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Frequently asked questions about scaling

 Read the information below and on the scaling page for more information about the scaling process. Click on a link to expand. 

Scaling uses the results of individual assessment components for a given subject, rather than the overall grades achieved, so it’s possible for your overall grade to be the same as your friend but your scaled score to be different. 

For example, English has two school-based assessment components worth 30% and 40%, plus a 30% public assessment component. A student with an overall grade of B+ might have obtained a grade of B and B+ for the school assessment components, and a raw score of 11.4 for the public assessment. Another student, also with an overall grade of B+, might have had B+, B+ and 11.8 for their assessments. This student will receive a higher scaled score for their overall grade of B+. 

There are two main factors that cause this. You may have studied different subjects and although your grades are the same, the scaled scores you received for them will be different.

If you have studied the same subjects as your friend, you probably obtained different results for the individual assessment components of each subject, resulting in different scaled scores for the same subjects (see previous FAQ).

No, scaled score outcomes for individual subjects are not publicly available.

You should choose subjects based on how well they match with your skills, interests, abilities and life goals. If you chose subjects on the basis of historical scaled scores it is likely that this would result in a worse university aggregate and ATAR.

You should choose the subject that is the right level for your abilities or is the right subject to prepare you for courses you are interested in studying. The purpose of scaling is to reflect the true academic ability of a student no matter which subject they choose.

You are not likely to achieve a higher ATAR because you chose a subject that is traditionally ‘scaled up’. If you were to achieve a C+ for Mathematical Methods but a B for General Mathematics the effect of scaling on your university aggregate/ATAR is likely to be similar.

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