ATAR Explained

ATAR Success Starts Long Before Your Final Exams Scoring an ATAR above 90 is a goal for thousands of Australian students every year. While it might seem like only the “geniuses” achieve it, the reality is very different. Students who earn a 90+ ATAR are usually the ones who study consistently, understand how exams are marked, and focus their effort where it matters most. If you’re aiming for a competitive university course, here’s exactly what you should be doing. What Does a

In NSW, the ATAR is calculated by UAC, the Universities Admissions Centre. It is based on an aggregate of scaled marks from 10 units of HSC courses. Those 10 units include your best 2 units of English and your best 8 units from your remaining courses. That sounds a bit technical, so here is the simple version: Your ATAR is calculated using: 2 units of English 8 other best units 10 units in total The important word here is scaled. Your raw marks are not simply added together.

Is the ATAR a mark or a rank? The ATAR is a rank, not a mark. This is one of the most important things to understand about the ATAR, because it changes how you think about your results. A school assessment mark tells you how you performed in a task. An exam mark tells you how you performed in an exam. But the ATAR shows your position compared with other students in your age group. UAC explains that the ATAR is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that shows a student’s position re

The ATAR can feel confusing, especially when everyone talks about marks, scaling, ranks and university entry as if they are the same thing. This page explains what the ATAR actually means, how it is used, and what students can do to improve their results without getting lost in the stress. What does ATAR stand for? ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. It is a rank, not a mark. UAC explains that the ATAR is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that shows a student’s

What is the ATAR? The ATAR is one of those terms students hear all the time in senior school, but it is not always explained clearly. ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. It is used by universities and tertiary admission centres to help compare students who have studied different subjects and different combinations of courses. The most important thing to know is this: The ATAR is a rank, not a mark. That means an ATAR is not the same as getting a percentage in