An ATAR of 80 isn't too hard to get. Get some okay ranks, do decently in your exams and you're set.
Your rank is based on how you went compared to other Year 12 students. So even if your test scores are lower than you'd hoped, if you're still ranked in the top 20% of students, then you'll receive an ATAR of 80. As long as you try your best with what you have, chances are, you'll do better than you expect.
17 per cent of students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 33.9 per cent received an ATAR of at least 80.00 and 50.3 per cent at least 70.00. The median ATAR was 70.15 this year, slightly higher than in 2019.
An ATAR of 75 is hard to get when you consider that only one in four people manage to do it. You can interpret this score as saying that 75 percent of people in the age cohort either didn't get an ATAR or scored lower. Only 25 percent, or one-quarter, of people did better.
This article previously stated if a student had an ATAR of 80, it means they performed as well as, or better than, 80% of the other students also graded. This has now been clarified to say it means they are 20% from the top of their age group.
In general, most students consider an ATAR of below 30 to be bad. This is because the actual ATAR score is not reported for an ATAR less than 30, it is just stated as <30. Still, this ATAR may be good and all that is required for a student who wants to pursue a trade or enrol in TAFE.
Roughly and depending on a range of personal factors, the 85-95 ATAR range is the perfect place to aim for.
In NSW in 2020, the aggregate required for an 85 ATAR was just above 340. This corresponds to an average scaled score per unit of 34 across 10 units (including two English units).
The reality is that most students arrive at university with an ATAR of less than 90. It is a rank, and therefore only some students will get 90 and above. The ATAR shows a student's achievement in relation to other students. It's also not a complete sign of "success".
What is the lowest ATAR score? While ATARs are all between 0 and 99.95, the lowest rank that actually gets reported is 30.
Rank, not a score
So an ATAR of 70 doesn't mean you got 70 percent – it means that you're in the top 30 percent of your year group.
All you need to get 70 (pretty much), is get roughly 30 for each subject. So around the C+ and the B mark for exams and SAC's.
3. What is the average ATAR score? The average ATAR is usually around 70.00.
An ATAR of 100 is impossible
Because the ATAR is a rank (not a percentage or mark) and it's measured in increments of 0.05 the highest ATAR you could get is 99.95.
The short answer is: No. Your Year 11 grades do not count towards your ATAR! Essentially, the ATAR is a percentile number that's calculated using your HSC Marks — aka, your Year 12 marks. This uses your final HSC marks and your Year 12 internal assessment grades.
That said, to get an ATAR of 90 you must score in the top 5%, so that might be enough to answer your question. It SHOULD be “hard”, for it to be worth anything anyway. As for choosing subjects, choose what you enjoy, as you'll then be prepared to put in the required effort to do your best and maximise your score.
In Australia, the lowest minimum ATAR required by a medical program is an ATAR of 90 (Monash University) or adjusted ATAR of 90 (University of Adelaide). If you're a rural student, you could also apply to La Trobe's medical program, which has a minimum unadjusted ATAR requirement of 80.
The ATAR isn't a percentage score
Instead your ATAR represents the percentage of students who you have performed better than at high school. For example, if you get an ATAR of 89.00, you performed better than 89% of other Year 12's in your state and potentially across Australia.
A Quick Word On ATAR Scaling
Based on historical data, Chemistry and Physics scale slightly higher than Biology while Economics scales better than Legal Studies and Business Studies. Ancient History tends to scale down compared to Modern History.
You haven't faced a year of schooling like this before – so some tips on how to get a good ATAR might be just what you need to face the challenges ahead. Luckily, we've got advice from 12 graduates who received a UQ Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship in 2022 by getting an ATAR of 99.90 or 99.95.
Once these scaled study scores are added together, they form an aggregate. This is then converted into your ATAR. So if you get an ATAR of 75, you've performed better than 75% of Year 12 students in that year.
For example, a student with an ATAR of 85.00 indicates a performance better than 85% of the population eligible to be in Year 12 or in the top 15% in relation to all the students who started school at the same time.
16 December 2022
One Flinders student, Laura Webb, achieved the highest possible ATAR of 99.95. Laura is one of 33 Queensland students to achieve a 99.95, out of a total 27,245 students who received an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.
17.1 per cent of students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 34.2 per cent received an ATAR of at least 80.00 and 50.7 per cent received an ATAR of at least 70.00. The median ATAR was 70.40 this year, slightly higher than in 2020.
As the ATAR is a percentile, a 99.95 ATAR means that you are in the top 0.05% of your state. Likewise, an ATAR of 99 means that you are in the top 1% of your state. Generally an ATAR of 99+ is considered as competitive for entry into Medicine (dependent on performances in the UCAT and Interviews).