Course Selection Planning Tool

Making Subject Choices: Reflect, Explore, Connect

Choosing what to study in Year 11 and 12—and beyond—starts with reflecting on your past experiences and thinking about what you’d like to do in the future.

To help with this process, students are encouraged to:

• Revisit their Morrisby Vocational Report to reflect on career ideas and how these align with subject choices.

• Re-complete the ‘Self-Interest’ section of the Morrisby Assessment to explore updated interests or career possibilities.

• Use the Frankston High School Careers Website (www.fhscareers.com) to complete career quizzes and explore strengths, interests, and potential pathways. Students can register in the student area for full access.

Year 10 students have already taken part in a series of career exploration activities to support them ahead of their course counselling appointments. These activities, tools and resources are designed to help you make informed, confident decisions about your senior program and future career direction.

Tips for VCE and VCE - VM Students

• Don’t leave subject selection to the last minute

• Come to your course counselling appointment prepared

• Do your own research

• Select a program that will allow you to achieve success

• Reflect honestly on yourself and on your preferred learning style

• Consider different pathways to the career field you are interested in

Time to Select Your Program and Subjects for 2026!

As you begin planning your senior years, it’s important to think carefully about your program and subject choices. If you’re in Year 10 or Year 11, you now have the option of choosing either the VCE or VCE Vocational Major (VCE-VM) pathway.

To understand the differences between these programs and what they involve, refer to the VCE and VCE Vocational Major sections of this handbook.

How to Choose Your Studies

When selecting subjects, start by thinking about:

• What you enjoy

• What you’re good at

• The studies available at Frankston High School

If you’re unsure about your future pathway, that’s okay! A great strategy is to choose a broad VCE program that covers areas you’re interested in and where you perform well. A broader approach keeps your options open. You might also find that the VCE Vocational Major offers a more practical and hands-on style of learning that suits your interests and future goals.

What Not to Base Your Choices On

Try to avoid selecting subjects:

• Just because your friends are doing them

• Because they’re “scaled up” in the ATAR

Scaling does not guarantee a higher ATAR. The most important thing is to choose studies you enjoy and do well in—strong performance across all your subjects is the best way to achieve a great result.

Quick Tips to Keep in Mind

• Your subject choices are important, but they’re not final—many pathways and opportunities are still available beyond school.

• The more informed you are now, the more confident you’ll feel in your decisions.

• Planning ahead gives you more flexibility later.

Don’t Forget About Prerequisites

Some University and TAFE courses have prerequisite VCE subjects that you must complete to be eligible for selection.

• In Year 10, start exploring the types of courses that interest you and check their prerequisites.

• In Year 11, double-check that your subject choices align with the entry requirements of your preferred courses.

If you haven’t completed the required prerequisites (or equivalent), you won’t be considered for that course—even if your ATAR is high. That’s why it’s so important to look ahead when selecting subjects.

Prerequisites are set two years in advance so that Year 10 students know what prerequisite studies are needed for courses commencing the year after they complete school. Year 11 students should also consult the prerequisite list again to confirm their subjects ensure their eligibility to apply for specific tertiary degrees.

Please check VTAC for the latest Prerequisites (www.vtac.edu.au) in July.

• All of the VTAC prerequisite guides will be uploaded to the Frankston High School Careers Website when available https://www.fhscareers.com/.

• Students can also visit the VTAC website and enter their preferred course into the VTAC Prerequisite and Course Explorer which can be found at: https://vtac.edu.au/research/prerequisite-explorer Students can complete a prerequisite search in two ways on this VTAC tool. Students can enter their entire program using the I want to use my whole VCE study program to see which courses I am eligible for option OR students can undertake a single subject prerequisite search by using the I want to enter a single VCE subject to see which courses require it. This is a very easy tool to use and we recommend you use it to help you research the range of tertiary courses available to you.

Things to know about prerequisites

• Prerequisites can change from year to year and are published two years in advance. Make sure you look up the prerequisites for the year you want to apply to a course.

• Be aware, prerequisites can differ between similar sounding courses.

• Minimum study scores for prerequisites are your VCE study score, not your scaled study score.

• If you fail to meet a prerequisite, talk to the institution about pathways into the course that allow you to complete the prerequisites (or equivalent). You may need to commence a different course to pathway into your dream tertiary degree. This is very common and often provides students with a better understanding of the type of study required and of the jobs connected to this study. Quite often, students emerge with two qualifications and a whole lot of vocational experience by taking a pathway through TAFE, for example.

Final advice for selecting subjects and a senior school program

• Select studies that are based on interests, careers, further study and your strengths.

• You should choose a course with the flexibility to enable you to vary your pathway if required.

• The course should fulfill the requirements to successfully complete a two year program, ie., an ATAR or non-ATAR program or VCE-Vocational Major program.

• Do not select subjects because of scaling.

• Do not select subjects because your friends are doing them.

Myths about scaling

Many students believe that to achieve their best possible ATAR they need to choose studies which have been scaled up in previous years. This is not true and can work against you.

Choosing a study that you are not very good at, or engaged in, simply because it may be scaled up would be a mistake. If you are concerned about your score, you need to be sure you are good at a study and that you are engaged in doing your best.

It is most likely that a ‘scaled down’ score in a study you performed well in will be higher than a ‘scaled up’ study in which you didn’t.

After you have read the information provided on this website, you need to complete the following course plan for your VCE program.

The following Course Maps for VCE and VCE VM can be downloaded as Google Docs or Word Documents and filled in as part of the course planning process.