How the VCE ATAR is calculated (2026): primary four, increments and VTAC scaling
VTAC scales your VCE study scores, then adds your scaled English-group study and your next three best permissible scaled scores (the "primary four"), plus 10% of up to two more (increments). The aggregate is converted to an ATAR comparing you with the Year 12 age group. To be eligible you must qualify for the VCE and have study scores in at least four permissible Unit 3 and 4 studies, including one from the English group. VCE results and ATARs are released at 7 am on 10 December 2026.
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Who does what
- VCAA runs the VCE, assesses your studies and calculates your study scores.
- VTAC scales the study scores, calculates your ATAR and runs applications and offers.
Eligibility
To get an ATAR through VTAC you must:
- qualify for the VCE; and
- achieve study scores in at least four permissible Unit 3 and 4 studies, including one from the English group (English, English as an Additional Language, English Language or Literature).
VCE Vocational Major subjects don't receive study scores and can't be used in the ATAR.
Study scores
A study score (0 to 50) shows your position in a study relative to everyone who took it that year. It isn't a percentage of marks. VCAA converts results to a scale with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 7, truncated at 0 and 50. VCAA describes a study score of 40 or more as being among the top 8% in the state.
How school-assessed coursework and exams combine varies by study; each VCAA study design sets its own weightings.
Scaling
VTAC scales study scores because it's harder to get a high study score in some studies than others, depending on the strength of the students who take them. VTAC's aim is that you are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by the studies you choose. Studies are scaled in the year you take them.
VTAC's 2025 scaling report shows what a study score was worth after scaling (rounded):
| Study (2025) | Scaled mean | Study score 30 scaled to | Study score 40 scaled to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist Mathematics | 41.5 | 43 | 51 |
| Mathematical Methods | 34.4 | 35 | 46 |
| Chemistry | 33.6 | 34 | 44 |
| English Language | 32.6 | 33 | 43 |
| Physics | 31.7 | 32 | 42 |
| Literature | 31.0 | 31 | 41 |
| Biology | 30.5 | 31 | 41 |
| Psychology | 28.4 | 28 | 39 |
| English | 28.2 | 28 | 39 |
| General Mathematics | 27.8 | 28 | 38 |
| Health and Human Development | 26.4 | 26 | 37 |
Scaled scores can exceed 50: in 2025 a study score of 50 in Specialist Mathematics scaled to 55. VTAC also scales the four mathematics studies against each other as well as against all studies, and uses whichever result is higher.
See highest scaling VCE subjects for the full list.
The aggregate
| Part | What counts |
|---|---|
| Primary four | Your scaled score in one English-group study, plus your next three highest permissible scaled scores |
| Increments (up to two) | 10% of a fifth and sixth permissible scaled score, or other permitted increments (such as some VCE VET or higher education studies) |
At most two results from the same study-area grouping can count in the primary four.
Because increments count at 10%, your primary four do most of the work: a 5-point difference in a primary-four study moves your aggregate by 5; in a fifth or sixth study, by 0.5.
From aggregate to ATAR
VTAC's 2025 table (lower end of each ATAR's aggregate range):
| ATAR (2025) | Scaled aggregate from |
|---|---|
| 99.95 | 211.42 |
| 99.00 | 192.10 |
| 95.00 | 169.85 |
| 90.00 | 155.19 |
| 85.00 | 144.45 |
| 80.00 | 135.65 |
| 70.00 | 120.42 |
| 60.00 | 107.03 |
| 50.00 | 94.06 |
The ATAR runs from 0.00 to 99.95 in steps of 0.05. VTAC's example: an ATAR of 75.00 means your results were above 75% of the Year 12 age group.
Treating your fifth and sixth studies as a big boost. At 10% each they're insurance: useful if a primary-four study disappoints, but they add at most a few points.
Choosing studies
- Check prerequisites first. Many courses list VCE prerequisites, often with a minimum study score.
- Scaling reflects who takes a study. A high study score in a study you do well in can beat a middling score in one that scales well.
- English is always in your primary four, so it matters as much as your best study.
For dates and offers, see VCE results day and VTAC offers. For study scores in detail, see how VCE study scores work.
To try different study score combinations, use the VCE ATAR calculator. It gives an estimate only, based on VTAC's 2025 figures.
Parent or carer? Our plain-English guide for parents, The ATAR, explained for parents, covers why the ATAR is a rank rather than a mark, what scaling actually compares, how selection rank differs from the ATAR, and the other routes into university.
Sources & how we know this
- VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2026 — Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) (2026)
- 2025 Scaling Report — Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) (2025)
- 2025 Aggregate to ATAR table — Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) (2025)
- What is a study score — Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2026)
- Score aggregation (VCE administrative handbook) — Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2026)
- Key dates and fees 2026-2027 — Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) (2026)
Last updated: 2026-09-23. Rules change. For the official source see VCAA.