What Is a Good ATAR? A Straight Answer for VCE Students
What is a good ATAR? It's the question every VCE student asks, and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on what you want to do next. The ATAR is a rank, not a score, so "good" isn't about hitting a magic number, it's about getting into the course you're aiming for. Here's how to actually think about it.
First, what the ATAR actually is
The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is a percentile rank between 0 and 99.95. It tells you where you sit compared to everyone else your age, not a mark out of 100. An ATAR of 80 means you're ranked in the top 20% of your age group; 90 means the top 10%; 99 means the top 1%.
Crucially, it ranks you against the cohort who completed the requirements, so the median ATAR sits around 70. That's why comparing an ATAR to a "pass mark" of 50 misunderstands what it is.
So what counts as "good"?
Here's the reframe that matters: because the ATAR is a gate to courses, a "good" ATAR is simply the one that gets you into the course you want. That's it.
- For some pathways, a "good" ATAR is 60.
- For others, it's 95+.
- For many, it's somewhere in between.
Chasing a number for its own sake, "I need a 90", misses the point if the course you actually want asks for 75, or 98. Work backwards from where you want to go.
Work backwards from your goal
The useful move is to look up the ATAR (and any prerequisites or extra requirements) for the courses you're interested in, then aim there. If you're not sure what you want yet, aim to keep as many doors open as you reasonably can, but don't torture yourself over the difference between, say, an 88 and a 91 if your target sits below both.
It's a rank, so focus on the fundamentals
Because your ATAR comes from how you perform relative to the cohort in your subjects, the way to lift it is the same boring, effective stuff: know the study design, practise, get feedback, and play to your strongest subjects (your best scores carry the most weight). There's no shortcut, and no amount of worrying about the number substitutes for the work that produces it.
The bottom line
A "good ATAR" isn't a fixed number, it's whatever gets you into your course. Understand that the ATAR is a rank (median around 70; 80 = top 20%, 90 = top 10%), look up what your target courses actually need, and aim there, then put your energy into the fundamentals that move your rank.
Since a good ATAR just means outperforming the cohort in your subjects, the fundamentals are what get you there, and that's what otto is built for: it tells you what to study, coaches the how, and marks your practice like VCAA, for $29 a month with a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ATAR?
It depends entirely on the course you want, since the ATAR is a rank, not a score. As a rough guide, an ATAR of 80 puts you in the top 20% of your age group and 90 in the top 10%. A 'good' ATAR is simply one that gets you into the course you're aiming for.
What is the average ATAR?
Because the ATAR is a percentile rank of the eligible cohort, the median is around 70. Remember the ATAR ranks against students who completed the requirements, not the whole age group, so it's not the same as a raw mark out of 100.
Is a 90 ATAR good?
A 90 ATAR means you're ranked in the top 10% of your age group, which is strong and opens most courses. But whether it's 'good enough' still depends on your specific course, some competitive courses ask for more, many ask for less.