ATAR and Scaling
The ATAR is a rank, not a score. It’s designed specifically to assist some tertiary institutions in selecting applicants for some courses.
The ATAR is only one tool used for selection into tertiary courses, and not all courses use the ATAR. This guide explains:
- What the ATAR is
- What the ATAR isn’t
- How the ATAR is calculated
- What scaling is and why we do it
- What your aggregate is
- Rules and restrictions regarding study combinations for how your aggregate is calculated, and
- How your aggregate becomes your ATAR.
There’s a lot of detail in this section that can be hard to remember, so keep hold of this guide so you can revisit it in Year 11 and 12.
What is the ATAR?
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is an overall percentile rank reflecting a student’s Year 12 achievement compared to the age group in a given year. The ATAR allows tertiary institutions to competitively rank students who have completed different combinations of VCE studies. It is calculated by VTAC solely for use by institutions for admission into some tertiary courses.
The ATAR is reported as a number between 0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05. A student with an ATAR of 75.00 has achieved VCE results above 75 per cent of the Year 12 age group.
What the ATAR isn’t
The ATAR isn’t a reflection of you as a person, and there’s no pass or fail ATAR. Everyone who receives an ATAR has passed the VCE. The ATAR is simply a rank that is used by institutions for some of their courses. In most cases, the ATAR is only one of many criteria and factors considered as part of the selection process.
How to qualify for an ATAR
To qualify for an ATAR through VTAC, a student must:
- qualify for the VCE, and
- achieve study scores in at least four permissible Unit 3 and 4 VCE studies, including one from the English group.
Is my ATAR relevant interstate?
Yes. Each state recognises the ATAR of other states as equivalent. This is achieved by the states by using a similar methodology and a statistical cross-checking process.
What is a notional ATAR?
Notional ATARs are used to rank applicants who:
- Have another qualification obtained in Victoria such as the International Baccalaureate (an ATAR is only calculated for IB students who complete the GAT)
- Have previous Victorian Year 12 results (other than VCE results).
- complete at least one Unit 3 and 4 study outside of a January to December timetable
- Have interstate studies
A Notional ATAR is treated the same way as a normal ATAR, the ‘notional’ label simply indicates that the ATAR was obtained in a slightly different way. For course selection and all other purposes they are treated as equivalent.
What if I do VCAL?
VCAL students do not receive an ATAR and can therefore only immediately apply for courses that don’t use the ATAR to select students for entry (see ‘Pathways’ for other opportunities).
Source : https://www.vtac.edu.au/atar-scaling-guide-2022.html?fbclid=IwAR1WXwdaTKWyDepLuZEGOiTFLh17uwBjrQrH9fOAXXlQ1J7SyrB-eBjfMfQ_aem_th_ARJFeF7ddfUNbdlF7qDxM68MqQWyP1rF48bCbXkPBKqXyehazmoF8XJktlL53fgOKXs
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