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Choosing VCE subjects comes down to one goal. Pick a combination that keeps your university and career options open and plays to your strengths. If you get this right in Year 10, Year 11 and 12 will feel more manageable. If you get it wrong, you may find in Year 12 that you are missing a prerequisite for the course you want.
This guide explains how subject selection works, what to think about before you choose, and the mistakes to avoid.
VCE subject selection is when you choose the subjects you will study in Year 11 and Year 12. Many Victorian schools run it in Term 3 of Year 10. Your choices affect your ATAR, the university courses you can apply for and how much you enjoy your last two years of school.
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) calculates your ATAR from your scaled study scores. It adds your best English study score to your next three best scores, then adds 10% of up to two more. This means three things.
If you are aiming for Medicine, Law, Engineering or another competitive course, plan your subjects carefully.
Many schools hold information evenings, subject expos and careers meetings in Term 3 of Year 10. You then submit a subject selection form a few weeks later. Some schools also check your Units 3 and 4 choices during Year 11. Each school has its own timeline, so check your school’s careers calendar early.
Most schools follow these steps.
An English study is the only compulsory part of the VCE. You can choose English, English as an Additional Language (EAL), English Language or Literature. You choose the rest of your subjects from the subjects your school offers. Most students take five or six subjects each year. A typical mix looks like this.
To be awarded the VCE, you need at least 16 units. These must include three English units, with a Unit 3 and 4 sequence, and at least three other Unit 3 and 4 sequences.
Take your careers meeting seriously. Bring a shortlist of subjects and specific questions about prerequisites, scaling or subject combinations. A good careers counsellor will point out problems, such as timetable clashes or a missing prerequisite, before you submit your form.
A strong subject combination balances four things. These are what you enjoy, what you are good at, what you need for university and how the workload fits together.
Students usually work harder and do better in subjects they find interesting. Interest is not enough on its own. Look at your Year 9 and 10 results to see which subjects you are strong in.
Check the prerequisites for the university courses you are considering before you decide, even if you are not sure of your career yet. Many competitive courses, such as Medicine, Engineering and Commerce, require Units 3 and 4 subjects like Mathematical Methods or Chemistry.
VTAC publishes prerequisites two years in advance, so Year 10 students can check the requirements that will apply to them. The VTAC CourseSearch website includes a Prerequisite Explorer. Enter the subjects you plan to take, and it shows which courses you would be eligible for.
Scaling adjusts your study score based on how the students in that subject perform across all their subjects. A study score in a subject taken by strong students may scale up. The same score in another subject may scale down. Read our guide to how VCE scaling works before you rule out a subject because of scaling. Use scaling as one factor, not the main one.
Some combinations are very demanding. Specialist Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and a language together is a heavy load, even for strong students. Think about these points.
Taking a subject with your friends may make Year 11 more comfortable. It will not help if the subject does not suit your strengths or your university plans.
This is the most costly mistake. Some students find out in Year 12 that they are missing a prerequisite for their preferred course. They then have to change subjects late or find another way into university. Check prerequisites in Year 10.
Taking four or five of the hardest subjects can lower your results across the board if you are stretched too thin. Balance one or two challenging subjects with one or two you know you will do well in.
Look up the prerequisites for two or three university courses you are interested in, even if your final choice changes. Requirements can differ between universities that offer a course with the same name.
Yes, but the window is often short. Most schools allow changes in the first few weeks of Term 1 of Year 11.
Our guide to changing or dropping a VCE subject explains the rules and deadlines in more detail.
Talk to your subject teacher and careers counsellor as soon as you notice a problem. If the issue is your workload rather than the subject, extra support may solve it without a change. Matrix runs Year 11 VCE courses taught by experienced teachers in Melbourne and online.
Check each step before you submit your form.
Subject selection is a big decision, but you can usually change course if you need to. Choose carefully, check your prerequisites twice and pick subjects that suit your strengths.
You must take an English study. You then choose your other subjects from the VCE subjects your school offers, usually five or six in total. These can include maths, sciences, humanities, the arts and languages.
Choose subjects that match your interests, your strengths and the prerequisites for courses you are considering. Do not choose based on scaling alone or on what your friends are doing.
Many students find Specialist Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics the most demanding, because of the amount of content and the knowledge they assume. Which subject is hardest depends on your own strengths.
Year 12 is usually more demanding. Units 3 and 4 results count towards your ATAR, and the SACs and exams carry more weight. Year 11 (Units 1 and 2) carries less formal weight.
Written by Matrix Education
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