Scaling For School Subjects

What is the scaling system of the UPSC for optional subjects?

During your school days you would remember that although science subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths were considered difficult but the highest marks were also secured in these subjects only. It was difficult to secure very high marks in English, Hindi or other social subjects.Similar is the story with UPSC. In subjects like Mathematics and Physics, if you have arrived at the correct answer then there is no way the examiner can deduct marks. So if a student gets all her answers correct then she would get 500 out of 500.On the other hand even the topper of Sociology subject may not get more than 400 out of 500.To avoid this anomaly, UPSC has come up with scaling factor. The objective is to:Bring marks of toppers of each subject at par with each other.So a student scoring 450+ in Maths will see her number come down to 350+How exactly does UPSC calculate this scaling factor is not very clear. It varies from year to year and upon scrutinizing it is found that not all highest marks in every subject are at same level.For instance, the highest marks in Maths and some literature subject goes upto 360 whereas in Philosophy and Public Administration it would be rare to see students crossing 320+If you have already chosen your optional subject then you should not worry about the scaling factor. After the introduction of new pattern in 2013, you will see almost all optionals featuring in top 100 rank.It is a well accepted fact that Science options fetch high marks but there are very few students who opt for these optionals as the syllabus is huge and tough.You can read more about UPSC preparation here: https://71to51.quora.com/71-to-5...

Does doing easier ATAR subjects get you a higher ATAR score? My school encourages us to do harder ATAR subjects to get our score scaled up, however, I have seen students choose the easiest subjects and get a high ATAR in the '90s.

I believe you should do the ATAR subjects you're good at.My High School had a very limited number of ATAR subjects, so choosing the right subjects were quite difficult. I elected to do ATAR Modern History, ATAR Geography, ATAR Health Studies and ATAT English. In my school report, I got B's and A's for them. However, the scaling system during the WACE exams did wreck my chances of getting into the University I wanted.My Health Studies class was scaled down by 20%, English was scaled down by 10%, Modern History was scaled down by 8% and Geography was scaled up by 2%. I was still lucky enough to get a decent ATAR score, but a few of my friends who did the same classes did not meet the ATAR requirement for their desired University.I had initially wanted to go to The University of Western Australia, but had to go for Curtin University instead.In saying that, though, I am glad I did the ATAR courses I chose. If I chose subjects such as Physics, Chemistry or any of the ATAR Math courses, I would have failed no matter how much they would be scaled up. In my opinion, the best advice I can give is to do the subjects you know you're capable of doing and don't worry too much about the scaling system. If you get decent enough grades throughout the year, the scaling system at the end shouldn't have a huge impact on your final ATAR score.In my school, we had two people achieve an ATAR of 99.95. One of them did Modern History, English, Geography, Health Studies and Applications Math. The other did Chemistry, Physics, Methods, Specialists and Literature. The latter one obviously did the "harder" ATAR courses, but they both obtained an excellent ATAR score and went to UWA.

How do high school honors classes impact your GPA?

GPA in the U.S. is based on a 4 point system.The letter grades are A, B, C,D, and F.with an A you get 4 points, with a B - 3, C-2, D-1, F-0.....The higher the grades the higher the points and the better off you are.IF you get all A's then you have a 4.0 gpa.NOW with honors and AP or IB classes, these are more rigorous and academically challenging, Therefore they hold more weight on your gpa. Essentially it gives you an extra point for the class.With honors or AP/IB classes, an A is worth 5 points, a B is 4, C is 3, D is 2, and F is still 0.This means if you have all AP and honors classes and you get straight A's, your gpa will be a 5.0.And since the system is still a 4 point scale. your gpa will be a 5.0 out of 4.0.This is what we call a weighted gpa. when you include the extra points for each honors/AP class. If you get straight A's and all your classes are AP, then your UNWEIGHTED Gpa is still 4.0. But weighted it is 5.0So how does it impact your gpa? taking an Honors, AP, or IB class raises your GPA so long as you pass the class.

How is Atar scaled?

ATAR is not directly scaled. To understand scaling, you’ll have to understand how ATAR works.ATAR is calculated from your aggregate (which is a score out of 20 regarding how well you did in a subject). You have 4 full year subjects which count for 20 Aggregate points and Research Project which counts for 10. (10 x 4)+(1 x 10) = 90.You get 90 Aggregate points which are then used to rank you against every high school student in your state. The top 0.05% get a 99.95 ATAR, the top 1% get 99 ATAR or above, etc.Scaling works by reducing the grades for easy subjects AKA non examined subjects. For example, I did SACE Mathematical Studies which is known as Mathematical Methods. This does not get scaled since it had an exam. I also did SACE English Communications. This does get scaled. The level of scaling also depends upon your grade. If you get an A, your grades are only reduced slightly but if you get a C, you can expect up to 10% or more of your grades to be smashed away.

What is a GPA of 80/100 equivalent to that on a 4 point scale?

A couple of other answers refer to How to Convert Your GPA to a 4.0 Scale table, which says 80% is B-, which corresponds to 2.7.But colleges said many times that they don’t take +/- into account. They drop +/-, so A+ and A- both will count as 4.0. Same for B+ and B- : they will become B and count as 3.0.In the US grading system, 80% -89% range makes a B. 90%-100% is an A. So the most direct and simple conversion would be 80/100 = B = 3.0.However, conversions from international grading systems to the US system are not direct and not simple. It really depends on the country.With all the complications and confusion between different conversion methods, my advice would be not to convert it. Colleges will require your full transcripts anyway, so they will have the list of your courses and grades and test results. International admissions officers are familiar with different educational systems and grading scales, and they will evaluate your transcript in the context of your country’s system.If you are going to apply to US undergraduate admissions and use the Common Application, you don’t have to enter your GPA or class rank. This is what the Common App support page says about Reporting Class Rank and GPA “You should report your current Class Rank and GPA, even if they might change later in the school year. If your school does not rank, select "None" from the drop down menu. If your school calculates both weighted and unweighted Class Rank/GPA, report the weighted value. If your school does not calculate a cumulative numerical GPA, or if it uses a GPA scale that is different than the options available in the drop down menu, leave the Cumulative GPA field blank. This field is not required for submission of your application.”If you are applying for a graduate program, you might want to consider using WES credential evaluation: Credential Evaluation for International Students. They will give you an official report WES - Sample Completed EvaluationYou can also use their Free GPA Calculator | World Education ServicesIf you have any questions about specific education system requirements and application details, don’t hesitate to contact admissions office if you need help. It’s always better to get a direct answer from an official source.