How the ATAR Aggregate Is Calculated
Before VTAC gives you an ATAR it first builds your aggregate: your best English-group scaled study score + your next three highest permissible scaled scores (the “primary four”) + 10% of your fifth and sixth scores. Up to six subjects count, and aggregates range from 0 to over 210. Every student’s aggregate is then ranked into an ATAR. (Source: VTAC ATAR & Scaling Guide 2026.)
Key takeaways
- Your ATAR is derived from an aggregate score.
- Aggregate = your best English-group scaled score + your next 3 best scaled scores + 10% of your 5th and 6th.
- You need at least four Unit 3 & 4 studies, including one from the English group, for an ATAR.
- Only scaled scores count – so scaling affects every part of the aggregate.
The primary four
Your aggregate starts with four subjects at full value: your highest scaled score in an English subject (English, EAL, Literature or English Language), which is compulsory, plus your next three highest permissible scaled scores.
The increments (5th and 6th subjects)
If you have more than four subjects, VTAC adds 10% of your fifth and sixth highest scaled scores. So a 40 scaled in your fifth subject adds 4.0 to your aggregate. Certain VET, higher-education and interstate studies can also count as increments.
A rule worth knowing: study-area groupings
To keep your program broad, at most two subjects from the same study-area grouping (e.g. two English subjects, or two maths) can count in your primary four, and at most three across your whole aggregate.
What aggregate gives what ATAR? (2025)
From the 2025 aggregate-to-ATAR table, the approximate minimum scaled aggregate for each ATAR was: ATAR 50 ≈ 94, 70 ≈ 120, 80 ≈ 136, 90 ≈ 155, 95 ≈ 170, 99 ≈ 192. (VTAC 2025 Scaling Report.)
A worked example
A student with scaled scores of 36.47 (English Language) + 47.76 + 41.59 + 40.21, plus 10% of 36.86 and 26.13, reached an aggregate of 172.32 – an ATAR of 95.65. (Illustrative VTAC example; your result depends on the year’s scaling.) Try your own in the free VCE ATAR Calculator, or read how the VCE ATAR works.
Written by Haobo Zhang (98 ATAR, University of Melbourne Biomedicine), founder of HZ Tutoring. Updated June 2026 for the current VCE study design.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ATAR aggregate?
The total of your best English-group scaled score + next three best + 10% of your fifth and sixth scaled scores.
How many subjects count towards the ATAR?
Up to six: four at full value plus two 10% increments.
Does English have to be included?
Yes – your best English-group result must be one of the primary four.