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".
An ATAR score of 80+ is generally considered 'good' and an ATAR of 90+ is generally considered 'great'. Students who score ATARs of 95+ often put in countless hours of study, work consistently throughout the year, and get extra help through private tutoring.
Students will be issued a score, or more technically a rank, between 0 and 99.95 and varies in increments of 0.05. An ATAR of 80.00 means that a student is in the top 20% of their cohort while an ATAR of 99.00 means a student is in the top 1% of their cohort and so on.
For instance, to score an ATAR of 95, you would need to score in the top 16% of Physics and 18% of Chemistry, but you need to be in the top 8% of Biology.
An ATAR of 90 means that your child did better than 90% of their peers. So how is the ATAR calculated? A student's HSC scaled marks from their two units of English, and their best remaining eight units. These combine to form a mark of 500.
ATAR FACTS
54,894 students were eligible for an ATAR. This is 137 fewer than in 2019. 48 students received the top ATAR of 99.95. Of these students, 15 were female and 33 were male; they came from a mix of government and non-government schools and studied a wide range of courses.
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 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".
In Victoria in 2020, the minimum aggregate needed to score an ATAR of 90 or above was approximately 157. For example, an average scaled study score of 37.5 in the top four subjects and an average scaled study score 35 in the bottom two subjects would have yielded an ATAR of approximately 90.20.
"They came from a mix of government and non-government schools and studied a wide range of courses," ATAR noted in their release. Overall, 17.1 per cent of students received an ATAR of 90 or higher, 34.2 per cent topped 80, and 50.7 per cent topped 70.
For example, an ATAR of 95 means you can get a bachelor's business degree from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.
The ATAR is a number from 0 and 99.95 in intervals of 0.05. The highest rank is 99.95, the next highest 99.90, and so on. The lowest automatically reported rank is 30.00, with ranks below 30.00 being reported as 'less than 30'.
What is the lowest ATAR score? While ATARs are all between 0 and 99.95, the lowest rank that actually gets reported is 30.
What is the ATAR for Medicine in NSW and Canberra? For students wishing to study medicine in New South Wales, they will need to achieve an ATAR above 90 and in most cases in the mid-90s or even higher.
The final ATAR score is an indication of the students rank within their year. For example, a score of 97 indicates that the student has performed better than 97% of students. ATAR scores are given in intervals of 0.05, and the highest possible score is 99.95.
Ravenswood student Maria Yang is one of the 48 students in NSW who has received the perfect ATAR of 99.95 in 2022.
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.
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.
The number of students who achieve a 99.00 ATAR differs from year to year, making up the top 1 per cent in every state. Approximately 500 students will get a 99 ATAR in states like Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
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.
Like an OP1, getting a 99 ATAR or even that elusive 99.95 ATAR isn't impossible. It's a process that involves a lot of passion for learning and commitment to constant improvement.
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.
Ultimately, getting 99 ATAR is no easy undertaking. It requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to use all of the resources available to you. For those students who are aiming for the top universities, a high ATAR score is essential – and it is within your reach.
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.
The ATAR is calculated in increments of 0.05, with the highest score being 99.95. 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.