The short answer
The ATAR is a rank from 0 to 99.95, in steps of 0.05, that shows how you performed against your whole age group. It is not a mark out of 100. Each state's admissions centre builds it from different scaled results: best 10 units in NSW, best four plus increments in Victoria and WA, best five in Queensland and best 90 credits in South Australia.
A rank, not a mark
The ATAR ranks you among your entire age group.[1] It runs from 99.95 at the top to 0.00 in steps of 0.05, which makes 2,000 possible values.[3] An ATAR of 75.00 means you did as well as or better than 75% of students in your year.[4]
That is why no one gets 100.[2] It also means the ATAR is not the average of your marks. Your subject results are scaled, added up in a set way, and then ranked.
An ATAR of 85.00 in NSW or the ACT is equivalent to an ATAR of 85.00 in other states.[1]
How each state builds it
| State | Calculated by | Built from |
|---|---|---|
| NSW (HSC) | UAC | Scaled marks in your best 2 units of English plus your best 8 other units[1] |
| Victoria (VCE) | VTAC | Your best English-group scaled score plus your next three, plus up to two increments, usually 10% of a fifth and sixth[2] |
| Queensland (QCE) | QTAC | Your best five scaled results: five General subjects, or four General plus one Applied subject or VET qualification[3] |
| South Australia (SACE) | SATAC | A university aggregate from your best 90 Stage 2 credits[4] |
| Western Australia (WACE) | TISC | Your best four scaled scores, plus 10% bonuses for a language and for Mathematics Methods and Specialist[5] |
Each state's page explains its own rules in detail: HSC, VCE, QCE, SACE and WACE.
What scaling does, and what it does not
Scaling adjusts for the fact that it is harder to get a high result in some subjects than others, because of the group of students who take them.[6] UAC's stated principle is that you should be neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by choosing one pattern of study over another.[1]
In NSW, for example, your scaled marks, not your HSC marks, are used to calculate the ATAR, and for most courses the scaled mark is lower than the HSC mark.[1] Scaled marks are not reported to students.[1]
So picking subjects because they are said to scale well is a weak plan. Doing well in the subjects you take is what moves the rank.
How to study for a rank
Because the ATAR compares you with everyone in your year, small, steady gains across every subject add up. The study methods with the strongest evidence are practice testing and spreading your study out over time.[7]
- Test yourself instead of rereading: retrieving an answer is what makes it stick.[8] Start with active recall.
- Space your revision across weeks instead of cramming before each exam.[9] Spaced repetition shows how to schedule it.
- Practise on your board's past papers under exam conditions, and mark them against the official marking guidelines.
Sources
- [1]Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). How your ATAR is calculated. uac.edu.au/future-applicants/atar/how-your-atar-is-calculated
- [2]Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). ATAR. www.vtac.edu.au/atar
- [3]Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). ATAR. www.qtac.edu.au/atar/
- [4]South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC). ATAR. www.satac.edu.au/atar
- [5]Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC). About the ATAR. www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/atar-about.tisc
- [6]Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). ATAR and Scaling Guide 2026. www.vtac.edu.au/guides/atar-scaling-guide-2026.html
- [7]Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
- [8]Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
- [9]Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354