Part 2: Scaling of VCE Study Scores

The second step in figuring out your ATAR is converting your raw study score into a scaled score.

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What is scaling?

Scaling is the process of adjusting raw study scores so that students aren’t disadvantaged or advantaged based on the studies they choose. 

It’s harder to get a high VCE study score in some subjects than others. This is purely because some subjects attract a more competitive group of students, not because the subject is harder than others. Scaling helps adjust for these differences.

For example, if it’s more difficult to get a 30 in Maths Methods than getting the same score in Further Maths, the Maths Methods score would be adjusted (scaled up) to reflect this.

Even though your scaled score may be different from your raw score, your ranking in the course would stay the same.

Think of scaling like converting foreign currency (the raw score of a study) into the Australian dollar (the scaled score of a study). Different VCE studies have different “exchange rates” when they’re converted into scaled scores.

All VCE study scores are scaled by VTAC (The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre).

Why is scaling necessary?

Scaling is important because it makes sure that all studies are treated the same. Students take different combinations of VCE subjects, and it’s hard to compare scores from different subjects.

Without scaling, students who choose “harder” studies might be at a disadvantage, while those in “easier” studies could get an unfair advantage. By adjusting scores, scaling helps ensure that students’ performance can be compared fairly.

How would you compare Oliver’s score of 45 in Specialist Mathematics with his friend who scored 47 in Foundation Mathematics? Who performed better? Scaling helps compare them fairly and turn their scores into an ATAR. 

How are study scores scaled?

1. The VCAA collects your assessment results and uses them to calculate your raw VCE study scores.
2. VTAC compares scores across all studies to check if an average score of 30 in one study equals the same level of achievement in another study.
3. If the competition for a study is higher than others, VTAC adjusts scores to make things fair. For example, if students who take Chemistry do better overall in their other subjects, their Chemistry scores will be scaled up. 
4. If the competition for a study is lower than others, the scores will be scaled down. So, if students in a study like Psychology, for example, tend to do worse in their other subjects, their Psychology scores will be scaled down.
5. After scaling, the scores are called scaled study scores, and these are used to calculate your ATAR. 

So, scaling helps make sure your study scores are fair, no matter which subjects you choose to take.

Scaling of VCE subjects 

Here are some tips on how certain VCE subjects typically scale each year and what to consider when selecting your subjects. We’ve reviewed scaling reports from VTAC for 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 to provide accurate insights and help guide your choices.

1. English courses
2. Mathematics courses
3. Science courses
4. Humanities courses
5. Language courses

English courses

• English usually scales down by about 2 points. You need a 45+ to avoid being scaled down.
• English Literature scales up by 1-2 points. A score of 30 becomes 31, and a 35 becomes a 37.
• English Language is the highest-scaling English study. A 30 became 33 last year. 

Mathematics courses

Further Mathematics typically scales down by 2-3 points. In 2021, almost all study scores were brought down, even a score as high as 45 was scaled down by 1. 

• Mathematics Methods scales up by 4-5 points. A 30 became a 34, a 40 became a 45, and a perfect 50 scaled up to 51.
• Specialist Mathematics is one of the highest-scaling subjects. A 30 was scaled up by 12 points and a 40 rose to 51. The higher scores, however, tend to equalise: 45 or 50 scaled to 54 and 55.

If you’re a capable Mathematics student and you’re deciding between Maths Methods and Specialist Maths, you should aim for Specialist Maths.

Science courses

• Biology is generally unaffected by scaling.

• Chemistry is the highest scaling, scaling up by 4 points in 2021.
• Physics may scale up by around 2 points.
• Psychology usually scales down; by 1-2 points.

If you’re good at Science, think about taking Chemistry or Physics over Psychology.

Humanities courses

• Some subjects, like Food Studies, Agricultural and Horticultural Studies, and Product Design and Technology, scaled down heavily in 2021. A 30 could become 23. 
• Art and History also tend to scale down.

Language courses

• Latin scales quite high – sometimes the highest. In 2021, a 30 boosted to 46 and a 35 to 50.
• Chinese SL, Hebrew, and French also usually scale up, with Hebrew scaling up by 14 points a few years ago, though last year a 30 only became a 41.

Choosing the right VCE studies

A lot of students think that to get the best ATAR, they should pick studies that were scaled up in previous years. This isn’t true and can actually hurt your chances! VCE studies are scales based on how well students do each year. You can’t predict how a subject will be scaled each year. 

Choosing a subject just because it might get scaled up is a mistake if you’re not good at it or don’t enjoy it. A ‘scaled down’ score in a subject you did well in is usually better than a ‘scaled up’ score in a subject you struggled with. So, don’t let scaling decide your subjects – choose ones you enjoy to make your VCE experience better.

When choosing your studies for Years 11 and 12, you should not choose based on scaling. You can, however, use scaling to understand what marks you’ll need for your desired scaled score. 

Ask yourself these questions when selecting studies for Years 11 and 12:

1. Do I like the study or find it interesting? Do I find science, for example, more interesting than humanities?
2. Do I understand exactly what the study will involve? 
3. Is this study needed or recommended for the university course I want to take? 
4. Do I understand how the scaling works?

Now that you have your study score, it’s time to see how your ATAR is calculated.