Why is the median ATAR not 50?

The median ATAR isn't 50 because it ranks students against the entire notional age cohort (including those who leave school), not just those who get an ATAR, and the ATAR system includes subject scaling, so the scores aren't a simple percentage, resulting in a higher average (around 70) for those who complete Year 12. A 50 ATAR means you're in the top 50% of your age group, but the students who stay to get an ATAR are a more academically selective group, pushing the median for that group upwards.

Why is the median ATAR 70?

What is the Average ATAR? The average ATAR is around 70.00. This is because an ATAR of 70 places a student in the top 70% of Year 12 students, but only places them in the top 50% of students who actually receive an ATAR. It is important to reiterate that the ATAR is not a score, but a rank.

What is the median ATAR score?

34.6% of students received an ATAR of at least 80.00. 51.3% of students received an ATAR of at least 70.00. The median ATAR this year was 70.75, slightly lower than in 2024 (71.55). By gender, the median ATAR for females was 71.60, whereas the median ATAR for males was 69.80.

Why is there no ATAR 100?

The highest ATAR you could get is 99.95 – this signifies you performed better than 99.95% of students in your state, while an ATAR of 80.00 indicates that you sit in the top 20% of your cohort, and so on. In order to receive a rank of 100, you need to score higher than 100% of your cohort… including yourself!

What is the highest possible ATAR?

While 99.95 is the highest ATAR rank a student can achieve, what makes a good ATAR is subjective and can be determined by a number of factors beyond the ranking itself.

Statistics - How to use the Empirical Rule

How rare is an 80 ATAR?

So, an ATAR of 80.00 means that you are 20 per cent from the top of your age group (not your Year 12 group). Universities use the ATAR to help them select students for their courses and admission to most tertiary courses is based on your selection rank (your ATAR + any applicable adjustments).

Is a 90 ATAR impressive?

🤔 What is a good ATAR? However, 85-95 is generally considered good.

What is the lowest ATAR achieved?

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'. Find out more about how ATARs are calculated.

Can you get into medicine with a 98 ATAR?

→Is a 98 ATAR enough for medicine in the ANZ market? A 98 ATAR is an excellent score, and it is certainly high enough to apply for medicine at most universities in Australia and New Zealand.

What's the highest ATAR ever?

Matilda Grant has achieved the highest ATAR result ever recorded at A.B. Paterson College, becoming the first student in our history to attain the maximum ATAR of 99.95. This is an extraordinary milestone for Matilda and a proud moment for our College community.

What is the median ATAR for 2025?

In contrast, a student's ATAR indicates their overall position in relation to the entire NSW Year 12-aged population. As mentioned earlier, the median ATAR in 2025 was 70.75. A middle student will generally have HSC marks that lie between 70 and 80.

Which country is top 1 in education?

There's no single "No. 1" country for education, as rankings vary by focus (higher ed, K-12, STEM, equity), but the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Japan/South Korea consistently rank high, with the U.S. often leading overall perception for higher education, while nations like Singapore, Finland, and South Korea excel in specific areas like STEM or PISA test scores for younger students. 

Is 75% an A or B?

Is 75 an A in Australia? Most of the universities in Australia will consider anywhere between 70 and 84 score as a Distinction which is equivalent to A in the states.

What is a mystery ATAR?

Remember, your ATAR is not a grade out of 100. It's a ranking. So, an ATAR of 80 means you performed better than 80% of your peers – not that you scored 80/100 overall. All ATARs below 30 (sometimes referred to as a "mystery mark ATAR") are reported as 30. The highest possible ATAR achievable is 99.95.

What ATAR do you need for monash medicine?

Domestic Students requirements

• ATAR of at least 90 or Year 12 equivalent.
• UCAT.
• Monash Interview, MMI style questions.

Is a 97 ATAR good?

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.

Is a 3.2 GPA too low for med school?

A 3.2 GPA is considered low for medical school, as the average accepted applicant often has a 3.7+, but it's not impossible; you'd need an exceptional MCAT score, strong clinical/research experience, significant grade improvement (upward trend), and a compelling narrative to compensate, potentially focusing on DO programs or post-baccalaureate programs to boost your GPA and science record. 

Is a 5.8 GPA good in Australia?

In simple terms, a "good GPA" is usually considered 6.0 or above, putting you in Distinction territory. But don't worry if you're slightly below this—a GPA between 5.0 and 5.99 (Credit) still shows you're a solid student and meeting expectations.

What is the quickest doctor to become?

The shortest path to becoming a doctor, in terms of residency length after medical school, is around 3 years, with specialties like Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Emergency Medicine having the shortest residency programs, alongside others like Psychiatry and Pathology. While these primary care and general medicine fields offer quicker entry into practice, the total time still involves 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of med school, and then 3 years of residency (totaling ~11 years), with 3-year residencies being the minimum training duration after medical school. 

Do Japanese continuers scale well?

Continuers scales better than Beginners courses. For example, Japanese Continuers scales better than Japanese Beginners. If you are good at Languages, consider Continuers course over the Beginners course. Latin Continuers and Latin Extension are the best scaling courses for Languages.

Can you get a zero ATAR?

The ATAR gives students a rank between 0.00 and 99.95 once they complete Year 12. This rank shows how well a student performed compared to others in their age group. For example, if you receive an ATAR of 70.00, you were in the top 30% of your age group.

How to get a 99+ ATAR?

1) Put in the hours (consistently, not chaotically) Year 12 is a marathon. Our respondents who achieved 99+ typically studied ~2+ hours on school nights and added longer, deeper blocks on weekends. The point isn't heroic cramming; it's steady work, spaced practice, and proper rest.

Is 90 considered an A in college?

Grade conversion

This is the most used grading system; however, there are some schools that use an edited version of the college system, which means 89.5 or above becomes an A average, 79.5 becomes a B, and so on.

How difficult is it to get an 80 ATAR?

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.

What study scores do I need for a 90 ATAR?

Example Breakdown: An ATAR of 90.20 could be achieved with an average scaled study score of 37.5 in the top four subjects and an average scaled study score of 35 in the bottom two subjects.