ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ATAR Calculation Fundamentals Questions and Answers

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of the scaling process in the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)?

Accepted Answer

To ensure that a student's ATAR is not unfairly influenced by their choice of subjects.

Answer

The fundamental principle of scaling is to ensure that students are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by their subject choices. It adjusts raw marks to account for the varying difficulty and academic strength of the student cohort in different subjects, allowing for a fair comparison of overall performance.

Question 2

A student in NSW receives their Higher School Certificate (HSC) results. Which combination of scaled marks will be used by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to calculate their ATAR aggregate?

Accepted Answer

The best 2 units of English, plus the next best 8 units from remaining courses.

Answer

In New South Wales, the ATAR aggregate is calculated from the scaled marks of 10 units of HSC courses. This specifically comprises the student's best 2 units of English and the best 8 units from their remaining eligible courses.

Question 3

An ATAR of 85.00 signifies that a student has:

Accepted Answer

Achieved a rank in the top 15% of their student age group population.

Answer

The ATAR is a percentile rank, not a score. An ATAR of 85.00 indicates that the student's overall academic achievement places them in the top 15% of their entire age cohort (not just the students who completed Year 12), meaning they performed as well as or better than 85% of that population.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) in Western Australia is correct?

Accepted Answer

It can include bonuses, such as 10% of the scaled score for a Language Other Than English (LOTE).

Answer

In Western Australia, the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) is the sum of the student's best four scaled scores. Importantly, it can also include a bonus of 10% of the scaled score for a LOTE, as well as for Mathematics Methods and Mathematics Specialist subjects. The TEA is then used to determine the ATAR, but it is not the rank itself.

Question 5

A student is concerned that choosing a subject with a historically lower-scaling average will disadvantage them. What is the underlying principle of ATAR calculation that addresses this concern?

Accepted Answer

The scaling process, which aims to neutralize the advantage or disadvantage of subject choice.

Answer

The core purpose of scaling is to ensure equity. It adjusts marks based on the overall academic strength of the cohort in each subject. This means a student is neither advantaged for choosing a subject that scales high nor disadvantaged for choosing one that scales lower. The goal is to estimate what a student's mark would have been if all students had taken all subjects.

(ATAR) Australian Tertiary Admission Rank Practice Test

(ATAR) Australian Tertiary Admission Rank Practice Test

ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ATAR Calculation Fundamentals Questions and Answers