better way to use SAM (for real HSC results) (1 Viewer)

[fleepbasding]

OK, what I'm talking about here is a way to make your SAM prediction more accurate. Keep in mind you must already have your HSC results for this to work, so it is just for 05ers really. Well, I realised with some of my aligned marks, that I'd "gained" half-a-mark in the rounding up process. For example, for english extension 1, I recieved 44 assesment and 47 exam mark- leaving me with 46 aligned HSC mark. But if you find the mean of the assesment and exam marks, it is 45.5... Now through this "gaining" of half marks, my aligned HSC results appeared to be 1.5 marks higher than the marks that UAC were really using to determine my UAI. So, with SAM, I entered the REAL marks I had- for english extension 1 I entered 45.5, for english adv 86.5 (instead of the aligned 87) etc... In the subjects where rounding up hadn't occured I didn't alter the mark. The result was a UAI "prediction" that was much closer to my actual result. Without this process, SAM gave me 98.85, but with my process it gave 98.65 for 2003 and 2004... and I ended up with a UAI of 98.60.

Others should try this, I want to know if it works for others- it might have just been a coincidence. If people don't know how the UAI calculation works, I'm not going to try and explain it... I just wanted to point out this way of students on the UAI-release eve can get a more accurate forecast.

 

[Rafy]

my aligned HSC results appeared to be 1.5 marks higher than the marks that UAC were really using to determine my UAI.

Well UAC dont use the HSC marks to calculate the UAI. They go back to the raw marks and scale them their own way (/50) to calculate an aggregate.

 

[fleepbasding]

Well UAC dont use the HSC marks to calculate the UAI. They go back to the raw marks and scale them their own way (/50) to calculate an aggregate.

Yes, that's exactly my point, kind of. Well, more that the aligned marks that have been rounded up... ummm, it's difficult to express. I think it's reasonably clear in my original post.

someone help me out here! I know that UAC don't use aligned HSC marks- they use raw marks. But the raw marks they use really align to 45.5 (to use my ext english mark as an example), not the rounded up version presented to us. And putting the unrounded HSC results might give a more "accurate" "prediction" (I know SAM doesn't predict, but anyway).

 

[reggina_calcio]

SAM 04 = my 05 UAI.


Adv eng 83
Economics 90
Italian cont 89
Mod hist 88
SOR 1 44
Mathematics 95
Mathematics ext1 45
History ext 35

=95.25

Although it was a fluke because this year 1 unit of mod hist, sor and ext hist were not counted, whereas, to the best of my memory sam said Italian and ext history would not (have) count(ed)...

but meh

 

[Iceman145]

I think fleepbasding is right, that should make it more accurate. Cos your actual, more accurate HSC mark is the 86.5 or whatever.. They only report 87 to you, for convenience.

The increased accuracy means that SAM can more accurately estimate your scaled mark for the course. That's what SAM does, because you never get raw marks - it uses HSC marks and matches it up with the scaled mark, to calculate your aggregate and UAI.

Good idea fleepbasding, although sorry i can't verify with data because my results had no rounding.

 

[fleepbasding]

I think fleepbasding is right, that should make it more accurate. Cos your actual, more accurate HSC mark is the 86.5 or whatever.. They only report 87 to you, for convenience.

The increased accuracy means that SAM can more accurately estimate your scaled mark for the course. That's what SAM does, because you never get raw marks - it uses HSC marks and matches it up with the scaled mark, to calculate your aggregate and UAI.

Good idea fleepbasding, although sorry i can't verify with data because my results had no rounding.

Aha, a desciple! Too bad you can't help verify... I get this strange feeling that your assesment mark and exam mark were identical for every subject...

Someone else? I tried it for one of my friends marks, and unfortunately it was unsuccessful. The non-rounded version was actually lower than his real UAI. The rounded version was higher though. I think the scaling for his subjects must have improved this year.