ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank Interstate ATAR Recognition Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student who completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and received an ATAR of 90.00 wishes to apply for a university course in New South Wales. How will the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in NSW typically treat their ATAR?
- The ATAR will be subject to a state-based conversion formula, potentially altering its value.
- The student must sit for a NSW-specific tertiary entrance test to establish a comparable rank.
- The ATAR of 90.00 will be considered nationally equivalent and treated as a 90.00 for application purposes. (Correct answer)
- The VCE subjects will be individually re-scaled according to NSW standards, and a new ATAR will be calculated.
Correct answer: The ATAR of 90.00 will be considered nationally equivalent and treated as a 90.00 for application purposes.
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a nationally recognised measure. Although each state and territory has its own senior secondary certificate and calculates the ATAR for its own students, the resulting rank is designed to be a common metric that can be used across the country. An ATAR of 90.00 from Victoria is accepted as equivalent to an ATAR of 90.00 from NSW, or any other state.
Question 2: Jasmine completed her secondary schooling in Western Australia, receiving a WACE and an ATAR. She is now applying for a university in South Australia. Through which organization must she submit her application?
- Directly to each university she is interested in.
- The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) in Western Australia.
- The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC). (Correct answer)
- The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), as it handles all national applications.
Correct answer: The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC).
When a student applies for university in a different state, they must use that state's Tertiary Admissions Centre (TAC). For South Australia, the relevant body is the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC). TISC is the TAC for Western Australia, while UAC primarily handles applications for NSW and the ACT.
Question 3: A student from Queensland with a QCE and an ATAR applies to a university in Victoria. The student is eligible for adjustment factors under an Educational Access Scheme (EAS). How are these adjustment factors applied?
- They are added directly to the student's final ATAR, changing the official rank.
- They are used to create a separate 'Selection Rank' for course entry, without altering the ATAR itself. (Correct answer)
- Queensland-based adjustment factors are not recognised in Victoria.
- The student's raw scores are adjusted first, and then a new Victorian ATAR is calculated.
Correct answer: They are used to create a separate 'Selection Rank' for course entry, without altering the ATAR itself.
Adjustment factors (such as those from EAS) do not change a student's ATAR. Instead, they are added to the ATAR to create a higher Selection Rank for specific course preferences. This Selection Rank is what universities use to assess an application for entry. For example, an ATAR of 85.00 plus 5 adjustment factors results in a Selection Rank of 90.00 for that course, while the student's official ATAR remains 85.00.
Question 4: Which of the following statements most accurately describes the principle of national equivalence for the ATAR?
- All states use identical subject scaling methods to ensure ATARs are the same.
- An ATAR of 80.00 represents the same level of academic performance regardless of the state it was issued in. (Correct answer)
- Each state converts an interstate ATAR based on the perceived difficulty of that state's curriculum.
- Students from all states are placed into a single national ranking pool to calculate the final ATAR.
Correct answer: An ATAR of 80.00 represents the same level of academic performance regardless of the state it was issued in.
The core principle of the ATAR system is that it serves as a nationally equivalent measure of a student's relative academic ranking within their age cohort. While the calculation methods and senior secondary certificates differ between states (e.g., HSC, VCE, QCE), the final ATAR is designed to be portable and comparable, meaning an ATAR of 80.00 from any state represents a similar rank.
Question 5: A student in Tasmania receives an ATAR of 95.00. They apply for a competitive course at a university in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through UAC. Their application is assessed based on their Selection Rank. What does this mean?
- Their ATAR is the sole determinant for their application's success.
- The university will only consider the student's raw Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) scores.
- The Selection Rank is the student's ATAR plus any applicable adjustment factors, which may make them more competitive. (Correct answer)
- The student must have their ATAR re-evaluated by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies.
Correct answer: The Selection Rank is the student's ATAR plus any applicable adjustment factors, which may make them more competitive.
Universities use a Selection Rank to assess applicants for course entry. This rank is calculated by taking the student's ATAR and adding any adjustment factors (bonus points) they are eligible for, such as through equity schemes or for performance in specific subjects. This means the Selection Rank can be higher than the student's base ATAR, increasing their chances of receiving an offer.
Question 6: When a student with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma applies to an Australian university, how is their result typically handled for admission alongside ATAR-based applicants?
- IB students must also complete a minimum number of state-based subjects to receive an ATAR.
- Their IB score is not considered comparable and they must apply through a separate international student stream.
- A nationally agreed-upon conversion table is used to translate their IB score into a Combined Rank, which is equivalent to an ATAR. (Correct answer)
- The IB score is converted to a percentage mark and compared directly to university course prerequisites.
Correct answer: A nationally agreed-upon conversion table is used to translate their IB score into a Combined Rank, which is equivalent to an ATAR.
The IB Diploma is a recognised international qualification. For university admission in Australia, an IB student's total score is converted into an ATAR-equivalent rank, often called a Combined Rank or IB Admissions Score (IBAS). This allows Tertiary Admissions Centres and universities to compare IB applicants fairly with students who have completed state-based qualifications and received an ATAR.
ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank Interstate ATAR Recognition Questions and Answers
A student who completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and received an ATAR of 90.00 wishes to apply for a university course in New South Wales.
How will the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in NSW typically treat their ATAR?