99th percentile?? (via email) (1 Viewer)

[Lazarus]

[This query was sent to me via email - I have posted it here for future reference.]

Hi.
I just have a question concerning percentiles etc. If I were to be
placed in the 97th percentile for all of my subjects, would that necessarily
mean that I would gain a UAI of 97.00? Or could it actually go either side
of 97.00?

And just one other question. I've heard that choosing a particular subject
doesn't actually prevent you from gaining a particular UAI (e.g. doing
Physics doesn't ensure a high UAI). It is theoretically correct (so I've
heard), but it is it actually a "realistic" statement
E.g.
Person A does General Mathematics and Industrial Technology
Person B does 4U Maths and Physics.

Theoretically, they can both gain UAIs of 100, but will this actually
happen? If Person A came first in every subject, and Person B came first in
every subject, will they both gain UAIs of 100, or will Person B have the
higher "priority" because he/she has done higher scaled subjects?

 

[Lazarus]

Hi -

Being placed at the 97th percentile for all of your courses would most
likely result in a UAI around 98. The UAI ranks students against their state
age cohort - that is, all students who completed the School Certificate with
them two years earlier. Hence, the median UAI is ~66.00 rather than 55.00
and a UAI in the high 98s would place you at the 97th percentile rather than
a UAI of 97. Whilst a UAI of 97 means that you were in the top 3% of the
state age cohort, it would be around the top 4% of the HSC cohort. The
Technical Committee on Scaling's annual report includes statistics
pertaining to the percentages of HSC students attaining above a particular
UAI, and is published on the UAC website.

In response to your second question, it would be possible for Person A to
gain a UAI of 100, but only barely. It is far more likely that they will be
'overtaken' by Person B and others like him or her, and hence be relegated
to the high 99s. The reason for this is that maximum scaled marks are
imposed on courses with low scaled means. This is done to prevent students
from exploiting the system by 'dumbing down', taking easier courses and
gaining near perfect results.