The elusive 99.95 ATAR is something a lot of people strive for but few achieve. No matter what your goals are, it helps to learn from someone who's achieved a top ATAR before, if only to learn some useful tips and tricks from them.
One Flinders student, Laura Webb, achieved the highest possible ATAR of 99.95.
The ATAR is a rank calculated based on high school results in Australia, ranging from 0.00 to 99.95, indicating a student's relative position to all other students in the same age group.
Parramatta High student Ved Khanolkar said his mum and dad were “left speechless” after he scored an ATAR of 99.5.
17 per cent of students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 33.9 per cent received an ATAR of at least 80.00 and 50.3 per cent at least 70.00. The median ATAR was 70.15 this year, slightly higher than in 2019.
For instance, to score an ATAR of 95, you would need to score in the top 16% of Physics and 18% of Chemistry, but you need to be in the top 8% of Biology.
The ATAR is a number from 0 and 99.95 in intervals of 0.05. The highest rank is 99.95, the next highest 99.90, and so on. The lowest automatically reported rank is 30.00, with ranks below 30.00 being reported as 'less than 30'. Find out more about how ATARs are calculated.
An ATAR is a rank given in increments of 0.05 between 0.0 and 99.95, meaning that a score of 75 puts you in the top 25 per cent of your state. This rank provides an easy method of comparison for institutions when selecting students for course entry.
It's based on overall HSC results and is designed to be a predictor of your first-year performance at university. So an ATAR of 70 doesn't mean you got 70 percent – it means that you're in the top 30 percent of your year group.
Ethan Tan, 15, became the youngest student ever to get the highest possible ATAR of 99.95 on Friday.
What is the lowest ATAR ever? In theory, the ATAR is a number ranging from 0.05 to 99.95 in intervals of 0.05. The lowest rank is 0.05, the next lowest 0.10, and so on. But the lowest reported rank is 30.00, with all ranks below 30.00 simply reported as 'less than 30'.
Approximately 500 students will get a 99 ATAR in states like Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Approximately 100 students score a 99 every year in Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, while approximately 40 students achieve this in the ACT.
VCE students receive their ATAR results
Teia and Gemima Herft were among 50,000 Victorian students who woke up at 7am to learn about their well deserved scores. "It feels like Christmas morning, it's very exciting," Teia said. After 13 long years of schooling, 39 students achieved the highest possible rank of 99.95.
An ATAR of 100 is impossible.
Your rank is based on how you went compared to other Year 12 students. So even if your test scores are lower than you'd hoped, if you're still ranked in the top 20% of students, then you'll receive an ATAR of 80. As long as you try your best with what you have, chances are, you'll do better than you expect.
The first reason is that it brings NSW in line with other states and territories, which were all providing a maximum rank of 99.95 under different names by the time the ATAR was introduced in NSW in 2009.
17.7% of the students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 35.2% received an ATAR of at least 80.00, 52.1% at least 70.00, and 67.8% at least 60.00. The median ATAR was 71.25, slightly higher than in 2021. The median ATAR for females was 72.45 whereas the median ATAR for males was 69.85.
Ultimately, getting 99 ATAR is no easy undertaking. It requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to use all of the resources available to you. For those students who are aiming for the top universities, a high ATAR score is essential – and it is within your reach.
Your Year 11 grades do not count towards your ATAR! Essentially, the ATAR is a percentile number that's calculated using your HSC Marks — aka, your Year 12 marks.
Sure, it's important in terms of acting as a gateway to tertiary study and securing your place in a course at university. What does matter however is work experience. Employers don't look at your ATAR, but at your experience. Your ATAR is merely the threshold requirement.
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student's position relative to all the students in their age group (ie all 16 to 20 year olds in NSW). So, an ATAR of 80.00 means that you are 20 per cent from the top of your age group (not your Year 12 group).
It actually means you're in the top 40 per cent of your year group. Similarly, an ATAR score of 90 means you're placed in the top 10 per cent of your year.
The average ATAR is usually around 70.00
In NSW, the ATAR is calculated and released by UAC. In the ACT, it's calculated by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies, in consultation with UAC, and released by schools. NSW and ACT ATARs are equivalent to those in other states.
Ravenswood student Maria Yang is one of the 48 students in NSW who has received the perfect ATAR of 99.95 in 2022.