How VCE study scores work in 2026 (and how scaling affects them)
A VCE study score (0 to 50) is your rank in a study against everyone who took it that year, converted to a scale with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 7. VCAA calculates it from your graded assessments after statistically moderating school-based marks. VTAC then scales study scores so different studies can be compared, and it's the scaled scores that make up your ATAR aggregate.
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What a study score is
- It's calculated within each study: a 35 in English and a 35 in Chemistry both mean you ranked at about the same point in your own study.
- 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.
- It isn't a percentage of marks. Two students with the same marks in the same study get the same study score, but the same marks can mean a different study score in a different year.
How VCAA calculates it
- Graded assessments. Each study has its own mix of school-assessed coursework (SACs), school-assessed tasks (SATs) in some studies, and external assessment (usually exams). The study design sets the weightings.
- Statistical moderation. VCAA adjusts your school's SAC scores so the school's scores match the level and spread of the same students' external assessment results (using the GAT where appropriate). Your rank within your school is kept; the scale is aligned to the state.
- Combining and converting. Your weighted results are combined and converted to the 0 to 50 study score scale.
For more on moderation, see SACs and SATs explained.
Scaling: a separate step by VTAC
Because each study score is a rank within one study, a 35 in a study taken by very strong students represents more than a 35 in a study taken by a broader group. VTAC scales study scores to adjust for this. Some 2025 examples (rounded):
| Study (2025) | Study score 30 scaled to | Study score 40 scaled to |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist Mathematics | 43 | 51 |
| Mathematical Methods | 35 | 46 |
| Chemistry | 34 | 44 |
| English Language | 33 | 43 |
| Literature | 31 | 41 |
| Biology | 31 | 41 |
| English | 28 | 39 |
| General Mathematics | 28 | 38 |
| Health and Human Development | 26 | 37 |
Scaling doesn't change your rank within your study. It changes how much that rank is worth in the aggregate.
What this means for you
- Your study score is still the main lever. In 2025 a study score of 40 in Biology scaled to 41, above a 25 in Specialist Mathematics (36).
- English is always in your primary four. Choose the English-group study where you'll do best.
- Language studies scaled highly in 2025 (for example French 40.2 and Chinese Second Language 40.2 scaled means). Some institutions also offer adjustment factors for languages; check each course.
- Further Mathematics no longer exists. It was replaced by General Mathematics, and Foundation Mathematics is the other alternative to Methods.
Confusing study scores with scaled scores. Your Statement of Results shows study scores; your ATAR is built from VTAC's scaled scores.
For the full ATAR calculation, see how the VCE ATAR is calculated. For the full list, see highest scaling VCE subjects.
Sources & how we know this
- What is a study score — Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2026)
- Score aggregation (VCE administrative handbook) — Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2026)
- GAT overview — Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2026)
- 2025 Scaling Report — Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) (2025)
Last updated: 2026-09-23. Rules change. For the official source see VCAA.