If you're a VCE student or parent, you've probably heard plenty about ATARs — but do you actually know how your ATAR is calculated?
In this episode, I break down the process of going from VCE assessments and study scores through to scaling, your aggregate score and finally your ATAR.
I also explain why your SAC ranking matters, how SACs are moderated across different schools, what scaling actually means, and why I don't recommend spending hours trying to predict your ATAR with an ATAR calculator.
The aim is to help you understand the parts of the VCE and ATAR system you can actually influence, so you can spend less time worrying about your eventual ATAR and more time focusing on doing your best.
1:45 – How do SAC rankings affect your VCE study score?
Your SAC results are used to establish your ranking within your school for each VCE subject. I explain why your initial SAC marks aren't directly used in the final study score calculation, and why your ranking is important.
6:26 – How are VCE SACs moderated?
SACs are written and marked by individual schools, so VCAA needs a way to make results comparable across different schools. I explain how statistical moderation uses external assessment results to moderate school-based assessment results.
11:29 – How does VCE scaling affect your study score?
What does scaling actually mean? I explain how VTAC scales VCE study scores and why choosing a subject simply because it scales up isn't necessarily going to give you a higher ATAR.
13:45 – How are study scores used to calculate an ATAR?
I explain how your scaled study scores are used to create your primary four and any additional increments, which together make up your aggregate score. That aggregate is then converted into your ATAR.
15:36 – What does your ATAR actually mean?
Once you understand how the system works, you can focus on the things you can actually control rather than worrying about every individual mark or trying to predict your final ATAR.
By the end of this episode, you'll understand:
How is an ATAR calculated in Victoria?
Your ATAR is calculated from your VCE study scores after scaling. Your highest eligible English study score and your next three highest permissible scaled study scores make up your primary four, with up to two additional increments contributing to your aggregate. Your aggregate is then converted into an ATAR, which is a percentile ranking.
Do SAC marks directly affect your ATAR?
Your initial SAC marks aren't directly used in the final calculation. Your ranking within your school and the external assessment results of students in your moderation group are used to statistically moderate your school-based assessment results.
Does my SAC ranking matter?
Yes. Your SAC ranking helps determine how your school-based assessment results are moderated, which means it can affect the study score you ultimately receive for the subject.
How does VCE scaling work?
Scaling adjusts raw VCE study scores so that results from different studies can be compared when calculating your ATAR. The scaling of a study is based on the performance of the students who took that study across their other studies.
Does choosing a scaled-up VCE subject give you a higher ATAR?
Not necessarily. A strong study score in a subject that scales down can contribute more to your aggregate than a much lower study score in a subject that scales up. Choosing subjects you enjoy and are well suited to is generally much more useful than trying to choose subjects based solely on their scaling.
How many VCE subjects count towards your ATAR?
Your ATAR is based on your primary four scaled study scores, plus up to two additional increments. For many students, those additional increments are 10% of their fifth and sixth highest permissible study scores.
Can I get a good ATAR without getting high marks in every subject?
Yes. Your fifth and sixth study scores, when used as increments, contribute much less to your aggregate than your primary four. Your ATAR is calculated from your overall aggregate, not from achieving a particular mark in every individual subject.
Does a higher ATAR mean I will have a better career?
No. An ATAR is a ranking used primarily for tertiary selection. It can affect which courses you can enter directly after Year 12, but it isn't a measure of your future career potential. Your interests, abilities, motivation, skills and the opportunities you pursue all matter beyond your ATAR.
VCE Study Designs:
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/vce-study-designs/Pages/vce-study-designs.aspx
How Are ATARs Calculated? – Roadmap Education blog post:
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/roadmapblog/how-are-atars-calculated
VCE Subject Scaling:
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/roadmapblog/vce-subject-scaling
Hyperfocused on ATAR:
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/roadmapblog/hyperfocused-on-atar
More Roadmap Education podcast episodes about VCE and ATARs:
Ep 88 – How Many VCE Subjects Should You Do?
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/88
Ep 91 – Do Year 11 Results Matter in VCE?
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/91
Ep 96 – How Do SACs Work in VCE?
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/96
Ep 100 – How to Feel Confident About VCE...
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/100
Ep 105 – The Truth About ATAR Focused Tutoring Ads
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/105
Ep 108 – Why ATAR Goals Can Backfire
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/108
Ep 110 – VCE Results Are Coming: Understanding Your ATAR and Finding the Right Pathway
https://www.roadmapeducation.com/podcast/110
Instagram post - How your ATAR is calculated: What you need to know
