's early offer date which might not apply to your course.

Beasticly writes...

STAT1201 which would use up all 18 units I have for science

Kind of OT here, but STAT1201 is one of the EASIEST science courses around (As long as you learn how to use "R").
Also all BSc UQ'ers are required to complete Scie1000 (?)which is now compulsory

New BSc'ers have it good (Read News.com.au) due to the drop in HEC's fees.

Anyway I may sign up be a prac tutor few 1st year science courses so I hope to meet you guys :D

Beasticly writes...

but at the end of the day I guess I'll still be able to do all the subjects to get a major.

Yeah, although I'm surprised that you can only squeeze in a major.

Often you'll find you still take at least 2/3 of a degree and that generally means a major plus other units (ie. minor and a sequence).

That makes sense, as long as I'm willing to keep paying for subjects I can stay there as long as I want (within reason)?

Within reason being the key term – there are some rules on length of candidature and the like but 'wasting' some time/units because you switch majors (or fail etc) isn't uncommon.

Good points, but I'm going to be doing the 9 – 5 thing next year! Hopefully there'll be a few lectures after hours.

Yeah – it'd be worth making the effort if you can, even if you take a long lunch and make up the hours or something.

Getting your hands on the study guides or borrowing the texts used for the majors you're interested in would be another way to get a feel for the subject.

Anyway, good luck with it :)

Maths C = A to A+
English = -A to A
Maths B = B's, later until semester 2 i got A's
Chemistry = A in first term, then a few B+ later on ( with one C on a test)
Physics = all A's
Biology = A+, -A, -A, B+
If i get straight A's for every subject in year 12, might i still have a shot at OP 1?

I got similar marks in Year 11, and recieved an OP 1. My school was dodgy, and I was the first to get a number above a 3 in a number of years.

I topped all my classes in the grade, and my Year 12 marks improved a lot (so, maths b & c = A+s; physics, chem & earthscience = As; english = A-)

I also topped earth science in the state.

You do have a chance of getting an OP between 1 & 5. In other years, people with your year11 marks have gotten 1s.

Are QTAC offers mailed out, or do we have to do it all online?
I'm going to be away at the time of offers, but would someone like my mother be able to accept for me? What's the go with this, I can't find much (ANYTHING!) throught my google searches.

They're published in the paper, aren't they?

If you check the thing where we lodged our preferences, it says, 'Your application has not yet been considered for an offer in a tertiary place', which means it may tell you there.

Hey guys,

I complete year 12 this year.

At the moment I do:
English (A)
Maths A (A+)
Multi-Strand Science (A)
Modern History (B)
Music (A)
and have dropped BCT (B+ average, my worst subject) to do Music Extension which I predict I will get As in.

I am the top student in Maths A, Multi-Strand, Modern History, Music, and think I will be able to top Music Extension.

My understanding is that weighting of subjects is all relative to the QCS results of that cohort, and that as long as you're topping the class it won't matter what subjects you do/what grades you get in them so long as you do well on the QCS.

I did my first IQ test today and got in the top 2%.

I know I'm doing the "dumb" subjects, but I do want to attain an OP high enough to secure me a scholarship to Griffith/QUT. I'll have gaurenteed entry to the BBus as I'm starting the course this year, but the scholarship part is important. Though most these scholarships go to OP1-3 students.

Would anyone be able to calculate my OP?

Thankyou :)

Elle. writes...

Would anyone be able to calculate my OP?

I know someone who did the exact same subjects as you and who was top in the same subjects you are. She got a 4. I did those subjects, except with BCT and Legal Studies (minus Music and Multi-strand) and got a 3.

It does depend on your school, but good luck!

Thanks David.

Lol it fails... i did 400 SAI for all and i get OP 25..

i know i shouldn't really be worrying about this however i am curious. at the moment i am in year 12 doing maths C, maths B, english, Biology, physics and Legal studies.
previously i have also done Chemistry and Business (in year 11). The semesters which i have done for each subject (assuming this is at the end of year 12) is as followed:
Maths B (4)
Maths C (2)
English (4)
Chemistry (1)
Biology (4)
Legal (3)
Business (2)
Physics (4)
If i am correct OP Calculation considers your best 20 semesters (?). is it possible for my year 11 subjects (Chemistry or Business) to be included in the calculation?

Thankyou.

Hello I've got a question regarding the Virtual Schooling System if anyone knows the answer? I got an OP2 with the following results & SAIs which I know of:

Maths C = VHA5 – Don't know.
Maths B = VHA3 – 400
Physics = HA6 – 400
Chemistry = HA9 – 400
English = VHA2 – About 390.
IPT = VHA5 – Don't know.

[According to our teachers, our school marks were described as "exemplary" by the verification panel. In fact they put some of our Physics grades up higher than our teacher had proposed. :-P]

I was the top of Maths C & IPT at my own school, but in Maths C we finished with only 3 people, and 6 in IPT. I know that there were other students at other schools in those virtual subjects who obtained higher marks than myself. Does anyone know how virtual subject SAIs are distributed?

TheLlehctim writes...

Does anyone know how virtual subject SAIs are distributed?

Subjects which have less than 12 students have SAI's distributed differently, i.e. your rank within the subject (VHA 8, HA 6, HA 1 whatever) becomes your SAI.

http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/tertiaryentrance/te_op_basics.pdf

Thanks! Drat though, that means – in spite of whatever QSA may say – we're disadvantaged in that we need VHA10s for small class subjects. :-S And I refuse to believe that that's a practical possibility. :-P

TheLlehctim writes...

in spite of whatever QSA may say – we're disadvantaged in that we need VHA10s for small class subjects. :-S And I refuse to believe that that's a practical possibility. :-P

It does create a bit of situation – especially when everyone's in the VHA category and say the lowest person is a VHA 4 – even though they're a VHA, they're still the bottom student. I agree, a VHA 10 is just not practical. I know they exist, but so rarely.

But if everyone's on a VHA they should theoretically all do well on the QCS so that their SAIs will be scaled well? Or don't virtual subjects use the QCS for scaling?

Beasticly writes...

Or don't virtual subjects use the QCS for scaling?

Note the link above – if subjects have less than 12 students, QCS results aren't counted when scaling.

With what David said about our marks becoming our SAIs for small classes, is it just split so that each mark is worth between 200 and 400 with each interval being equal? That is, is it:

VHA10 = 400
VHA 9 = 396
VHA 8 = 392
.

.
.

VLA 2 = 204
VLA 1 = 200
?

Oh, and some thing else which has just crossed my mind,
"if subjects have less than 12 students, QCS results aren't counted when scaling" – David.
So in that case no matter how much we try to do well on the QCS, even a 400 for a small class, so can that still pretty much be restricted to say an OP4?

TheLlehctim writes...

is it just split so that each mark is worth between 200 and 400 with each interval being equal?

Possibly. No one knows for sure though, all the QSA say is that they have "methods" of doing it. I did one subject that was small, and when I got my SAI's, it was simply given to me as "VHA 4" where the others were 400 and 399, for example. There's no physical SAI given out to students.

So in that case no matter how much we try to do well on the QCS, even a 400 for a small class

As far as I understand. QCS scaling wouldn't "work" if there are only <12 results to average, so to make it "fair" they have to adopt a different way. It can be to your benefit though, assuming the other people in the subject would otherwise have performed poorly on the QCS. It sure helped me.

Looking back at your original post, I would say that your chance of getting an OP 1 would've been quite big if you were the top student in Maths C and IPT.

:-P It didn't bother me much. I only needed a 12. I wanted to know how they worked out the smaller classes just to satisfy my own curiosity. :-P

Each year, there is a table of small subject group scaling parameters. Your school has been given a copy of this in early December. I think this will probably answer some of your questions. It shows each authority subject and a range of scaled values for each level of achievement. It is determined from all students in the state who were not in small groups ie you get a result that is near the average for all students who got that same level of achievement and rung in that subject.

Plenty of students in small groups get OP1s. Small group procedures have been designed to neither advantage or disadvantage students like you.

TheLlehctim writes...

I wanted to know how they worked out the smaller classes just to satisfy my own curiosity. :-P

Fair enough :P Always good to know these things hey.

Plenty of students in small groups get OP1s. Small group procedures have been designed to neither advantage or disadvantage students like you.

Thanks! Although, yes it's annoying because it's using the average thing again & that immediately makes it never worth 400. :-P Oh well.

TheLlehctim writes...

:-P It didn't bother me much. I only needed a 12. I wanted to know how they worked out the smaller classes just to satisfy my own curiosity. :-P

Hehe, I remember being the same way – wanting to know how it all worked behind-the-scenes. Well done on those results by the way.

For anyone else that reads this too, it's always a good idea to keep scholarships in mind if you're a high achieving student like TheLlehctim here. You might not think you'll get one, but there's no harm in applying :)

Hikage writes...

For anyone else that reads this too, it's always a good idea to keep scholarships in mind if you're a high achieving student like TheLlehctim here. You might not think you'll get one, but there's no harm in applying :)

I cannot recommend doing this enough, do it even if you have average marks.. you never know what will happen. I severely underestimated my own OP and only applied for one scholarship at UQ (that I didn't get) but I heard of some of my peers who didn't do as well as me and got scholarships at other places. Oh well, I guess it would be unaustralian of me or something not to carry a HECS debt. :P

Do schools receive a list of what OP each student got or is all that kept private?

I'm not sure whether they get a list with everyone's OPs on it. I know they get a list ranking everyone from top to bottom and then by ringing the people they can figure out what OPs other people got.

asgirl writes...

I'm not sure whether they get a list with everyone's OPs on it. I know they get a list ranking everyone from top to bottom and then by ringing the people they can figure out what OPs other people got.

If they got a list with everyone's OP on it they wouldn't need to call people to figure out what everyone scored.

Beasticly writes...

Oh well, I guess it would be unaustralian of me or something not to carry a HECS debt. :P

You'll fit right in with the rest of us =)

True, had I thought about it I would have realised that, oops!

asgirl writes...

True, had I thought about it I would have realised that, oops!

:p

kabamb91 writes...

o schools receive a list of what OP each student got or is all that kept private?

I'm fairly sure they don't receive a list of what OP everyone got.
I was talking to my legal/accounting teacher yesterday about some of her year 12 students last year, and I was telling her how they did in OP and she didn't know.

mitch169 writes...

I'm fairly sure they don't receive a list of what OP everyone got.

They do. The day the OP's come in the mail, at 6 pm they have access to a list. This is what I was told by the principal.

David. writes...

They do.

Why do they call students to see what OP they got if they have access to this information?

I thik the list is just a list with the ranked order of everyone -no OPs.

asgirl writes...

I thik the list is just a list with the ranked order of everyone -no OPs.

Yep, I agree.

asgirl writes...

I thik the list is just a list with the ranked order of everyone -no OPs.

I heard that too.

Rogue writes...

Yep, I agree.

It's quite possible.

It just makes sense that the school should receive information on the OP's they achieved.. maybe it's a privacy thing.

Woot any1 else on here win an australian student prize?

gorillaman writes...

Woot any1 else on here win an australian student prize?

I think my friend was nominated for Vocational student of the year, or something along those lines.

gorillaman writes...

Woot any1 else on here win an australian student prize?

How do you know if you've won one?

Got a letter 3 weeks ago

yeh vocational prize is a bit different

Any1 able to upload the couriermail OP stuff from tday? Thanks

Mmulv2 writes...

Any1 able to upload the couriermail OP stuff from tday? Thanks

It's on the QSA website as a PDF file.

I just looked at my schools results, 1 student left with nothing. No OP, No QCE or no VET certificates. Kind of a worthless 12 years of schooling.

gorillaman writes...

Woot any1 else on here win an australian student prize?

A friend of mine won it aswell, enjoy your $2K :)

Hey I was jus wonder if anybody can estimate what OP I might get. Based on my term 1 results I got:

Maths B – low/mid VHA | SAI: 400 (9 students)
Biology – high HA to low VHA | SAI: 400 (15 students)
Chemistry – high HA | SAI: 400 (6 students – everyone else is getting C's)
Physics – mid/high HA | SAI: 370 (7 students)
Study of religion – high HA | SAI: 385 (15 studnets)
English – low VHA | SAI: 400 (15 students)

Also considering they only consider my top 5 subjects, will they take my religion into account (I scored better in this subject) or will they take physics since it's a higher weighting subject?

SethT writes...

Also considering they only consider my top 5 subjects, will they take my religion into account (I scored better in this subject) or will they take physics since it's a higher weighting subject?

not determinable until after QCS?

SethT writes...

Also considering they only consider my top 5 subjects, will they take my religion into account (I scored better in this subject) or will they take physics since it's a higher weighting subject?

No such thing as 'higher weighting subjects', it's all based on QCS scores for your subject group. Also not you might be in the special catagory of having class sizes smaller than the threshold (12 students? I can't remember, it's been years) where you just use state averages (or something like that) instead of your individual subject group.

hahahha

the dude that started this thread has probs already got his OP

BobsYourUncle writes...

(12 students? I can't remember, it's been years)

It's 14

SethT writes...

Hey I was jus wonder if anybody can estimate what OP I might get. Based on my term 1 results I got:

I got fairly similar marks to you last year:

English: VHA8 (1st)
Maths B: VHA3 (3rd)
Physics: HA9 (2nd)
ITS: VHA8 (1st)
Chem: VHA2 (2nd)

And got an OP 2. So maybe something in the 2 – 5 range?

Anyone do the same subjects as me??

English

Legal Studies

Maths B

Maths C

Chemistry

Physics

Jezzzzza writes...

Anyone do the same subjects as me??

I did those in my senior years in 2005.
English – HA6
Legal Studies – HA10
Maths B – VHA3
Maths C – SA9
Chemistry – SA9
Physics – VHA1

QCS: B.

Pretty average high school in regards to QCS. (Had a girl with 6 VHA's and got an OP 2 hahaha).

OP 5 for me.

licensed writes...

I did those in my senior years in 2005.
English – HA6
Legal Studies – HA10
Maths B – VHA3
Maths C – SA9
Chemistry – SA9
Physics – VHA1

Do you regret taking legal? I've constantly thought about it, always changing my mind about whether it was a mistake or convincing myself it's actually not too bad.

Jezzzzza writes...

Do you regret taking legal?

When I first took it, I did regret it, but now I'm doing pretty good at it.
I got a VHA this semester for it, and just completed a pretty good independent study research assignment.

Now we're working on Family Law, which I've been looking forward to for a while.

Jezzzzza writes...

Do you regret taking legal?

Legal studies wasn't helpful for me personally because i wanted to study engineering at uni. I would have chosen Graphics but it clashed with another of my maths subjects.

I learnt more reading the Courier Mail whilst eating my breakfast in the mornings than i did in Legal Studies. However my class had good eye candy. Some really blonde students made class discussions a LOL fest.

So as a 6th subject that i didn't really care about, it ended up being my most entertaining and fun class. :)

licensed writes...

Some really blonde students made class discussions a LOL fest.

Yeah, we had that in our class in year 11, but then once we got to year 12, they got kicked out to not bring us down.

Does any one know if summative assessment from year 11 counts toward op even if this is my only subject with summative assessment and the subject I'm moving into hasn't started summative work yet?

Printer 22 writes...

Does any one know if summative assessment from year 11 counts toward op even if this is my only subject with summative assessment and the subject I'm moving into hasn't started summative work yet?

Any assessment marked as summative assessment will count towards your OP. Year 11 or Year 12, it all counts, if it's summative.

even if you move from the subject and enter a subject which is not summative yet?

Printer 22 writes...

even if you move from the subject and enter a subject which is not summative yet?

No, that subject won't count if it is still formative.
But you have to be aware that any work you did complete that was summative will appear on your senior statement.

OK thank you
So i guess my low HA for biology (which was summative) will still count even if I switch out...

that depends on whether or not biology ends up being one of your best 5 subjects, or they use it to make up the 20 semesters required.

podme2 writes...

that depends on whether or not biology ends up being one of your best 5 subjects, or they use it to make up the 20 semesters required.

What would usually be better, English or biology?

Printer 22 writes...

What would usually be better, English or biology?

That would depend on a number of factors, such as your achievement in that subject, how you compare to others doing that subject, the class size, etc.

Although I never learned which one of my subjects wasn't counted last year, I have a sneaking suspicion that it would have been English. I would imagine it to be a similar story for the other top guys at my school as well. We weren't bad in the subject by any means, it's just generally we achieved slightly better results in our elective subjects (Maths C, Physics etc).

Anyone else notice this trend at their school?

Hikage writes...

We weren't bad in the subject by any means, it's just generally we achieved slightly better results in our elective subjects (Maths C, Physics etc).

Anyone else notice this trend at their school?

I'd say it is likely that a significantly high number of students taking electives like Maths C and Physics aren't too interested in subjects like English..

Math C – HA7 (second in class, first is on HA10, rest are SA).
Math B – VHA4 (5th or so out of 100, average is HA5).
Physics – SAI 400.
IPT – VHA5 (third, top 2 are on VHA 6 and 7, rest on HAs. 20 in group)
Chemistry – SAI 400.

School QCS average was 250 last year I believe.

I thought I was in for a 1 hands down, but from looking at some other people's results, I am now not so confient.

Plus my Math C class only has 5 people, so even if I come second, I'm going to get a shite SAI which will ruin me.

Hikage writes...

Anyone else notice this trend at their school?

I've always felt that English or Maths should be your 6th. You shouldn't let one of your electives be your 6th coz you might aswell have dropped the subject, but then again, if 5 of your subjects is good enough for an OP you would like, then it's ok

Aaron James Murphy writes...

Math C – HA7 (second in class, first is on HA10, rest are SA).
Math B – VHA4 (5th or so out of 100, average is HA5).
Physics – SAI 400.
IPT – VHA5 (third, top 2 are on VHA 6 and 7, rest on HAs. 20 in group)
Chemistry – SAI 400.

You rank really well in your 5 subjects. If you are worried about your school's QCS then you should be happy that you aren't worried about your subjects.

You would know whether or not you have put in the best foot forward and that's all you can control.

http://i44.tinypic.com/16jr2te.jpg

Could someone have a shot at allocating me some SAIs? I want to do some tinkering but my guesstimates are probably inflating my mark.

Cheers.

PS:

Here are my guesses:
Chem: 400
IPT: 390
Math B: 375
Math C: 340
Physics: 400

That gives me an average SAI of 381.

Here is a link to the now-defunct FindOPs program.
users.on.net/~barryhallam/findops.zip

Aaron James Murphy writes...

Here is a link to the now-defunct FindOPs program.
users.on.net/~barryhallam/findops.zip

lol impossible to follow, so many words..

MykidStoleUrkidsBike writes...

lol impossible to follow, so many words..

I figured out how to work it, bust me your grades and respective subjects and I will put it in.

Aaron James Murphy writes...

I figured out how to work it, bust me your grades and respective subjects and I will put it in.

This goes for anyone else, throw me your marks and I will gladly respond with an OP prediction. Currently, I'm looking at a 1 :D:D

I thought I was in for a 1 hands down, but from looking at some other people's results, I am now not so confient.

Mmm i don't think a 1 is likely with your results, unless your school does amazing in the QCS like brisbane grammar style awesome.

To compare, the top of maths c in my class last year was a vha8 in contrast to your school's ha10.

artist91 writes...

To compare, the top of maths c in my class last year was a vha8 in contrast to your school's ha10.

Why does that matter? It's your SAI that counts...our school gets a B on the QCS almost without fail each year.

No it doesnt matter about your SAI, it matters how well every1 else in the subject is doing. Because English, IPT and Maths B have a high average, ur standard deviation from them is small, meaning its not good for ur OP. For me to get my OP1, i was on VHA6-8s where the average was around SA6. Also 2 of your results are HA/SA, so theres very little chance for you to get a 1. It also matters on how high your result is also in compairson to other schools, if u got 400 and HA10 and someone has 400 and VHA6, the person VHA6 will most likely get a better OP. I think with your results you'll get around an OP 3. You're also only top of 2 subjects which isnt good for OP1. For me to get my OP1, i did 7 full OP subjects and was top of 6 of them with my lowest mark being VHA4 and 3 highest being VHA 8s.

Mmulv2 writes...

No it doesnt matter about your SAI, it matters how well every1 else in the subject is doing.

Well said Mmulv2, you have to remember that it's not just how you're doing in your school – you are being ranked QLD-wide, so if you want a 1 you have to be right up there in the VHA range.

I finished with a straight mid to high VHAs (VHA4, VHA 5, VHA10, VHA6 and a VHA 5) and got an OP 3. So yeah, i'd be aiming for the high VHAs for a 1.

edit: oh and my school was an A on QCS.

What happens with LoA's, do they get scaled and twisted and yanked around before the OP calculation.

Does person 'A' with VHA7 better than person 'B' with VHA6, no matter what school?

:D i jus got my report card for this sem so i was wondering if someone could estimate my OP again :D:D

im currently 1st for all of my subjects, but some classes are quite small. aiming around a 5. but school kinda dogdy – most people are just passing in their subjects so im worried about qcs >.<

english A- (20 people)
study of religion A- (15 people)
math b A- (13 people)
biology B+ (15 people)
chemistry B+ (7 people)
physics A- (10 people)

SethT writes...

english A- (20 people)

I find it hard to believe only 20 people in year 12 do English at your school.
You have to remember that in subjects where there is more than one class (English would definitely be one), you're up against all classes, not just the one you're in.

Can you guess mine?

Biology VHA5 (top of class) 20 people
Chemistry VHA5 (top of class) 20 people
Physics VHA5 (top of class) 12 people
Maths B VHA3 (unknown – top 8) 30 people
Maths C VHA3 (third in class) 12 people
English VHA2 (third in class) 46 people

owhsssss i didnt realise that point. thanks for the heads up mitch.

well then, let me post again :D .. well im basically 1st anyways but the numbers are:

english A- (50 people)
study of religion A- (15 people)
math b A- (13 people)
biology B+ (15 people)
chemistry B+ (7 people)
physics A- (10 people)

RocketGoBang writes...

Can you guess mine?

Biology VHA5 (top of class) 20 people
Chemistry VHA5 (top of class) 20 people
Physics VHA5 (top of class) 12 people
Maths B VHA3 (unknown – top 8) 30 people
Maths C VHA3 (third in class) 12 people
English VHA2 (third in class) 46 people

LOL no need to guess. Unless you flunk qcs you will get 1.

Jezzzzza writes...

Does person 'A' with VHA7 better than person 'B' with VHA6, no matter what school?

Yes. That's what the QSA moderation and verification are for.

artist91 writes...

Yes. That's what the QSA moderation and verification are for.

Are you sure? I was under the impression that the interschool scaling that occurs could mess this up if person A's school/class did worse on the QSC (assuming both are in the same position relative to the rest of their own school and class)?

We've just done a whole heap of QCS practice tests and I just got ann my results back.

I got above average in multiple choice, and about average in both the writing task and short response.

My semester one marks are as follows

Maths B – A
English – B+ (very very close to being on a A- and I got A's all last year)
Geography – A/A+
Science21 – B+ (either that or an A-)
Accounting – A

my 6th subject is business which isnt OP elligible. Does it affect my OP if I am only doing 5 OP subjects?

Also what OP am I likely to get with the above marks and a average to above average score on the QCS test?

amelia1991 writes...

my 6th subject is business which isnt OP elligible. Does it affect my OP if I am only doing 5 OP subjects?

Yes, it can affect your OP....
As you are doing 5 subjects, it means all your OP subjects will be counted, unlike someone who takes 6 OP subjects, where only 5 of those 6 will count. This means, that if someone doesn't do so well in one particular subject, it won't have to count. Luckily, unlike other states, English does not have to count, which is good for me, as I am on mid-high VHA's on all subjects, with the exception of English where I am currently sitting on an HA5.

Hello,
Just would like to receive some feedback on some potential OP results, having been given Semester 1 results.

My results are:

English.. VHA 2
Maths B.. VHA 5
Maths C.. HA 7
Philosophy.. HA 5 (very heavily weighted due to high standard)
Study of Religion.. VHA 5
Chemistry.. HA 8

So basically 3 A's, 3 B's.

I go to a GPS School in Brisbane and our school does relatively well on QCS.

**note, Philosophy will definitely count as I am placed 7th in the subject and all students are in the top quartile for QCS marks.

My IPT class has five year 12s and one year 11 person, so it's a very small class and as far as I know, there won't be any sort of in-class SAI ranking.
The year 11 person has the ability to top the class, should I or one other person not have the grades to back us up. This won't directly affect us (year 12s), will it? And out of curiosity, would any year 11's grades in year 12 classes affect our SAI rungs in a full-sized subject, like English? Or are they just not included?

Also, my Chemistry class is just as small (8 people).
Just to make it crystal-clear, there are only one of each class in year 12(IPT and Chemistry).

So how exactly are we supposed to be ranked in terms of SAI? As usual, or somehow compared to the entire state? (What my Maths B teacher told me, who was in charge of OP predictions)

bump

Siebenzer writes...

So how exactly are we supposed to be ranked in terms of SAI? As usual, or somehow compared to the entire state? (What my Maths B teacher told me, who was in charge of OP predictions)

Depending on the size of the class, the QSA has a few options when it comes to comparing you against the rest of the state. Where the class size is small (like your IPT and Chemistry classes), they will base their calculations on your actual level of achievement (VHA, HA, etc.) in the subject. For slightly bigger classes (not sure what the number is, it would be on one of the documents on the QSA website), they use a combination of your LoA and your SAIs, and finally for the larger classes like English they simply use the SAIs.

As far as I'm aware, only Year 12s are considered for the SAI rankings.

From what I've read so far throughout this thread, asking for predictions is sort of pointless, since so many variables influence the final outcome. But from people I have spoken too, they are still quite helpful regardless.
I need some advice on whether I'd be leaning more towards an OP 1, 2 or 3 since I am now in the process of finalizing my preferences for uni.

maths b: vha 6/7 (prob first, and defs in top 3)
maths c: vha 5/6 sai 400 (could be higher)
biology: vha 4/5 sai 400 (will improve by +1 or 2)
chemistry: vha 4 sai 400 (will improve by +1 or 2)
physics: vha 6/7 sai 400
english: vha 5 (unsure of rank, but in top 6)

^^ OP 1 nuff said!

dr.prim3 writes...

I need some advice on whether I'd be leaning more towards an OP 1, 2 or 3 since I am now in the process of finalizing my preferences for uni.

Great marks dude. You're probably looking at a 1 but don't bank on it. Having said that, I'd be shocked if you got a 2.

Whatever you do, apply for as many scholarships as you can find. It'll leave your options open. I wish I applied for more when I had the chance.

Hey guys. I've a got a friend who's having mixed responses from various sources about predicting his OP.

When he plugged his results in FINDOPs he got around a 6 or a 7. However, Anglican Church Grammar School predicted his OP in the range of 10-13.

His marks for year 12 semester 1 is as follows:

English – B/B+
Biology – B/B+
Chemistry – C (SA8)
Physics – B-
Maths B – B+
Maths C – C+

his LoA's are mostly unknown and no information about the spread of the cohort is known. Hopefully you can give him some feedback on what his situation is.

Thanks i advance.

FINDOPS uses previous years results to match your results with other people who did the same subjects as you at the same level of achievement. I does not take into account your school's QCS performance, and is therefore not very accurate. For instance, according to FINDOPs, I am looking at anywhere between an OP1 and an OP8 for my results. This is due to individual school's QCS results etc etc.I'd be inclined to trust the school.

MoonHoplite writes...

Does anyone know if year 11 marks, in Queensland, contribute towards to our OP?

Depends on the school, and whether it is summative or not. Even summative pieces in Year11 do not count IF THEY ARE REPLACED BY AN EQUIVALENT PIECE IN YEAR 12. For example, my Year 11 Biology field trip counts towards my OP, because there is no equivalent trip taken in Year 12.

Hope this helps

)

Jezzzzza writes...

However, Anglican Church Grammar School predicted his OP in the range of 10-13.

pfft sif its gonna be around 10-13. I wonder what thats schools smoking their kids?

If the above is true then what would a person with exact same subjects with average of Cs get? 15-25? I dont think so with those subjects...................

I'd tend to agree, but when given the choice between an organisation that knows its student body's general aptitude, and an impersonal computer program based on past years results, I'd got the school. I predict 7-10.

I suspect the school could very well be purposely underestimating to avoid ugly confrontations down the track..

Beasticly writes...

I suspect the school could very well be purposely underestimating to avoid ugly confrontations down the track..

That was my understanding. However, they did so to give a guide as for what courses we should be looking into next year.

Hi, I was wondering if someone can guess mine.

Physics VHA 2 (top of the class)
English VHA 3 (top of the class)
SOR VHA 3 (top of the class)
Math B VHA 3 (top of the class)
Chemistry VHA 1 (top of the class)

1-5 depending on cohort QCS result.

It should be manditory for people posting in here to give their nominal marks, rank in subject, and grade's QCS performance. Any less and you can't get a good picture.

Considering you're doing SOR I'm guessing you're at a private school so it's not too much of a leap to assume that your school would probably do better than average at the QCS – I'd guess anywhere from 3 – 1.

MykidStoleUrkidsBike writes...

pfft sif its gonna be around 10-13. I wonder what thats schools smoking their kids?

I actually think that prediction is pretty bang on. With those kind of grades at Churchie he would definitely be mid-bottom of the co-hort. My best friend last year did similar subjects, got 1 A and the rest Bs and got a 9.

well obviously with a school like churchie you gonna find it tough to blossom with those grades......I was talking like a general state school.

My GPS school is probably so hectic that people doing suicide 6 will struggle if they slip-up in 1 or 2 subjects.

Jezzzza – Those results are very similar to mine, in fact those are probably better and I was somewhat disadvantaged by the school I attended. I ended up getting a 6 with no VHAs. I think 10-13 is a load of bull. But it's always different I suppose.

kabamb91 writes...

Jezzzza – Those results are very similar to mine, in fact those are probably better and I was somewhat disadvantaged by the school I attended. I ended up getting a 6 with no VHAs. I think 10-13 is a load of bull. But it's always different I suppose.

You're right. I went to a country school – I was the only one who really studied properly. My school did, for lack of a better word, crap in the QCS last year. I was well above most people in most subjects (bar English) though, and so still got a 2 despite our lousy QCS performance. You don't need top VHAs ('course they do help) to get a 1 – I've met lots of people here at university who had multiple HAs (low ones) and still got 1. The downside of going to a school with 90% of students being given VHAs in Physics & Maths C is that it is rather difficult to position yourself substantially above them.

I'm a bit uncertain as to what OP to expect so here are my marks and subject ranks:

OP Guess:

English: VHA9 (1st of 420)
Maths B: VHA9 (3rd of 270)
Physics: VHA7? (9th? of 140)
Chemistry: VHA5 (12th? of 140)
Economics: VHA5 (7th? of 39, teacher says she's being conservative for verification and I got a chance to go up to about 4th)

And the subject that won't count due to low percentile:

Graphics: VHA10 (6th of 29, head of department gave heaps of high marks)

My school's OP1 rate has been 5~7% of eligible students over the past few years. OP1~15 rate last year was 85%.

Anyone care to take a stab?

lemonbubblez writes...

Anyone care to take a stab?

Ego boost post award.

lemonbubblez writes...

English: VHA9 (1st of 420)
Maths B: VHA9 (3rd of 270)
Physics: VHA7? (9th? of 140)
Chemistry: VHA5 (12th? of 140)
Economics: VHA5 (7th? of 39, teacher says she's being conservative for verification and I got a chance to go up to about 4th)

And the subject that won't count due to low percentile:

Graphics: VHA10 (6th of 29, head of department gave heaps of high marks)

Private school?

TheLlehctim writes...

Private school?

Pretty sure its a public school.................

western45 writes...

Ego boost post award.

Im sure he really needs it, considering hes topping in subjects in one of QLD's largest schools.

kabamb91 writes...

I ended up getting a 6 with no VHAs.

Whereas I finished with several VHAs and an OP of 12. The system is flawed.

Maths B: VHA2 (dunno rank, probably top 5 of 40 or so)
Physics: HA10 (5th of 15, top of HAs)
Maths C: HA+ (4th of 15, top of HAs)
English: HA+ or mid (idk rank)
IPT: HA+ or mid (1st of 5, state average comparison)
Chemistry: HA2 (8th of 8, lowest of my 6 subjects, state average comparison)

My OP prediction last semester was 7, and according to my Maths B teacher it is now a 6 – but that was just her guess, I'll be checking properly today.

Since I already got accepted into the uni course I want, I have no idea if I'm going to slack off and cause my marks to drop. As you can see, a lot of them are borderline (Maths B, Physics, Chemistry), so a relatively small decrease is going to drop me down several rungs, unless everyone else drops by the same amount...

David. writes...

Possibly. No one knows for sure though, all the QSA say is that they have "methods" of doing it.

For the info they use some small world theory to obtain a ranking for each student across queensland who is in the same small group subject.

As far as I understand. QCS scaling wouldn't "work" if there are only <12 results

You are correct there except it is 15. Any less and the data becomes far too volatile.

Looking back at your original post, I would say that your chance of getting an OP 1 would've been quite big if you were the top student in Maths C and IPT

I agree. However maths C and IPT aren't always the highest ranked subjects at schools. They generally attract smarter students, but that is because you have to be smart to get a decent mark.

TheLlehctim writes...

Private school?

OP-wise, my school is getting beaten by private schools in Townsville. So it's a state school.

western45 writes...

Ego boost post award.

I don't see how publicly declaring I'm being beaten by 11 people in chemistry amounts to ego-boosting?

Hey just wondering what OP you guys reckon ill get... From school of 200 in Mackay

Maths B VHA 9 First out of about 80 or so
Maths C VHA 5 Close 2nd out of 20-30
Physics VHA 8 First out of about 60
Chemistry VHA 7 First out of about 50
English VHA 6-7 Top 10 i believe out of about 170 or something
Graphics VHA 5 first but rubbish class / qcs results... out of about 20

No idea what syllabus we are using so yeh just wanna know what u guys reckon

1-3?...

serevei writes...

Hey just wondering what OP you guys reckon ill get... From school of 200 in Mackay

Maths B VHA 9 First out of about 80 or so
Maths C VHA 5 Close 2nd out of 20-30
Physics VHA 8 First out of about 60
Chemistry VHA 7 First out of about 50
English VHA 6-7 Top 10 i believe out of about 170 or something
Graphics VHA 5 first but rubbish class / qcs results... out of about 20

Your VHA average is: VHA 7.2
You do high scaling subjects, and are topping Maths C, Physics and Chemistry which are very well scaled. Your cohort is pretty big too, so I am assuming you'd be in the top 1-5% of your cohort. I'm guessing an easy OP 1, based on ranks and LoA. Worst case scenario an OP 2, cos there is no way what you have posted could result in a 3- it's too damn good.

.

Funny cos nobody gave me a prediction lolz.

.

lemmonbubblez. OP 1 most likely. worst case scenario: OP 2. Great LoA's, good ranks for such a large school + your schools qcs is always quite impressive. Gluck man.

lemonbubblez writes...

Funny cos nobody gave me a prediction lolz.

If you can get those marks then you're smart enough to know what the prediction will be. Stop seeking attention.

when verification comes back, it'll be interesting to see how peoples results changed ( + / – / o) change. If people post up how their results changed that'd be awesome.

dr.prim3 writes...

when verification comes back, it'll be interesting to see how peoples results changed ( + / – / o) change. If people post up how their results changed that'd be awesome.

not really that interesting to be honest.

Jangles22 writes...

not really that interesting to be honest.

Agreed.

dr.prim3 writes...

lemmonbubblez. OP 1 most likely. worst case scenario: OP 2. Great LoA's, good ranks for such a large school + your schools qcs is always quite impressive. Gluck man.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about. My cohorts are too competitive when it comes to the actual subjects, so my OP is really dependent on the QCS test. And a lot of people bludged the test this year.

western45 writes...

If you can get those marks then you're smart enough to know what the prediction will be. Stop seeking attention.

Seriously wtf?

Just because YOU know the prediction will be between 1 and 25, doesn't mean you should stop other people from taking a guess with a narrower range.

Really, after seeing your last two posts, I challenge you to say something relevant and useful.

I challenge you to use your own initiative. Dude above told you what everybody already knew, and if you didn't, you don't deserve a 1 or 2 (but we both know you did). Are you happy now?

Your argument basically was:

This guy's passing his subjects! He must have spent ALL his time researching how OPs work to realise you should PASS! In fact, passing subjects is a substitute for having gone through the entire system! Therefore, someone who gets passing marks should know their own OP prediction.

Eh, no.

A VHA9 is equivalent to a little more than just a pass, mate. You don't have to know exactly how the system works to know what range you're in. I just can't take what you're saying seriously.

lemonbubblez writes...

Just because YOU know the prediction will be between 1 and 25, doesn't mean you should stop other people from taking a guess with a narrower range.

I think if you want some feedback you should make some contribution. i would prefer people ask will i get <OP needed> with these results. All those people who post i am getting 6 high VHA's what op will i get already know the answer.

To be honest most uni courses that require an OP 1 to get into have other entry criteria. So who care if you get an OP 2 with 6 VHA's. If you are gonna do IT then i would be sitting back and worrying about what party to go to next week.

I have been following this thread on and off over the past three years (started here: /forum-replies.cfm?t=620754 ) ..so one would hope they have got their OP's by now.

I agree that “student individual ranking shouldn't be so significantly influenced by other students in the cohort.” (posted 2008-Dec-28, 11:19 am by Justin.) — I was a victim of this myself. BUT, I wouldn’t like to see someone who got an ‘easy A’.. get a higher OP than someone of equal intelligence who had to struggle for a B+ ???? – it should be moderated so that they get the same OP. the ISSUE, is where the teacher doesn't allow a 'true A' student stand out from others who have been 'given' an A.

MATHS C – is it worth it??
The first semester year 11 – Yes… if you're planning on doing engineering or Maths at uni. the first year (yr 11).. perhaps. Year 12 Maths C, don’t bother. The only time you will find it useful is if you are doing a pure maths degree.. and even then they teach you what you need to know.

When I did maths C, the first semester covered imaginary numbers and other items which I also covered in physics (vectors) .. this helped in both physics at high school, as well as giving me a head start in my engineering degree. For 99.9% of the population, I personally recommend doing a different board subject that you can do well in, and/or that you enjoy.. It will help your sanity as well as your OP.

Guessing OP’s:
Note that even with straight VHA’s, if your school does poorly on the QCS, and the subjects are generally easier… your OP will often be at most 5.

If you average HA’s, and your school does above average on the QCS, and the teachers teach to a higher level (whether report cards reflect it or not), you are likely to get a 5 or better – and you are more likely to get an A on the QCS.

If you have a low VHA, in a main stream subject (i.e. English or Maths A/B), and you have quite a number of students with higher grades than you… and you school is not known for ‘OP 1’s’ … it is a good sign that your VHA might as well be a mid HA. As mentioned above.. A bell curve or ‘normal distribution’ needs to exist to show that assessments gauge the full spectrum of intellects in the class. Where many people are ‘at the top’, the bell curve is ‘skewed’, and therefore your marks are not a true reflection of capability.

The people who do not get the OP they want … i.e. want to do a Bach IT or Science? – enrol in a Bach of Arts, and chose Science or IT subjects… after 1 year, you can transfer degrees, and use the subjects towards that degree. Alternatively do a bridging course in TAFE. This system can be used for any discipline, unless you do not attain an OP for an arts degree. In which case, you probably should work for a year to decide if another 3-4 years study is for you. A trade might be a better option (and usually is more money than an arts degree)

WHAT DEGREE?
If you have your heart set on something like journalism, law, engineering, etc… just do it. If you have your heart set on PURE ARTS or MATHEMATICS… seriously consider having a double degree or at least double major as a back up. i.e. Arts majoring in IT and humanities, or Mathematics / Engineering double degree. In many cases, to get a double degree is only one extra year (i.e. 5 years for an Engineering and Computer Science degree)

Pure Art (i.e. painting, photography, music) and Pure Mathematics and science, are VERY difficult to get jobs in – in many cases you have to know someone or sleep with someone. Always have a backup plan that is guaranteed to work.. i.e. a teacher, nurse, or a common trade. Talk to your recruiting agencies to find out trends.

WHAT UNIVERSITY?
Different universities have different strong / weak points based on which degree you are looking at. Small uni's are better for class sizes, but private or bigger uni's may have access to better technology or equipment. The only degrees I can think of where the age of the equipment would matter, would be specialist medicine and nano-technology / robotics. Keeping in mind that for most courses available, it's only the concepts and ideas you will take away with you. Many people argue that you ever use less than 10% of your degree in terms of the content. In summary, any degree is fine, so long as it is accepted by the relevant industry. (i.e Board registration for QLD teachers, or Engineers australia Membership for engineers etc)

Corinthia writes...

I agree that “student individual ranking shouldn't be so significantly influenced by other students in the cohort.” (posted 2008-Dec-28, 11:19 am by Justin.) — I was a victim of this myself. BUT, I wouldn’t like to see someone who got an ‘easy A’.. get a higher OP than someone of equal intelligence who had to struggle for a B+ ???? – it should be moderated so that they get the same OP. the ISSUE, is where the teacher doesn't allow a 'true A' student stand out from others who have been 'given' an A.

I a perfect world you could give a kid a work ethic mark however that is not what is being tested here. Some kids are just naturally smart and things generally don't change once they hit uni either the material clicks or you have to bash it into your brain.

The purpose of an OP is to apply some discrimination to the university application process so as filter out unsuitable applicants. If you get a 15 and want to do medicine you get prepared by showing that you are capable of performing the required criteria by upgrading your OP and doing well on your entry exam.

As mentioned above.. A bell curve or ‘normal distribution’ needs to exist to show that assessments gauge the full spectrum of intellects in the class. Where many people are ‘at the top’, the bell curve is ‘skewed’, and therefore your marks are not a true reflection of capability.

This is where your QCS results and ability estimate are applied so that if you have a smart group of kids and the assessment is difficult, then as long as they were given the Level of Achievement they actually achieved then they will not be disadvantaged in anyway.

MATHS C – is it worth it??

I did it as well and went on to do maths at uni after the first semester everything was pretty much new material. It all depends on what areas of maths your teacher choose to teach you and IF YOU LIKE MATHS OR NOT!!!.

Corinthia writes...

If you have your heart set on PURE ARTS or MATHEMATICS… seriously consider having a double degree or at least double major as a back up. i.e. Arts majoring in IT and humanities, or Mathematics / Engineering double degree.

Pure Art (i.e. painting, photography, music) and Pure Mathematics and science, are VERY difficult to get jobs in – in many cases you have to know someone or sleep with someone. Always have a backup plan that is guaranteed to work.. i.e. a teacher, nurse, or a common trade.

I understand what you are trying to say here... but it annoys me a little. Doesn't anyone in this country go to university anymore for the sake of learning – you know, having the desire to challenge yourself intellectually? It seems that in Australia everyone views uni as step 1 to a career and puts a higher value on a practical degree such as engineering. It annoys me that people look down on less vocational degrees such as history, art and english. Not everyone has a job/career in mind when they are studying... some people do it because the enjoy furthering their knowledge.

Sometimes I wish Australian tertiary education operated more like the USA system, where in most cases everyone gets either a standard BA or BSc before specialising at graduate level. I think it gives you a chance to enjoy learning for learning's sake before having to focus a little more career-wise.

Don't do a double degree for the sake of having 'better job opportunities' if you are not interested in the second component. Study what you enjoy, get a degree behind you and if you are good at what you do doors will open up for you.

Corinthia writes...

MATHS C – is it worth it??
The first semester year 11 – Yes… if you're planning on doing engineering or Maths at uni. the first year (yr 11).. perhaps. Year 12 Maths C, don’t bother. The only time you will find it useful is if you are doing a pure maths degree.. and even then they teach you what you need to know.

When I did maths C, the first semester covered imaginary numbers and other items which I also covered in physics (vectors) .. this helped in both physics at high school, as well as giving me a head start in my engineering degree. For 99.9% of the population, I personally recommend doing a different board subject that you can do well in, and/or that you enjoy.. It will help your sanity as well as your OP.

I have to disagree. Most engineers (not all) need to know first and some (if not most) second year university maths which comes after Maths C. Chemists need a bit. Physicists too, they need lots. Science doesn't always imply swirling chemicals in test tubes.

Pure Art (i.e. painting, photography, music) and Pure Mathematics and science, are VERY difficult to get jobs in – in many cases you have to know someone or sleep with someone. Always have a backup plan that is guaranteed to work.. i.e. a teacher, nurse, or a common trade. Talk to your recruiting agencies to find out trends.

About the maths, not true. That's an unfortunate myth. The public don't hear much of pure mathematicians because they spend their time researching in universities. There are an absolute crap load of PhD topics in maths waiting to be worked on by pure mathematicians. There's even more non-PhD research tasks available.

Corinthia writes...

MATHS C – is it worth it??

Yes. 2 bonus points from UQ = an entire OP rung. Nuff said.

Wish I did that subject. Too bad they only announced it when I was in Yr 11.

artist91 writes...

Doesn't anyone in this country go to university anymore for the sake of learning – you know, having the desire to challenge yourself intellectually?

People do but generally later in their lives.....MUCH LATER.

artist91 writes...

Doesn't anyone in this country go to university anymore for the sake of learning – you know, having the desire to challenge yourself intellectually?

I wouldn't mind doing that, if it was capable of filling my stomach.

For those finishing school this year, what OP is your aim? and why? – Do you want to get in to a certain course?

Thank you for everyone's constructive comments. I hope it helps someone. We do need additional input from the humanities side, for what work is available after uni...

artist91 writes...

Doesn't anyone in this country go to university anymore for the sake of learning – you know, having the desire to challenge yourself intellectually?

At work, I am challenged often and I learn plenty. As a design engineer, I know that if any of my calculations or designs are off the mark, I could kill multi-million dollar machines, or potentially kill people. The challenge comes in dealing with contractors and clients, actioning decisions, while keeping to deadlines. It all depends on what job you're doing.

Unfortunately 'learning' in a university environment, is not cheap. I have my own books etc that I study with (learning spanish at the moment) ... these cost $100... to do an equivalent course at uni, I would be looking at thousands. I have two degrees, and after 7 years at university... I'm more than happy to be finally earning 'a buck' (to pay back the huge debt).

artist91 writes...

It annoys me that people look down on less vocational degrees such as history, art and english

Firstly, you can get an OP1 with these subjects... which proves intellect is required. It's just a different world to maths. I admire anyone who furthers their knowledge in worldly matters such as history, politics, english etc. I certainly was only speaking in terms of long term career prospects that I am familiar with, and I honestly do not know what lies beyond for someone who does one of these degrees. My personal note re studying history etc at uni, is that I don't like the 'exams' and the 'bills' at the end.. essays are not my thing, so I'll stick to the history channel, Nat Geo, and other documentaries on my weekends. ;) <hears the commercial — 'that aint livin'!>

TheLlehctim writes...

Most engineers (not all) need to know first and some (if not most) second year university maths which comes after Maths C. Chemists need a bit. Physicists too, they need lots. Science doesn't always imply swirling chemicals in test tubes.

yes, very true. Regarding engineering, I think this comes down to the university. In my university's engineering degree, Maths C was not a pre-requisite, and so they re-taught anything that was required. Physics, admittedly more complicated mathematically – I don't have sufficient knowledge about this particular degree, not having shared any physics subjects. The moral – Check the pre-requisits.

TheLlehctim writes...

About the maths, not true. That's an unfortunate myth. The public don't hear much of pure mathematicians because they spend their time researching in universities. There are an absolute crap load of PhD topics in maths waiting to be worked on by pure mathematicians. There's even more non-PhD research tasks available.

I was basing this statement on two friends who both left mathematics after completing their course. One went sideways to IT (programming) – Who was a dux at high school, and the other left all together to be a teacher.

artist91 writes...

Don't do a double degree for the sake of having 'better job opportunities'

I agree that you need to actually have an interest in the second degree you are in, or it will be painful. My personal justification for my second degree was:
(1) in case there is an economic downturn in my industry and I loose my job — which Ironically most people around me in my industry are currently loosing their jobs
(2) It will be more convenient to be a teacher, to align with the holidays my kids have when they are of school age.. and
(3) I like teaching. I am a mentor at work, and it's something that I just like doing... I simply like the intellectual stimulation of engineering more.

It takes less time and pain and money to do a second degree while you are already at university... If you decide in 10 years that you want another degree, instead of it only being and extra '1 year' (you can use your electives of one degree as subjects in the second degree) it's likely to be 2-3 years, due to subjects changing and no longer being accepted completely as RPL / RCC competencies. Just food for thought.

I guess I will jump on the bandwagon (sorry). My results, as far as I am aware, are as follows (verification has confirmed all of them):

English: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Ancient History: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Biology: VHA 9 (SAI 400 by a long margin)
Physics: VHA 8 (SAI 400)
Maths B: VHA 7 (Around 3rd out of 75)
Chemistry: VHA 8 (3rd out of 50)

Mine is a private school, and while I do not know the specifics, I believe we normally score a bit above average on the QCS.

Before anyone comments – I know my results are great (and I am not looking for an ego boost). I am really happy with them and proud of the effort I have put in. But I have my eye on a couple of scholarships that really need a strong OP 1.

I know that nobody can be sure, but I'd like to know if I am in with a chance. We have a very strong cohort this year (especially at the upper level) – so hopefully that will work in my favour. I am just conscious of the fact that Ancient History and English (real areas of strength for me) might not score as well as I would like and the competition just seems so fierce (I guess that is one of the disadvantages of a strong cohort).

I wish I had more control over how it all pans out – waiting for the OP is going to be torture!

yeh thats a 1 guranteed

Virgil117, your post belongs in the Scholarship Calculations thread. :P

Virgil117 writes...

English: VHA 10

I've never heard of a VHA10 for English at my school, ever. Whenever someone gets a VHA7 or so, it's news to most OP English students. All subjects other than English have students getting VHA+++, so my hate for English is just amplified because of this. I hate it even more when teachers fail to pick out any faults/exclusions with a student's work, yet they either give them a borderline A/B, or just a high A – not even for the sake of scaling, since grading is done individually or in a group of two teachers.

As for OP1s, I read that for UQ there are more scholarships given out for OP1 students than there are for Equity/Indigenous Australians. So it's still competitive, but I wouldn't say it's as competitive as qualifying for Dentistry or MBBS.
And you should be getting some money for becoming your school's DUX, which I wouldn't be surprised if this Virgil117 person gets it.

I thought I might post my post-verification results then. All of mine agreed, so yeah.

English: HA3 (no idea of rank)
Maths A: VHA7 (2nd by so little of a margin, it's not even funny)
Japanese: VHA8 (1st of 3)
Accounting: VHA9 (1st of 9)
BCT: VHA3 (2nd of 12)
Legal Studies: VHA3 (1st of 9)

I'm fairly proud of my results, but I'm worried my English will bring me down. Especially in a school that doesn't do all too great on QCS most years. Our school's last OP 1 was in 2007, and there was one.

Virgil117 writes...

I guess I will jump on the bandwagon (sorry). My results, as far as I am aware, are as follows (verification has confirmed all of them):

English: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Ancient History: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Biology: VHA 9 (SAI 400 by a long margin)
Physics: VHA 8 (SAI 400)
Maths B: VHA 7 (Around 3rd out of 75)
Chemistry: VHA 8 (3rd out of 50)

WOW!, nice work dude. I'd say thats a strong OP 1. probably a VERY strong OP 1. You're averaging VHA 9, which is....incredible. What school do you go to btw?

Siebenzer writes...

I've never heard of a VHA10 for English at my school, ever.

Private schools get VHA10s for English because they focus on it. And the only reason for that is that English helps more on the QCS Test than any other subject.

mitch169 writes...

English: HA3 (no idea of rank)
Maths A: VHA7 (2nd by so little of a margin, it's not even funny)
Japanese: VHA8 (1st of 3)
Accounting: VHA9 (1st of 9)
BCT: VHA3 (2nd of 12)
Legal Studies: VHA3 (1st of 9)

3-5.

artist91 writes...

3-5.

What grades does he need to get a OP 1 then?

Virgil117 writes...

English: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Ancient History: VHA 10 (SAI 400)
Biology: VHA 9 (SAI 400 by a long margin)
Physics: VHA 8 (SAI 400)
Maths B: VHA 7 (Around 3rd out of 75)
Chemistry: VHA 8 (3rd out of 50)

No 400 in Maths C? that's the REAL separator.
The pattern of VHA10 dropping to 7/8s as we go from fluffers to hardcore tells a story.

here's my post-ver.

m.c -> vh9
m.b -> vh8
biol -> vh7
chem ->vh6
physic->vh6
english->vh5

(SAI 400 for all)
will probs stay the same this term. school does average on qcs usually, but gut feeling says overall qcs was not good this yr. ive been told id probs get op1-3, but not to count on a 1 or a 2. thoughts on this assuming bad qcs?

MykidStoleUrkidsBike writes...

What grades does he need to get a OP 1 then?

His school would have to do PHENOMENALLY well on the QCS to get a 1 with those subjects. I did similar subjects to him like Maths A etc. got straight VHAs (all VHA10s, 9s, 8s and a 7) which was straight A+s and As (did not get any A- or lower the whole of grade 12) and ended up with a 3. I basically got the best grades you can get in my subjects and still got a 3 in the end, so I think that proves that when it comes down to getting a 1, you have to do the 'hard' subjects, or hope everyone in your grade gets an A on the QCS. Another girl in my grade got straight HAs and one low VHA and got a 1, because she did all the maths/sciences...

Well I know to people in my year that both got OP1's. Our teachers told us all senior that there is subject weightings and that you can't get a 1 with easy subjects. A girl I know did Film & tv, art, drama maths A, English (so all arty subjects) and got an OP1 and another guy did maths c & b physics, 2 I.T. subjects and also got an OP1 so saying you can't get a 1 cause of certain subjects is incorrect.

nharry writes...

so saying you can't get a 1 cause of certain subjects is incorrect.

Um yeah, I didn't say you can't get a 1 because of certain subjects. I said it is significantly harder to get a 1 with say, mid-high VHAs in art, drama etc. than in chem and physics. The girl you knew who got a 1 with those subjects got lucky with a good year of classmates on the QCS. I'm not saying it can't happen... the year above me did very well on the QCS and there were 10+ students who got a 1 with maths a and arty subjects. On the other hand, my year didn't do as well and anyone who got 400s and high VHAs in arty subjects ended up with a 2 or 3. In both years, students with lower VHAs and even some high HAs in science/maths subjects still managed to get OP1s. So, i'm not saying/never said it was impossible, but it's pretty obvious that you have a better chance of getting a 1 with maths/science subjects because of the average QCS results of these subject cohorts.

mine as well, after verification – panel dropped my english =[

math b VHA4 400 (small class)
biology VHA1 395
chemistry VHA2 400 (small class)
sor VHA2 397
english VHA1 400

abbie1992 writes...

panel dropped my english =[

Join the club =/

here's my friend's mark. any takers?

MA B – SA1
BIO – LA7
CHEM – LA9 (will go up to SA1 though)
SOR – SA3
ENG – SA5
EARLY CHILDHOOD – HA9 (non-op though)

abbie1992 writes...

math b VHA4 400 (small class)
chemistry VHA2 400 (small class)
english VHA1 400

Not looking too good if you're the top of these classes on very low VHAs... it means the average of your co-hort is significantly lower than other schools. For example, it would be impossible to get even close to a 400 SAI in these subjects without a VHA10 or 9 at other schools. If you were at a more competitive school your VHA1 in english would leave you with a SAI in the middle of the field, nowhere near the top.

Despite this, you are doing 'harder' subjects so your VHAs (even if they are low ones) are still good. I would probably say a 5 or 6 (best case scenario) but it all depends how your school did on the QCS.

Your friend on the other hand... not much hope for a single digit for her/him at all. I would be very worried if I had any SAs let alone LAs. As previously stated, your school doesn't seem to be super competitive which makes the situation even worse for your friend and their low marks. Maybe a 16? I don't know, I haven't really come across anyone who had marks that low so I can't really comment on the average OP for SAs and LAs.

Hi guys I'm a '09 senior and my dream Uni course requires an OP7 at UQ.
I really don't know if I'll make it.
Here's my expected results.

ENG – VHA 1-2
S.O.R – VHA 1-2
H.P.E – VHA 1-2
Modern History – HA 4-6
Ancient History – HA 2-4
Maths A – HA 1-5

Thanks guys!

MoonHoplite writes...

Does anyone know if year 11 marks, in Queensland, contribute towards to our OP?

From your list of subjects, probably the only one that would be 'considered' for that is chemistry. I think that's just for the the last assessment piece though.

---------------------------------------------

Can some give me a prediction of my OP because I have no idea what it could be
I'm not sure about where I'm standing in some of my subjects though. I don't know my SAIs yet. And I'm getting a mix of A's and C's.

Maths B – VHA1 (large classes)
English – SA9 (large classes)
Chemistry – SA9 (large classes)
Accounting – VHA4 (medium sized class)
Economics – HA7 (medium sized class)
Japanese – (I don't know, but I'm thinking a VHA 4-7) (very small class)

My school (a private school) does fairly well on QCS.

Any help is appreciated!

Well, assuming your SAI's are higher in the classes you're getting HA's, and VHA's in, your top 5 results are: vh4-7, vh1, vh4, h7, s9. The 3 Vha's and the Ha7 put u in a good position, but the s9 may cause problems. If you can get it to a Ha__ you'll probs be in line for a better OP. I'd say with the limited info you've given around a 6/7/8 – however, since you've got no SAI's, it's really a guessing game.

BL0WY0URMIND writes...

Hi guys I'm a '09 senior and my dream Uni course requires an OP7 at UQ.
I really don't know if I'll make it.
Here's my expected results.

ENG – VHA 1-2
S.O.R – VHA 1-2
H.P.E – VHA 1-2
Modern History – HA 4-6
Ancient History – HA 2-4
Maths A – HA 1-5

Thanks guys!

3 VHA's and 3HA's will probably get you an OP7, assuming your in the top 5 for some of your classes. It also comes down to how other people in your class are doing. But I think an OP 7 is quite possible. If you post up SAI's it'll be much easier.

dr.prim3 writes...

assuming your in the top 5 for some of your classes.

I'm not in the top 5 with a VHA7 in physics.

"I'm not in the top 5 with a VHA7 in physics."

Yes, but that is Brisbane State High. You'd expect the cohort to be highly academic compared to other schools.

dr.prim3 writes...

Yes, but that is Brisbane State High. You'd expect the cohort to be highly academic compared to other schools.

I don't know anything about that school. Do you mean as in they allow for large grade inflation or is it a school that generally has smart kids?

I was bored one weekend and 'tried' to calculate my OP
this is what i did:
first, i looked at how i ranked in my classes
and geussed my SAI
coz my school puts a list of 'best to worst' for us

eng b4 290
mab c2 230
fre b4 290 (should be 250 but for some reason i'm ranked higher than people with better grades than me)
ftv b (went to panel and don't know and no list available)
bio b3 230
leg b6 310
and i did an external test on another language
i will definitely get VHA but so will 90% of the students
according to QSA statistics
so... i'm geussing 310 ish..

then i saw some powerpoints other schools put up on the internet and 'tried' to figure out my OAI

eng 290 -> 175
mab 230 -> 170
fre 290 -> 175
ftv -----> 165 just a geuss
bio 230 -> 165
external -> 180
leg 310 -> 180

and i averaged it,
giving me a score of 176
and OP 11

since the powerpoint said
OP 8 is 186 – 190
OP 9 is 180 – 185

my calculation could be just a load of bullshit
and it could've been a mere coincidence but
my guidance officer gave me a prediction of
OP 8 – 10 so i'm close enough arn't I? xD

lol 'exterminal'

Not a bad estimation, I guess

What OP are you aiming for?

hehe woops :P external
i really don't know what I want to do yet
but i did put down primary school teaching
as my first preference (OP 12)

what are my chances of getting an OP8 (UQ Engineering) or better?

Physics – VHA 5 – ranked #7
Maths B – Mid VHA – ranked top 3
English – Low HA – assuming a bit below middle rank
Maths C – VHA 2 – ranked #4
Legal Studies – Low HA – assuming a bit below middle rank
Biology – High SA – assuming a bit below middle rank

^^ easily achievable........

what are my chances of getting an OP8 (UQ Engineering) or better?

Physics – VHA 5 – ranked #7

Maths B – Mid VHA – ranked top 3

English – Low HA – assuming a bit below middle rank

Maths C – VHA 2 – ranked #4

Legal Studies – Low HA – assuming a bit below middle rank

Biology – High SA – assuming a bit below middle rank

Depends on your QCS and overall how your school does in the QCS/classes.

Eitherway it should not be a issue and make sure you put UQ, QUT, Griffith down as your top 3 for engineering as all are very similar. I am sure you will hit one of your preferences.

school performs above average on QCS, also, what if my OP were to factor in ALL of my subjects instead of the best 5 ranked? i believe this is my current situation due to changing subjects too frequently throughout the 4 semesters

Corinthia writes...

MATHS C – is it worth it??

The first semester year 11 – Yes… if you're planning on doing engineering or Maths at uni. the first year (yr 11).. perhaps. Year 12 Maths C, don’t bother. The only time you will find it useful is if you are doing a pure maths degree.. and even then they teach you what you need to know.

When I did maths C, the first semester covered imaginary numbers and other items which I also covered in physics (vectors) .. this helped in both physics at high school, as well as giving me a head start in my engineering degree. For 99.9% of the population, I personally recommend doing a different board subject that you can do well in, and/or that you enjoy.. It will help your sanity as well as your OP.

Completely disagree with this.

Any maths or engineering degree will be greatly advantaged by doing Maths C in tandem with Maths B. Be it through topics AND practice. You should also consider that a Maths C class will be small and very productive to encouraging your development as a learner. Other "easier" board subjects do not always offer this environment.

If your going to do maths or engineering you better enjoy maths...full love for it.

LF-A writes...

school performs above average on QCS, also, what if my OP were to factor in ALL of my subjects instead of the best 5 ranked? i believe this is my current situation due to changing subjects too frequently throughout the 4 semesters

It will be your best 20 semesters in ANY board subjects.

ugh I dread what I'll get but here goes.

Maths A – A – Decile 3
English – C+ – Decile 10
Modern History – B+ – Decile 7
Ancient History – B- Decile 8
Economics – B – Decile 7
Geography – C – Decile 9

And my school does extremely well on qcs

does decile 3 mean ur in the top 30%?

sub SAI OAI
maa 340 175
eng 230 160
mod 280 170
anc 240 165
eco 280 175
geo 220 165

to be honest i have no idea
how much mod, anc, and geo would weight..
but i just gave eco a boost because at our school
a lot of the smart kids do eco

so ur average is 170 so I'd say u'd get OP 11 too?
but please don't take this too seriously...
i'm a bit dumb...
oh but since ur school is good at QCS
u have a better chance at getting a higher OP ;)

oh thanks for that =] that was my marks in september hopefully I haven't dropped.

I need op 12 for Business IT at QUT =]

Film and TV – VHA2 (5th out of 35)
Geography – HA8 (3rd out of 18)
BCT – HA6 (15th out of 40)
English – SA6 (unsure)
Maths B – SA2 (30th out of 40)

Would love a 9, but would take anything that is 12 or less. Its going to be a close call!!!

Don't give up & let your marks go down, I've seen people with worse get 9s. Not saying you definitely will, but it's certainly possible.

Anyone care to take a guess? I know QCS comes into account, and our school normally does pretty good with it.

English – Mid VHA – (in the top 3 out of 50ish )
Math – High HA / Low VHA (in the top 5 out of 40ish)
Art – Mid-High VHA (1st out of 5)
Multistrand Science – High HA / Low VHA (1st out of 15ish)
Ancient History – Mid-High VHA (1st out of 20ish)
Modern History – High HA (in the top 3 out of 20ish)

LF-A writes...

this is my current situation due to changing subjects too frequently throughout the 4 semesters

Check which subjects are eligible to be counted, aside from min 3 subjects for 4 semesters, I'm not sure if there is a 'minimum time in subject' required for it to be counted towards OP.

http://www.aei.gov.au/AEI/CEP/Australia/EducationSystem/School/SnrSecondary/Default.htm
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/tertiaryentrance/630.html#703
"Students who want an OP must study 20 semester units of Authority subjects, including at least three subjects for four semesters each, and must sit the QCS Test."

if it helps.

i graduated in 2007, from an average ish school. overall qcs average turned out to be a B.

My qcs i got a B.

My marks were:
English: B+ = above average in cohort
Math B: A- = top 10%
Math c: B- = average
Geo: A= average
Physics: c+ = average
Chemistry B- = average

and i got an OP 7.

.. brisbane state high is how you would say.. very selective.

your either very good at sport or every good at academics.

there is a waiting list... by no means confuse this with an ordinary state high school.

^^ That school just had the biggest water fight one could imagine............

MykidStoleUrkidsBike writes...

^^ That school just had the biggest water fight one could imagine............

And pocket-ripping spree.

I hope this does not represent the majority of our QCS cohort =/

I have been a tool this year and didnt put any effort in. I am desperate to get a 12 to get into UQ next year. here are my marks

Maths A SA6 (5th out of 12)
ITS HA10 (2nd out of 10)
Economics SA6 (4th out of 12)
Modern History HA5 (3rd out of 10)
Legal Studies SA4 (5th out of 9)
English HA3 (12th out of 60)

any help with this would be great thanks.

I got a 12 in 2004 with
English -SA5 (approx middle of 120 or so)
Maths B -SA4 (About 30th out of 50 or so)
Chemistry -SA5 (about 10th out of 20 or so)
Legal Studies -SA8 or 9 (20th or so out of about 60)
Ancient History -HA4 (about 6th out of 20 or so) -2 semesters
German -SA1 (2nd out of 2)
Business Communication and Technologies -HA6 (6th or so out of about 30)

The problem there though is that now students have to pass their classes to get an OP, so the failing ones will drop subjects meaning that in the extreme cases, students with SA1s at least in everything can still get OP25.

TheLlehctim writes...

The problem there though is that now students have to pass their classes to get an OP, so the failing ones will drop subjects meaning that in the extreme cases, students with SA1s at least in everything can still get OP25.

That really sucks =/

TheLlehctim writes...

The problem there though is that now students have to pass their classes to get an OP, so the failing ones will drop subjects meaning that in the extreme cases, students with SA1s at least in everything can still get OP25.

Where did you hear this? Unless it's changed since last year when I graduated when QCE came in, you can still get an OP by failing every subject if they're authority subjects as they still get an SAI. HOWEVER they won't receive a Queensland Certificate of Education as they won't have acquired the required 20 points. QCE and OP are different.

That's what I meant, my mistake. :P I meant the students who won't get that will drop those subjects and therefore won't get the OP anyway. I should have explained that better.

Although I must admit that was an extremely good year for the school -3 OP1s with an average with 1 every couple of years -hasn't been one since. Also of those OP1s, 1 had no SAI400s and 1 had 1.

so does anyone think i will most liekly get a 12 at least?

mario_128 writes...

I have been a tool this year and didnt put any effort in. I am desperate to get a 12 to get into UQ next year. here are my marks

any help with this would be great thanks.

It's a bit of a stretch but you should be ok.

i gotta get an op of at least 12
English – Ha1 maybe 10-15th
Chem – about Ha8-Vha 1 coming second
Geo – Vha3 first!
Maths – Sa9 sixth
Acc – Ha 4 coming eighth
Phys – sa2
what do you think??? btw our grade in the biggest we've ever had and theres a lot of dumb ppls...

English: B- = just above average in cohort
Math B: C+ = top of the C's bout 6th
Accounting: B = just above average bout 7th
Geo: A first place, out of 3 ppl who got A's
Physics: C + only seven ppl in our class
Chemistry A- or B+ coming second

Our school does ok at qcs ... what do you think???

You should be able to get a 12. No promises but you should get it.

hope so thanks...

Hay what op would you predict with these marks?
English- Ha 5
Maths A- Ha10
P.E- Ha5
Biology- HA1
Geo HA 4

Our school QCS was above average in practice runs...
I need a 12 for University entrance

thankyou :D

I think you should get a 12 fairly easily. Those marks are above average so you should (in theory) get an above average OP -(ie above 12-13)

I'd say my marks are pretty similar to ur's so 8-10?
I used to think I wouldn't even get OP 15 but
my guidance officer said u can get pretty good marks
without any VHAs
anyway good luck ;)

Just wondering what degree you want to do in UQ, and why are you desperately wanting to get into UQ?

So anyone care to take a guess at mine? Im also doing the QUT start program which will lower my OP by 2 points if i pass with a 4 and over.

English – Mid VHA – (in the top 3 out of 50ish )
Math A – High HA / Low VHA (in the top 5 out of 40ish)
Art – Mid-High VHA (1st out of 5)
Multistrand Science – High HA / Low VHA (1st out of 15ish)
Ancient History – Mid-High VHA (1st out of 20ish)
Modern History – High HA (in the top 3 out of 20ish)

phillip123 writes...

Just wondering what degree you want to do in UQ, and why are you desperately wanting to get into UQ?

I am hoping to do law/economics. Of course not next year but the year after next year i will be doing arts. My first reason of course is the campus and the programs on offer. I jsut dont like QUT for some reason it may be i had a bad experience there a few years ago. and also all my friends are going to QUT so it has nothing to do with that.

I just read about OPs being calculated from standard deviation of SAIs.

Without knowing the SAIs, would using mean and standard deviation of LoA rungs be a good approximation?

Hi... just considering putting in scholarship applications, but wondering if it is worth it with my results and if an OP 2 is a bit out of the question;

Economics, VH 9 (1st)
Legal, VH 7 (2nd)
Maths A, VH 7 (2nd)
Biology, VH 4 (8th)
English, VH 3 (13th)
Modern History, VH 5 (7th, but my SAI will be above 390 and the class will scale the house down)

mario_128 writes...

I am hoping to do law/economics.

Hey!
That's the course I want to do
You never know, the OP cutoff may change from a 3
(I'm fairly sure all OP cutoffs have to do with is course interest?)

Hi... just considering putting in scholarship applications, but wondering if it is worth it with my results and if an OP 2 is a bit out of the question;

Economics, VH 9 (1st)
Legal, VH 7 (2nd)
Maths A, VH 7 (2nd)
Biology, VH 4 (8th)
English, VH 3 (13th)
Modern History, VH 5 (7th, but my SAI will be above 390 and the class will scale the house down)

I'd say an OP 2 looks quite possible with those results. 6 VHA's, with four of them a VHA5 or better puts you in a very good position. From your results and ranks, I'm guessing your school is academically competitive, so, that will be beneficial to your schools QCS result.

Good luck :)

Student A: 2nd with a HA4 behind the guy who got a HA5. (SAI 395)

Student B: 3rd with a VHA9. (SAI 388)

Let's just say equal QCSes for these two different subjects.

Level of Achievement is useless as only SAIs are used for OP calculation?? right?

Student A is better than Student B

Not from my understanding, the QCS Scaling (despite being the same) should ensure that Student B is ranked higher overall than Student A.

Jezzzzza writes...

Student A is better than Student B

Definitely not! Student B would be better.

For example, at my school I was ranked 14th in English with a VHA7 whilst my friend at a different school was ranked 2nd with a VHA2. In the end I got the higher OP.

If scaling via the QCS average didn't happen it would be extremely unfair for students at ultra-competitive schools such as BGS and BSHS who are be achieving high VHAs but are still not near the top 10 of their group.

i still don't get why student B is better. He has the lower SAI and they both have the same multiplication factor from QCS

Jezzzzza writes...

Student A: 2nd with a HA4 behind the guy who got a HA5. (SAI 395)

Student B: 3rd with a VHA9. (SAI 388)

Let's just say equal QCSes for these two different subjects.

Level of Achievement is useless as only SAIs are used for OP calculation?? right?

Student A is better than Student B

What if in those subjects, Student B's subject had SAIs all mainly cluttered around 300 so the standard deviation is 40, while Student A's subject had SAIs clumped around 400 and 200 (like after an HA3 the next person is LA4 or something), so the standard deviation is 70. Assuming both subjects had an mean SAI of 300:

Student A's Z-Score is 95/70 = 1.3

Student B's Z-Score is 88/40 = 2.2

Would that give Student B a better position?

I have no idea how OPs actually work though, I just heard it's done by Z-Score.

lemonbubblez writes...

I have no idea how OPs actually work though, I just heard it's done by Z-Score.

I also heard that it's done by Z-scores. Has your school given predictions based on Z-scores?

dr.prim3 writes...

I also heard that it's done by Z-scores. Has your school given predictions based on Z-scores?

Nope. My school doesn't bother with these things.

lemonbubblez writes...

I have no idea how OPs actually work though, I just heard it's done by Z-Score.

Ahhhh I see. That's why I've heard that our dux (last year) topped Maths C but that was the subject that didn't count for him.

Oooh, that's interesting. How did you find out which subject wasn't counted?

The way OP works is they take the top 5 Subjects according to that scale thing (200-400), and this scale is based on RANKING.

I know this because I got an OP 2 with:
2nd Maths B
2nd Maths C
3rd Physics
Average English
1st Graphics (Wasnt worth much, since graphics were full of idiots lol)

Other subjects: Chemsitry – below average

And I think thats all the OP subjects?

OO and on the qcs exam got an A.

And that gave me OP2.... Was funny because when I failed chemistry (didnt care as I knew it wouldnt count) the lady said my OP will suffer. Guess not =]

GL

Edit*

As for school predictions, they mean nothing. My school thought I would get OP 4-6, as lost a scholarship opportunity on this behalf, so I wouldn't listen to them..

I still think the system is abit off.
If everyone in QLD sat the same test the same day, we wouldnt need QCS.

Just for kicks anyone wanna guess an op for my "friend"

English 18th/134 VHA3
Maths A 30th/100 HA10
IPT 3rd/10 VHA5
PE 8th/45 VHA3
SOR 3rd/55 VHA 3

Is everyone excited for schoolies?

I'm guessing a highly competitive school. Guessing 5 or better. My sister got a 5 with 2 VHAs, 2 HAs, and 2 SAs in a year that no one got an OP 1, 1 OP 2, and 1 OP 3.

asgirl writes...

My sister got a 5 with 2 VHAs, 2 HAs, and 2 SAs in a year that no one got an OP 1, 1 OP 2, and 1 OP 3.

Would you please share the subjects she did?

Sure:
English -HA
Maths B -SA
Biology -VHA
Chemistry -SA
Physics -HA
BCT -VHA

Apart from BCT and Biology I can't remember exactly which subjects she got HA's and Sa's in but I know she got 2 of each. She topped BCT and came 2nd in Biology.

Jangles22 writes...

To be honest most uni courses that require an OP 1 to get into have other entry criteria.

Very, very true. This is why medicine for example puts OP generally LAST after UMAT/Interview. If you have someone with obvious character flaws (overconfidence, delusions of grandeur, attention seeking) then these are easily weeded out in the interview process. The unis are not stupid, they are more than aware that many of the bigger academic schools know how to work the OP system, and consequently a lot of students that would otherwise be quite average end up with high OPs in those schools, hence the need for interviews and a level playing field like UMAT.

Provisional SAIs should be out next week right?

WOOOOO Valedictory Tonight.

We're DONEE

Ours was this morning.

Valedictory = Thursday
I am immensely tired.
Haha

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

@lemonbubblez: your school should post it up somewhere sometime next week (I know mine is).

Knowing my school though, they'll be too cheap to provide the mean and standard deviation.

lemonbubblez writes...

Knowing my school though, they'll be too cheap to provide the mean and standard deviation.

My school struggles with the cost to provide you with your LoA. Talk about cheap. Nah, jokes... but I don't like the chances of finding out my SAI's, depsite the QSA telling us we are entitled to know.

All of our teachers have laptops. If I wanted to know my most recent SAIs etc., I could easily ask my Maths B teacher instead of the deputy.

My friend told me that after our graduation ceremony they'd post up all the class rankings outside of our guidance officer's room, but I never checked and I don't think anyone else did either...

Also, this has been on my mind recently. I was on a HA10 for Physics in term 3, and my term 4 scores were:

19.5/20 = Knowledge
9.5/10 = Scientific Process
3.5/5 = Complex Reasoning

My friend was on the same LOA and got something like 19, 8, 5 respectively. I don't know the exact LOA, but he was pushed up to a VHA while I stayed on a HA – I guess this demonstrates the weight of CR, but fyi I was beating him in CR and he was beating me in SP prior to the final.
Another friend was on a VHA1-2 and got 15, 8.5, 1 on the final exam, but his final LOA didn't even budge.

We were made well aware of how easy it is to drop heaps or how with lots of effort you could jump up an entire rung – but looking at the above, it doesn't really seem right, even if you take into account our previous scores in each area (K, SP, CR).

For Physics I find knowledge hardest to do well in since it asks so many questions which in turn require accurately recalling a LOT of information. Not good for a bludger/morning-of-exam-crammer like me. My marks in Knowlege/Process/Complex is hence VHA 6/9/8.

In Chemistry however I'm on VHA 5/5/5 since all sections require a lot of recalling info (as opposed to lots of playing around with relative small amounts of info).

lemonbubblez writes...

For Physics I find knowledge hardest to do well in since it asks so many questions which in turn require accurately recalling a LOT of information. Not good for a bludger/morning-of-exam-crammer like me. My marks in Knowlege/Process/Complex is hence VHA 6/9/8.

In Chemistry however I'm on VHA 5/5/5 since all sections require a lot of recalling info (as opposed to lots of playing around with relative small amounts of info).

How did you end up going with your other subjects? Those marks are really impressive dude, well done! LOL- my knowledge always pulls me down as well, it's quite annoying, but thankfully assignments pulled me through this year haha.

Siebenzer writes...

Also, this has been on my mind recently. I was on a HA10 for Physics in term 3, and my term 4 scores were:

19.5/20 = Knowledge
9.5/10 = Scientific Process
3.5/5 = Complex Reasoning

Your school is awesome.

When we get our physics marks back we get something like,

Knowledge – E+
Scientific Process – D+
Complex Reasoning – C-

It's great how your physics is still "maths like", ours has been humanitiestised.

Jezzzzza writes...

It's great how your physics is still "maths like", ours has been humanitiestised.

Our humanities department gives a 25-point scale, from E1 to A5.

But since normal LoAs are on a 50-point scale, an A3 can mean a VHA5 or 6.

I cant wait for the SAIs to go up on wednesday.

mario_128 writes...

I cant wait for the SAIs to go up on wednesday.

..eeeek

mario_128 writes...

I cant wait for the SAIs to go up on wednesday

Where do they get posted?

they get posted on the windows of a designated block :o

mario_128 writes...

I cant wait for the SAIs to go up on wednesday.

My school doesn't even tell us when.

But yeah I can't wait to check.

I was just wandering if anyone knew or understood the process for small classes. I topoped one of the subjects at my school with a class of 6, but they don't distribute SAIs for classes of this size. Apparantly its an aggregate SAI or something?

Looking at this file:

http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/publications/exitlines_jul09_p4.pdf

it says "Your school will tell you where and when you can view the rank order for your subjects. These data can be displayed in graphical form showing the rank order and the gaps between students. Your position must be indicated by your name. Schools are obliged to provide this information by 25 November."

So SAIs will be given by name not student number, correct?

I'm thinking of changing from doing Commerce/Law at UQ to just straight law. Is there any benefit of spending an extra 1.5 years for the commerce degree?

Jezzzzza writes...

I'm thinking of changing from doing Commerce/Law at UQ to just straight law. Is there any benefit of spending an extra 1.5 years for the commerce degree?

I'm doing Law/Economics @ UQ (hopefully)

I feel the benefit in doing a double-degree is that you are able graduate with 2 degrees faster than if they were undertaken separately and that there is another qualification sitting there on your resume enabling you to change careers and so on.

I'd say stick with the Commerce, but if you feel like you aren't going to need it at all than I would drop it and either do straight Law or pick another degree to pair Law with (Arts perhaps?)

When do we find out our scaled SAI's based on QCS, and our results?

dr.prim3 writes...

When do we find out our scaled SAI's based on QCS, and our results?

I don't think you ever find scaled SAIs. The QCS results will be like one letter on your senior statement or QCE (i forget which one).

OPs come out online 19 Dec. Senior Statements and QCEs will be mailed out later.

I lost my QSA number.
Looks like I'll be waiting for my OP in the post =[

I'd consider phoning the school, or, going there in person and asking for it. They should have that information on file somewhere.

SAI's out today. My school is a 1.5 hr horse ride. Feck it

Jezzzzza writes...

My school is a 1.5 hr horse ride. Feck it

HAHA!, That's gold.

dr.prim3 writes...

I'd consider phoning the school, or, going there in person and asking for it. They should have that information on file somewhere.

I applied for the 'SMS notification' service but I'd rather look at properly online.
I shall contact the school

Question regarding SAIs,

At school in Graphics, my friend got a VHA6 and an SAI of 354 -there were two people above him.

In Home Science, the top student got a VHA1 and so an SAI of 400.

Is it applicable to compare these scores? It seems so unfair.

gleek writes...

Question regarding SAIs,

At school in Graphics, my friend got a VHA6 and an SAI of 354 -there were two people above him.

In Home Science, the top student got a VHA1 and so an SAI of 400.

Is it applicable to compare these scores? It seems so unfair.

Of course it's unfair, that's why they level it out with the QCS mean for that class.
This in itself is unfair, but it's all we have here in QLD
:|

EDIT: Oh, and could somebody please help me work this out. I have 2 classes (I am second in both) that contain under 12 people.

Does this mean that we are judged against the QCS average of the state?

It is not unfair that a VHA1 in Math B is worth more than a VHA1 in math A, and also for a VHA2 in art is not worth as much as a HA8 in physics. I personally got 5 VHA's and i only got a OP 4, reason 1. school got a D in QCS (i was like a B) and 2. I didnt do math C, physics etc....

I've been hearing about each subjects UAI and how some can't even reach the OP1 mark for the top student. Is there info out there for each individual subject?

...but I guess every school is different and it's so hard to predict these things.

**If only we had a click remote – go back and ace every single exam"

**flipside: QCS PREP...whollly flipppin geeeeay. NO THANK YOU!!**

Jezzzzza writes...

I've been hearing about each subjects UAI and how some can't even reach the OP1 mark for the top student.

What?

Hey guys,

I really worried about my OP, I got my SAIs yesterday and was expecting three VHAs and two HAs but instead I received two VHAs and three HAs. My dream course at uni requires a seven, but now I really doubt my chances.

My somewhat low-achieving private school has a cohort that is considered by the teachers as one of the smartest in years. Conversely, this has hurt my SAIs/rankings. At the same time this bolstered my school's/classes' ratings in comparisons to other schools/classes. A mixed blessing?

My marks are:

Eng – HA10 / 319SAI
Modern History – HA7 / 321SAI
Ancient History – HA4 / 265SAI (sigh, very strong class lol...)
HPE – VH1 / 328SAI (a few very smart girls who struggled in the practical aspect :o)
SOR – VH1 / 338SAI
MA – HA1 / 298SAI (my weakest IMO, even though ancient has a low SAI, it is a smart class. I also had a better HA rung in it.

Sorry for the wall of text guys, I'm just really worried that I won't get a 7, thus my dream course.

The best of luck to all.

-ByM

It's hard to give a reasonable estimation without knowing your school's previous QCS results. However, given your SAI's I would say that an OP 7 will be quite difficult to attain, unless your school's QCS is well above the state average. I also plugged your results into a shockingly inaccurate online OP calculator that works by using SAI's and it resulted in a predicted OP 12.

Have you had any sort of OP predictions this year, and if so what range where you predicted to lie within.

P.S If your teachers are saying that this year's cohort is one of the smartest years, your QCS could potentially be quite good.

P.S.S What is your dream course that requires an OP 7 ?

BA Commerce + Arts @ UQ

BL0WY0URMIND writes...

BA Commerce + Arts @ UQ

If you don't get the OP 7 required for the course, there is always the chance that you could still get accepted if the supply/demand is not fully met. I'm sure that other universities would offer that same course, or at least something very similar with a lower OP cutoff.

does anyone no wat..ur QSA password wud be.

I know my number..but when i try to login to stuff like my QSA account i cant cos i dont no wat the password wud be

is it just some random number?

Need- OP 5....Damn writes...

does anyone no wat..ur QSA password wud be.

I know my number..but when i try to login to stuff like my QSA account i cant cos i dont no wat the password wud be

is it just some random number?

Date and month of birth isn't it?

So for me (born on the 26th June) it would be 2606

Up and Adam writes...

Date and month of birth isn't it?

So for me (born on the 26th June) it would be 2606

And whats your QSA number?? :P

Sestrooper, not even I know what it is
;P

EDIT:

And now I am stressing about my OP.
I have no idea why, but I am.
I blame it on my dismal (~360-380) SAIs.
All I need is a 6 but still, it makes me think of what could have been accomplished if proper work was put in.

Does anybody happen to know the procedure in calculating your OP if it's a 'small' class?

Your LoA is compared to the state average result. If you're results are quite good, it can work in your favour quite well.

dr.prim3 writes...

Your LoA is compared to the state average result. If you're results are quite good, it can work in your favour quite well.

How big is a 'small class' ?

I heard my SAIs from a friend (gonna go tomorrow and check the spread).

Meanwhile these are the raw numbers:

Chemistry: 364 (VHA5)
Economics: 367 (VHA5)
Physics: 378 (VHA7)
Maths B: 390 (VHA8/9)
English: 400 (VHA8)

Just from these five subjects what does it look like? The numbers aren't spectacularly high, but it all depends on spread right?

I've posted my SAI's on another thread as well. But it's really difficult to interpret what the numbers mean, even with other people's results. Since these numbers aren't scaled, it's really hard to know. Do you guys get given information such as how many standard deviations you are from the mean?

<11 people

So qcs results for the class does not go into consideration?

do OP ineligible people affect your OP?

In terms of achievement

and do they make up the class size.

because in my graphics class if you count everyone it isn't a small class and you can go by the conventional method, but if you only count the OP eligible students I think it is 10 at most

abbie1992 writes...

So qcs results for the class does not go into consideration?

From what I've been told you get assigned the state QCS average from either all subjects or from the subject that you take (fairly sure it's the second).

I'm not quite sure how SAIs work though.
It's that whole SD nonsense, isn't it?

Up and Adam writes...

SD nonsense

Yeah, standard deviations is what's important, as well as QCS.

dr.prim3 writes...

Yeah, standard deviations is what's important, as well as QCS.

So let's say that the average for a subject is a B.

Does B = 300
<B = 299 and under
>B = 301 and over ?

Then the QCS mark adjusts these SAIs?

I don't think it's that simple - A 'B-average' does not necessarily imply such a distribution of SAI's. But the SAI's are adjusted, or 'scaled' according to the school's QCS results.

I was just wondering the chances of getting an OP1, within a school that does better than the mean. With a cohort of 250

Here are my results, as per the SAIs

English [VHA 6] 381
Maths B [VHA 6] 390
Chemistry [VHA 4] 368
Physics [VHA 9] 394
French [VHA 8] 390
Ancient History [VHA 9] 393

I hope Chemistry counts as my 6th subject....

koolkats55 writes...

English [VHA 6] 381
Maths B [VHA 6] 390
Chemistry [VHA 4] 368
Physics [VHA 9] 394
French [VHA 8] 390
Ancient History [VHA 9] 393

I achieved very similar results to those posted and have been predicted as an OP1-3. I'd say you're in with a very good chance, however, SAI's carry more significance than LoA's in terms of OP. It is quite reasonable to assume that your school is highly competitive, and as such your QCS will be above the mean (as you previously mentioned). Congrats on your Physics LoA! that's amazing work :) I'm guessing the five subjects that will count in your particular circumstance are: Physics, Ancient History, French, Maths B and English. The average SAI for those subjects is: 389.6, which is nearly 390. Assuming your school blitzes QCS, you're in with a good chance at an OP 1.

P.S What school is this? 250 is a huge cohort!

Marist College Ashgrove

Phew, I went to check my SAIs today.
OP estimation 3-5.
Not the best (obviously), but it will get me into Uni
(Doing nothing does pay off :P)
:D

My highest SAI was a 381 for English (VHA).
Just as a guide for anybody else who is wondering, my SAIs are around the 350-360 mark.

*and breathe*

I have calculated my standard deviations from the mean. All SAI 400's.

1) 2.45 from mean
2) 2.46 from mean
3) 1.75 from mean
4) 2.45 from mean
5) 2.08 from mean
6) compared to state average, unsure

I heard that you need to be at least 2.5-3 to have a good chance at an OP 1. If so, looks like I can forget about it.

dr.prim3 writes...

I heard that you need to be at least 2.5-3 to have a good chance at an OP 1. If so, looks like I can forget about it.

Assuming that you are correct in saying that you need to be 2.5-3 deviations above the mean for a 'good chance' at an OP 1...

good chance

'Good chance' and not fulfilling the criteria to ensure a 'good chance' doesn't mean that there isn't a chance, it just means that the probability of obtaining a 1 is decreased.

Chill, you won't know until the results are out [me saying chill is a tad hypocritical, as I am stressing, but I rarely follow my own advice].
With those marks you will either get a 1 or a 2 unless of course your school absolutely fails the QCS.. which I'm sure it won't (not that I would have any idea, haha)

Roger that. Your'e 100% right, it all comes down to probability. I'll chill :) thanks man

Well i got my dreaded SAIs today and now i am truly freaking out.

ITS 391/HA10
Modern History 390/HA4
Maths A 331/SA6
English 342/HA5
Legal 298/SA6
Economics 301/SA6
Accounting 208/LA10 (only did for first semester of year 11)

Anyone have a clue of what i am looking at?

mario_128 writes...

Anyone have a clue of what i am looking at?

Well, based on my SAIs you are probably looking at a... yeah under 10?
I think? [Hell, I am a tad lost figuring out how this bloody system works]

Aha.

Out of interest, how big is your Modern History class?

EDIT: according to this extremely inaccurate calculator, you are looking at an 8
http://www.gouni.org/op.aspx

mario_128 writes...

TS 391/HA10
Modern History 390/HA4
Maths A 331/SA6
English 342/HA5
Legal 298/SA6
Economics 301/SA6
Accounting 208/LA10 (only did for first semester of year 11)

Well, Accounting obviously won't count (I assume). Do you have your standard deviations from the mean? that would be very helpful.

no we didn't get given any of that lol we are a poor private school

Well, based on my SAIs you are probably looking at a... yeah under 10?
I think? [Hell, I am a tad lost figuring out how this bloody system works]

Aha.

Out of interest, how big is your Modern History class?

EDIT: according to this extremely inaccurate calculator, you are looking at an 8
http://www.gouni.org/op.aspx

there are 18 in our modern class

haha- I see. You were probably given a list or spread that shows other people's SAI's / ranks etc relative to yours? If so, you can calculate standard deviations quite easily by copying the SAI list into an internet standard deviation/statistics calculator. But it's probably a waste of time lol

dr.prim3 writes...

You were probably given a list or spread that shows other people's SAI's / ranks etc relative to yours

You put far too much effort into these things.
(Probably why you are getting straight 400s)
:P

dr.prim3 writes...

I heard that you need to be at least 2.5-3 to have a good chance at an OP 1. If so, looks like I can forget about it.

My school's science head of department told me my Z-Scores of approximately 1.3 in PHY and CHM puts me well on the way to an OP1.

haha- I see. You were probably given a list or spread that shows other people's SAI's / ranks etc relative to yours? If so, you can calculate standard deviations quite easily by copying the SAI list into an internet standard deviation/statistics calculator. But it's probably a waste of time lol

actually we weren't i had to call my teacher for my SAIs

Lemonbubblez – I think what I did was the same as calculating Z-scores? :s

z = (score – mean) / standard deviation

As an example: chemistry

score = 400
mean = 283.3333....
standard deviation: 47.6

so my Z-score is: 2.45

This makes sense, because it's just calculating how far I am from the mean. What I did was get a list of all the SAI numbers for each subject, found the mean, and the standard deviation, and used that formula.

You're probably right about the lower Z-scores – this is just something I heard off of a friend.

dr.prim3 writes...

Lemonbubblez – I think what I did was the same as calculating Z-scores? :s

Yes it is.

My chemistry SAI is 364. Mean was 302. Sigma was 47.5

62/47.5 = 1.3

Awesome. I can tell the competition at your school is quite strong, because the person on SAI 400 would have a Z-score of only 2.06.

The median for English looks about 260. Not sure about mean and standard deviation but i think they won't be too high. So my ENG Z-Score could be >2.5

But it'll be offset by QCS test.

A mean of 260 ensures quite a good Z-score being attained. Our school's English mean is 293, with a standard deviation of 51.44, which is not surprising as this years cohort has done remarkably well in the subject. As a result, my SAI 400 in English has resulted in a Z-score of only 2.08. My VHA 9 in Maths C is going to be calculated relative to the state average LoA, however, I am uncertain as to whether the QCS of the state is used?

260 is the median, not mean; I didn't see the mean and std for English.

The mean is probably higher at about 270s to 280s? Std i'm hoping is about 45.

I'm not sure how small cohorts work QCS-wise and SAI-wise. There aren't many small cohorts in my school.

@ lemonbubblez and dr.prim3

You wouldn't happen to have accounts on MedStudentsOnline would you?
*points finger accusingly* :D

Up and Adam writes...

@ lemonbubblez and dr.prim3

You wouldn't happen to have accounts on MedStudentsOnline would you?
*points finger accusingly* :D

Yes

lemonbubblez writes...

Yes

Ah, that explains it.
I was browsing the OP Prediction thread and found results that matched yours.
Don't mind me :)

I came across this http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/tertiaryentrance/te_op_basics.pdf.

May prove useful, maybe it won't.