Free tool · VCE
VCE study score calculator
A VCE study score is a rank, not a mark: the VCAA places every study on a scale with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 7, out of 50. On that bell curve a study score of 30 sits in the middle, about 8.7% of students score 40 or more, and about 1.9% score 45 or more. Enter a score below to see where it ranks, or a rank to see the study score it usually means.
Study score → where you rank
Enter a VCE study score out of 50.
Where you rank → study score
Expect to finish in the top what percent of your subject? (e.g. 10)
The study score bell curve
Approximate share of a VCE study scoring at or above each study score, from the study score scale (mean 30, standard deviation 7). Real cohorts vary a little by subject and year.
| Study score | Students at or above |
|---|---|
| 50 | under 1% |
| 45 | about 1.9% |
| 42 | about 5% |
| 40 | about 8.7% |
| 38 | about 14% |
| 35 | about 26% |
| 33 | about 36% |
| 30 | about 53% |
| 27 | about 69% |
| 25 | about 78% |
| 20 | about 93% |
From study scores to your ATAR
Study scores are only the first step. VTAC scales each one, then builds your aggregate from your best four scaled scores (including English) plus 10% of up to two more. Check how each VCE subject scales, then put your expected scores into the VCE ATAR calculator. Results come out on VCE results day.
Study score FAQs
How are VCE study scores calculated?
The VCAA combines your school-assessed coursework and your exam results into a total for the study, ranks every student in that study, and converts the ranking onto a scale with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 7, reported as a whole number out of 50. That is why a study score tells you where you finished in the cohort rather than what percentage of marks you earned.
Is a study score of 40 good?
Yes. On the study score scale about 8.7% of students in a study score 40 or above, so a 40 puts you in roughly the top tenth of that subject. Your ATAR then depends on how that study scales and on your other results.
What percentage of students get a 50 study score?
Very few — a 50 is capped at the top of the scale and is awarded to only a small fraction of one per cent of a study's cohort. Large studies award a handful each year; small studies may award none.
Can I convert my SAC and exam percentages into a study score?
Not reliably. A study score depends on where your combined result ranks against everyone else in the study that year, after the VCAA statistically moderates SAC marks against the exam. The same percentage can produce different study scores in different subjects and years. Use your expected rank in the cohort instead, which is what this calculator does.
Is this the same as a scaled score?
No. This is the raw study score before scaling. VTAC then scales each study score up or down depending on the subject before building your ATAR aggregate. See how your subject scales on the scaling page, then use the ATAR calculator to estimate your rank.
Important disclaimer
This calculator gives approximations from the published shape of the study score scale. It is not your real study score, which only the VCAA issues. ATARMAxxing is an independent Australian study platform and is not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by the VCAA or VTAC.