ATAR is the ranking used for entry into Australian tertiary institutions. We don’t use GPA in Australia.
The specific calculation depends on which state you are in. In Victoria, the ATAR is derived from the **aggregate** of your English units, your three next best (scaled), and 10% of your 5th and 6th subjects if you did any. This aggregate is then ranked across the state to give the ATAR score (e.g. 95.00 – the top 5% of the state).
If you are in a different state, you can check your state education authority for fact sheets, or ask your school.
Typically, your unit/subject scores are based off a combination of your school-assessed coursework, with a large portion made up by the exam. The specific formula is far more complex, but this is the ELI5 version.
For reference, an ATAR of 70 is average (given that many do unscored), which is in the C+/ B band. If you’re aiming for an 80 ATAR, you should be achieving at least B / B+ in your assessments, but this is very broad and subject dependent.
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