CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
WHAT IS ATAR & HOW IS IT CALCULATED?
GEORGE LEARNING SPECIALIST (MATHEMATICS)
One of VCE ’ s big mysteries is how the magical ATAR is calculated. Here ’ s a brief overview of what is done.
AGGREGATE SCORE BEFORE ATAR
The word “ aggregate ” means something that is formed by several parts. For example, a cake is an aggregate because it is made from flour, milk, sugar etc. The Aggregate Score is calculated by adding the Scaled Study Scores of English, the next three highest Scaled Study Scores and 10% of a fifth and sixth Study Score where applicable.
WHAT IS THE ATAR?
Mathematical Methods
Business Management
English
Psychology
Physics
Philosophy
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number that ranks students according to their academic performance in VCE. It is used by universities in their selection process.
Scaled Study Score
32
43
41
39
37
25
Aggregate Score
It is a number up to 99.95 with increments of 0.05 that represents a student ’ s rank within Victoria.
= English + Top 3 Subjects + 10% of 5 th and 6 th subjects
=
32 + 43 + 41 + 39 + 3.7 + 2.5
For example, if you score 99.95, this is akin to being in the top 0.05% of Victoria. Likewise, an ATAR score of 80.00 is indicative of being in the top 20%.
= 161.2
FINALLY, ATAR IS CALCULATED FROM THE AGGREGATE SCORE
THEN WHAT ’ S A STUDY SCORE?
The ATAR score comes directly from the aggregate score. All students aggregate scores are placed on a scale from lowest to highest and this is used to determine the percentiles. With each year ’ s esults VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) provides a table which shows the relationship between the two numbers. An example of such a table from a few years ago can be seen below.
The Study Score is value out of 50 which ranks a student's performance for a particular VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) subject. Completed year 12 subjects are each given a Study Score which are then used to calculate the ATAR.
SCALED STUDY SCORE
ATAR
Aggregate Score
The word “ scale ” means to adjust a number by a certain amount or proportion. For example, if you scale up someone ’ s wage, you are increasing the amount that the person receives. You may have heard of certain subjects being “ scaled. ” This is when a number is either added to or deducted from a Study Score. It is used to make all VCE subjects comparable in terms of the study score, regardless of some subjects being more difficult than others. Scaling was introduced so that there is a level playing field and students can pick subjects they are interested in without worrying about how it will affect their ATAR.
99.90
208.98
95.00
173.89
91.00
162.57
90.00
160.27
80.00
142.29
In that particular year an Aggregate Score of 161.2 would be the equivalent to an ATAR of approximately 90.50.
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