How the ATAR works

No. It’s a rank from 0 to 99.95 showing where you placed against everyone your age in NSW, including people who left school early. An ATAR of 80 means you did better than about 80% of that whole group.

Different courses have different students. Scaling adjusts each course’s marks so they can be compared and added up fairly, based on how the students in that course did across all their courses. Your order inside a course never changes.

It’s out of 500: your best 2 units of English plus your best 8 other units, all as scaled marks. Units count one at a time, so half of a 2-unit course can be your tenth unit.

At least 10 units of ATAR courses, including 2 units of English, three courses of 2 units or more, and four subjects.

Until 2024, VET exam courses, English Studies and Mathematics Standard 1 were Category B and only 2 units of them could count. UAC removed the categories in 2025. Our calculator applies the old limit only to years before 2025.

Raw marks are what you get on a paper. Your HSC mark combines moderated school assessment with your aligned exam mark and appears on your results. Scaled marks are what UAC uses for the ATAR. The calculator uses HSC marks.

Most courses scale down at ordinary marks, and the ATAR ranks you against your whole age group. Someone averaging 80 in HSC marks often lands in the 80s, not the 90s, depending on the courses.

Usually not. A course scales well because its students are strong, so a middling mark there is still middling. Pick courses you’re good at. Check the scaling explorer at the mark you expect, not at the top.

An HSC mark of 90 or more in a 2-unit course. For Extension courses the top band is E4: 45 or more out of 50. School and course pages count these from NESA’s Distinguished Achievers lists.

No. Adjustment points are added by universities to your selection rank for particular degrees. Your ATAR stays the same.

Scaling and the aggregate needed for each ATAR change each year with the students who sit the HSC. That’s why we show every year since 2019. Only UAC calculates your real ATAR.