ATAR Anxiety
Is parent anxiety worse than student anxiety?
Parents Anxiety over ATAR
Seventy-five per cent of Australian senior students are experiencing or have experienced ATAR anxiety, according to new research from Cluey Learning. More than half of these students consider their parents’ ATAR anxiety to be worse than their own.
Term 4 marks final high school exams, the transition of Year 11 students into Year 12, and the last chance for Year 10 pupils to select senior subjects, which can determine their final ATAR score.
National Survey of Senior School Students
The national survey of senior students* reveals that a specific ATAR score is “extremely important” to 57 per cent of pupils. More than half have a particular ATAR score they wish to achieve. 55 per cent aiming for an ATAR of 90 or above. Despite this, more than half of students believe an ATAR over 90 is “impossible”.
Impact on Future Life
When it comes to an ATAR under 60, over 80 percent of students agree this score would be detrimental to their life and or their career. According to the research undertaken by Cluey Learning, over 75 per cent of students believe their ATAR will impact the rest of their life. Furthermore, 25 per cent of students who are aiming for a specific ATAR score agree they are unsure what they will do if they miss out on the rank they hope to achieve.
Tips and Help
In response to emphasis on the admission rank, Cluey Learning has launched #ATARanxiety, a campaign encouraging students to shift focus from their final number to what can be done today. The company will release expert tips via their blog and social channels throughout Term 4.
Chief Learning Officer Dr. Selina Samuels comments, "At critical moments in education, students can feel like nothing else in the world matters except that final year or result. It’s easy to become fixated on the end and its enormity instead of the small steps to take today to allow effective learning to continue. Rather than finding ways to remove the pressure, it’s better to find ways to manage it. Learning how to best deal with stress and expectations can help build resilience. The challenge is learning how to distinguish between reasonable levels of stress and disproportionate anxiety”.
When it comes to getting on top of ATAR anxiety, students expressed a number of tactics. Study was the top choice for managing ATAR anxiety followed by “ignoring it”, exercise and meditation. Over 85 per cent agreed that last-minute study and help is an important part of the preparation process.
If your child is an early risers or a night owls, it's good to know that Cluey has extended their hours to provide session support from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm, until midnight for eastern states, helping students’ study from wherever suits them. Free subscriptions to sleep and mindfulness app Calm will also be available as part of the #ATARanxiety campaign.
If you are a parent of a student studying for their ATAR who has anxiety, you can find more on information on Cluey's website https://clueylearning.com.au/atar-anxiety/
