Worried About Your ATAR? Get Rid of The Stress and Learn Exactly How It's Calculated.

By Pascal Press I July 28, 2025

How is Your ATAR Calculated?

Every year, thousands of Year 12 students across New South Wales receive a number between 0.00 and 99.95. Their ATAR. But what does that number really mean? And how is it calculated?

Let's break it down.

First of All, What Is the ATAR?

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is not a mark out of 100. It's a ranking, showing how you performed in your HSC compared to the rest of the cohort participating in the HSC alongside you across NSW. For example, an ATAR of 80.00 means that you performed better than 80% of your age cohort. This number is used by universities to determine entry into their courses, so it's important- but it can also be misunderstood.

Myth Busting: Your ATAR Is Not Just Your HSC Average

It's a common misconception that your ATAR is simply the average of your HSC subject marks. Newsflash, it's not.

As recently pointed out in The Sydney Morning Herald, the ATAR and the HSC are two different things:

• Your HSC mark tells you how well you did in a subject
• Your ATAR tells you how well you performed in comparison to everyone else

So how do we get from your subject marks to this final rank?

Step 1: Raw HSC Marks

For each subject you take, you get two sets of marks:

• • Your school assessment mark (based on internal assessments you've done at your school)
  • Your exam mark (from the external HSC exam)

These are averaged to create your final HSC mark out of 100.

Step 2: Scaling Your Marks

Here's where it gets a bit more complicated. To make fair comparisons between subjects, the University Admissions Centre (UAC) applies scaling.

Scaling adjusts your raw marks based on how difficult the subject is and the strength of the competition in that course. This helps to level the playing field, otherwise, some students could benefit unfairly just by picking subjects perceived as "easier".

For example, even if two students both receive 85 in different subjects, those marks might scale differently depending on the subject and the cohort performance. That's why you should choose subjects that suit your strengths, not just based on what you've hear about scaling.

Step 3: Your Aggregate Score

Once your marks are scaled, UAC calculates your aggregate score from your best 10 units, including at least:

• • 2 units of English
  • Your next best 8 units

Each 2-unit subject contributes up to 100 points to your aggregate, meaning the maximum aggregate is 500.

Step 4: Your Final ATAR

Your aggregate score is then compared to everyone else's in the state and converted into a percentile rank, which is then your ATAR. This final number shows where you sit among your peers. It doesn't reflect your intelligence or effort, but your position in comparison to other students.

Want to See How Your Subjects Could Scale?

Try an ATAR Calculator like this ATAR Compass from UAC to get an estimate on what your ATAR could be based on your current results. Just enter in your expected marks and subjects to see a predicted ATAR range. Keep in mind that this is only a guide, as the actual scaling varies slightly every year.

To conclude, the ATAR system is complex, but it is designed to be fair. Rewarding students who perform strongly, regardless of their subject choices. If you focus on doing your best in subjects you're confident in, you'll put yourself in the best possible position.

The team at Pascal Press wish you the best of luck with your exams. Remember to take a deep breath, and to do your best.

Looking for resources to help you excel in your HSC and get the results you want?

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References

1. Bagshaw, E. (2025, June 12). Myth-busting: Sorting HSC and ATAR fact from fiction. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/myth-busting-sorting-hsc-and-atar-fact-from-fiction-20250612-p5m6zt.html  

2. UAC. (2024). ATAR Compass. https://www.uac.edu.au/atar-compass/ 

3. NESA. (2024). Understanding HSC results. NSW Education Standards Authority. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au 

4. UAC. (2024). Understanding the ATAR. Universities Admissions Centre. https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/atar/understanding-the-atar