some people have 9. That's why when you apply in UAC, you put a 1 infront of your student number if you only have 8 numbers.. But those who have 9 numbers don't need to put "1" when applying through Uac
not that much... its a rough estimate of your cohort's performance... so if you have a better cohort than last year (school rank) then obviously your atar will get pulled up
lol I think he/she is just venting and hoping to find comfort by telling him/her that he/she is okay for the externals.
so...... yeah you'll be fine! 86+ is a possibility especially with marks like that in ext1 and 2 maths