Should I do Specialist Maths in Year 11 and 12?

Study tips

Published 13 Jun, 2025 · 7-minute read

If you’re fast approaching your senior years of high school and considering what subjects to take in Year 11 and 12, you may be debating the question: should I do Specialist Maths?

It’s a tricky decision that can be influenced by several factors, including how much you enjoy maths, if you want to pursue university studies and what program you’re interested in, and how well you think you’ll perform in the subject.

Taking Specialist Mathematics can help you get into a number of STEM programs at UQ and it often appears as one option out of a list of subject prerequisites recommended or required for entry.

We answer a few common questions about this somewhat divisive senior school subject and outline its benefits to give you a better idea of whether it’s right for you.

What is Specialist Mathematics?

Specialist Mathematics is often considered the highest study of mathematics possible in Australian high schools. The name of the subject differs slightly from state to state e.g. ‘Mathematics Specialised’ in Tasmania and ‘Mathematics Specialist’ in Western Australia, with the biggest differentiation in naming convention being ‘Mathematics Extension’ in New South Wales.

Specialist Mathematics typically covers complex areas of maths including combinatorics, vectors and matrices, complex numbers, trigonometry, calculus and statistics.

Is Specialist Maths hard?

We prefer to use the term challenging. Specialist Maths will certainly challenge you to think outside the box, concentrate and apply yourself. It will require extra hours of study, patience and perseverance. But if you enjoy a good challenge and the chance to problem solve, then Specialist Maths can be a very rewarding subject. There are a couple of other reasons you might survive and thrive in this subject too…

Is Specialist Maths worth it?

At the end of the day, one of your biggest concerns is probably around whether going the extra mile by taking Specialist Mathematics will pay off. There are definitely perks involved that can make this challenging subject worth it.

Giving you a helping hand with your other subjects

When speaking to UQ students who took Specialist Maths in Year 11 and 12, their collective advice pinpointed one major advantage: it can help you better understand several of your other subjects.

“Specialist Maths helps so much with other subjects like Physics and Maths Methods,” Emily Nilsen says.

Zoe Cumming agrees, noting that Specialist Maths often covered and went beyond what she was learning in Mathematical Methods.

“I found my frequent Specialist study meant I could spend less time on Methods, because I had already covered the content.”

Both UQ students are now in their final years of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Master of Engineering integrated program. We won’t imply that Specialist Maths is single-handedly responsible for getting them to where they are today, but it’s clear the subject helped.

Get more high school maths study tips from recent graduates who’ve been there and done that, and got the 99.9+ ATARs to prove it.

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Boosting your ATAR

Does specialist maths scale up?

Let’s address one of the most pressing questions you might have: does specialist maths scale up? According to historic QTAC scaling data, yes. Specialist Maths is continually one of the highest scaled QCAA subjects year on year. But it’s important to note that scaling also changes every year. A subject scaled favourably one year may be scaled down the next, and there’s no way to know this for certain until after you receive your ATAR.

Keep in mind that your raw score can also impact whether you are scaled up or down. For example, in QTAC’s 2023 ATAR Report, a raw score of 71.00 in Specialist Mathematics scaled up to 80.63 but a raw score of 99.00 scaled down to 98.96.

The bottom line? Don’t base your subject selection solely on subject scaling possibilities. You should also consider how much you’ll enjoy the subject, how well you think you may be able to perform in it, and how much time you can dedicate to study.

Do you get rank adjustments for taking Specialist Maths?

Some universities provide adjustment factors to your ATAR if you achieve a certain grade in Specialist Mathematics in high school. UQ offers 2 adjustments for achieving a grade C or higher in units 3 and 4 of Queensland Specialist Mathematics (or equivalent) through the Subject Incentive Scheme. This may give you the little boost you need to gain entry to your preferred UQ program.

Find out more about all the ways you may qualify for rank adjustments at UQ.

Preparing you for university

If you’re interested in applying for undergraduate programs in STEM, Specialist Mathematics can help you arrive at university prepared to tackle challenging subject matter and excel in your courses. Starting uni can be daunting enough without also factoring in a struggle to comprehend mathematical concepts. Studying Specialist Maths in Year 11 and 12 will help you grasp the more complex course content covered in university.

Furthermore, studying Specialist Maths in Year 12 may mean you’re exempt from taking courses at uni (by courses we mean the individual units/subjects that make up your undergraduate program) that cover similar content. This can free up some space in your program plan to pursue other courses of interest and delve deeper into topics that fascinate you.

Students sit at a desk studying in the library

What is Specialist Maths a prerequisite for at UQ?

If you’re wondering what courses require Specialist Maths at UQ, the answer is simple: none. There are no UQ programs which require you to have studied Specialist Mathematics as the only and highest maths subject prerequisite in order to gain entry. However, many programs will give you a choice to fulfil the entry requirements by studying either Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics. Some will take students who’ve studied one of either General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics.

There are also instances where UQ programs will recommend studying Specialist Mathematics in high school to help you build foundational knowledge, but it is not a requirement to gain entry to said programs.

Studying high school outside of Queensland? Find out the equivalent subjects in your state or territory that meet UQ subject prerequisites.

The following are the UQ undergraduate programs that list one of either Mathematical Methods OR Specialist Mathematics as a subject prerequisite to gain entry in Semester 1 2026:

The following are the UQ undergraduate programs that list one of either General Mathematics OR Mathematical Methods OR Specialist Mathematics as a subject prerequisite to gain entry in Semester 1 2026:

The following are the UQ undergraduate programs that recommend studying Specialist Mathematics, but it isn’t compulsory (i.e. you don’t need to complete Specialist Mathematics to gain entry to the program, but it will help prepare you for your studies):

*It’s recommended that you study one of either General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics, but it isn’t a requirement.

Please note: entry requirements concerning Specialist Mathematics as a subject prerequisite for the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and Bachelor of Advanced Science vary to the scenarios listed above.

Please visit a program’s dedicated webpage and read the ‘entry requirements’ tab carefully to fully understand ALL of the entry requirements applicable to each UQ program.

What is Mathematical Methods a prerequisite for at UQ?

There are UQ programs where you must have studied Mathematical Methods to gain entry. For Semester 1 2026, these are as follows:

And then there are programs where you can choose between studying General Mathematics or Mathematical Methods to meet the subject prerequisite. For entry in Semester 1 2026, these are as follows:

So, should I do Specialist Mathematics?

While Specialist Mathematics may not be a requirement to get into many undergraduate university programs, it can really help you prepare for your studies. It’s also worth noting that Mathematical Methods is a subject prerequisite for many STEM (and business) degrees, and as a handful of our successful UQ students have told us, Specialist Mathematics can significantly assist you with excelling in Mathematical Methods too.

At the end of the day, asking yourself these 3 questions when considering any subject to take in Year 11 and 12 will help you make a decision:

Does this subject interest me?
Will I enjoy studying this subject for 2 years?
Will this subject help me get to where I want to be after high school (including university and fulfilling prerequisites needed for entry into your program/s of interest)?

You can view all UQ subject prerequisites at-a-glance in our Senior Subject Selection Guide or visit our Find a program page to view all entry requirements (including interviews, entry score thresholds and inherent requirements) for every program at UQ.