How to calculate your ATAR (QCE)

What is an ATAR?

The ATAR plays a pivotal role as the nationwide standard for tertiary admissions, signifying a student's relative position compared to their peers. It is the benchmark for gauging a student's overall academic achievement, considering their unique subject combinations.

ATARs are represented as numerical values on a 2000-point scale, ranging from the highest score of 99.95, followed by 99.90, 99.85, and so forth, until 0.00 is reached. ATARs below 30 are reported as '30.00 or less'.

In 2020, the inaugural Queensland Year 12 students graduated under the newly implemented QCAA QCE system and were granted their Queensland ATAR, which was calculated by QTAC. For students completing Year 12 and obtaining their QCE, accessing their ATAR is possible by creating an account in the QTAC ATAR Portal.

The ATAR system ensures fairness and transparency in the tertiary admission process, allowing students with diverse academic backgrounds and subject choices to be evaluated on a level playing field. This standardized ranking empowers students to explore various educational opportunities, enabling them to make well-informed decisions regarding their higher education pursuits.


ATAR Calculation process:

Your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is determined based on an aggregate of the best five scaled results from ATAR-eligible inputs. There are three different schemes from which these inputs can be derived:

  1. Five General subjects (at Units 3 and 4) OR 
  2. Four General subjects (at Units 3 and 4) plus an Applied subject (at Units 3 and 4) OR 
  3. Four General subjects (at Units 3 and 4) plus one completed VET qualification at Certificate III level or above.


If a student is eligible for an ATAR from more than one scheme or is eligible for the same scheme from various combinations of subjects, their ATAR will be calculated based on the combination that yields the best result. This ensures fairness and recognition of the student's academic achievements.

Please note that scaled results are not the subject results reported by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) in the Queensland Certificate of Education.


The key steps in the ATAR calculation process are as follows:

  1. QCAA provides the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) with students' subject results (Units 3 and 4 only) and completed VET qualifications.
  2. QTAC undertakes the inter-subject scaling process using all Unit 3 and 4 subject results & completed VET qualifications to standardize and compare different subjects' difficulty levels.
  3. For each student:
    • The best five scaled subject results (from eligible inputs) are added together to create a Best five Subject Aggregate.
  4. Students are then ranked in a descending order of merit based on their Best five Subject Aggregates.
  5. QTAC determines the number of students to be placed in each of the 2000 ATAR bands based on the Queensland Year 12 population using a nationally-agreed process. For example, if the Queensland Year 12 population is 60,000 students, then 30 students will be placed in each of the 2000 ATAR bands (i.e. 60,000 divided by 2000 ATAR bands = 30 students in each band).
  6. The ATAR is then assigned to students based on their ranking in the Best five Subject Aggregates:
    • The top 30 students with the highest best five subject aggregates are assigned ATAR 99.95.
    • The next top 30 students are assigned ATAR 99.90.
    • The subsequent top 30 students are assigned ATAR 99.85, and so on, down to 0.00.


By following this process, each student receives an ATAR, which is a standardized rank that represents their academic performance relative to other students across the state. The ATAR plays a crucial role in tertiary education admission and is used by universities and other higher education institutions for selection purposes.