VCE scores: understanding raw and scaled study scores

With the ATAR release around the corner, you’ve probably heard a lot about raw and scaled study scores. But understanding what they actually mean can be confusing.  

These numbers play an important role in calculating your ATAR. They are rankings that show how you performed compared to other students in the same subject. 

In this guide, we break down what raw and scaled VCE study scores are, how they’re calculated, why they matter, and how you can estimate yours.  

Whether you’re waiting for results or just starting Units 3 and 4, understanding VCE study scores can help you feel more confident and prepared for what comes next.

What is a VCE study score? 

VCE study scores are used to calculate your ATAR.  

You will receive a study score for each VCE subject that you complete (technically, this value isn’t actually a score – it’s a ranking that shows how you’ve performed in a subject compared to everyone else in Victoria who was enrolled in that same subject in the same year. But they’re called study scores, so let’s go with that).  

To get a study score for a subject, you will need to complete units 3 and 4 consecutively in the same year. 

There are two versions of a VCE study score: a raw score and a scaled score. 

What is a raw study score? 

To test how competent you are in each unit 3 and 4 subject, you’ll complete three graded assessment tasks (with the exception of VCE VET subjects, which only require two assessment tasks). 

You’ll undertake two School Assessed Coursework assessments (SACs) and a final assessment, which is usually an externally assessed final exam. The marks from these three assessments are used to calculate your raw study score for each VCE subject. 

This raw study score will be a number between 0 and 50. Remember, it’s not a score out of 50 – it’s a calculation of where your performance in the subject ranks in comparison to all of the other students who studied the same subject that year.  

Picture a bell curve where the median score is 30. If you get a raw study score of 30, it means you have performed better than half of all students who took the same subject that year.  

A raw study score of 40 would mean that you performed better than around 91% of all students who took the same subject. A raw study score of 50 means that you performed in the top 0.3% of students enrolled in the subject. 

It can be helpful to think about how many people you would have to do better than to achieve a particular ranking. For example, if 1000 people take the subject, only three people would be awarded a study score of 50 in that area of study. 

What is a scaled study score? 

In order for your study scores to be added together to make up your ATAR, your raw VCE study scores need to be scaled up or down by VTAC.  

A scaled study score takes into account the different levels of competition in different study areas, measured by how well the students in that subject performed in other subjects.  

In general, maths and science subjects are scaled up, and arts subjects are scaled down. English and business subjects will usually remain the same. 

There is a misconception that this scaling is based on how difficult the subject is but, in general, subjects are designed to be equally challenging. The scaling is based on how strong the competition in the subject is. 

VCE study scores are important because they reflect how you performed in your subjects.  

Also, they are used to create your ATAR which might help you get into the further study option of your choice. However, it’s important to remember that each VCE study score represents how you performed in a subject at one point in time – many different factors play into your success. 

How to calculate your ATAR accurately using the ATAR calculator 

The ATAR calculator is a commonly used tool to calculate your estimated ATAR. So, how do you use it correctly? 

Once you know your marks for your three assessments, Deakin’s VCEstudy score calculator can provide you with an estimate on your raw and scaled study scores based on last year’s grade distribution data.  

These study scores are estimates rather than accurate predictions – assessment results vary every year. 

Understanding how raw and scaled study scores work and how they contribute to your ATAR can make the lead-up to results day feel a little less overwhelming.  

While calculators and estimates can give you a helpful guide, remember they’re just one part of the bigger picture. Your ATAR doesn’t define your potential, and there are many pathways to achieve your study goals, no matter what your results look like.