Worked example · Queensland only
VET and the ATAR
The ATAR is a national rank, calculated in each state by its admissions centre, and each state treats VET differently. This page uses Queensland (QTAC) as a worked example.
A rank
The ATAR is a position, not a score. 80.00 means the top 20 per cent of the age group.
5 inputs
The best five inputs are used. With fewer than five, no ATAR is calculated.
1 only
A maximum of one VET qualification, fully completed.
1. How the ATAR is calculated
QTAC takes Units 3 and 4 results, scales them so subjects can be compared, adds the best five, and turns the total into a rank. The fifth slot can be filled three ways.
Input 1
GeneralInput 2
GeneralInput 3
GeneralInput 4
GeneralInput 5 · one of three
a fifth General, or an Applied subject, or a VET qualification
↓ best five added, converted to a rank
ATAR 99.95 – 0.00
A separate condition: one QCAA English subject at C or better. The Short Course in Literacy is not accepted here.
With only four inputs the ATAR is not lower. It is not calculated at all.
A VET qualification can only be the fifth input. If a student already has five General subject results, QTAC uses the VET qualification only when its scaled result is higher than the weakest of those five.
2. When VET makes a difference
Typically, a student uses one line for VET or an Applied subject, drops a General subject in Year 11, and reaches Year 12 with four General subjects.
Four General subjects, no fifth inputNo ATAR
↓ add one completed Certificate III
Four General + one VET qualificationAn ATAR
In this case, VET makes the difference between having an ATAR and not having one.
Rules for the fifth input
| Which count | Certificate III and above. Certificate I and II do not. |
| One only | Two qualifications still count as one. If there is also an Applied subject, only one of the two can be used. |
| Finished | Fully completed and recorded in the learning account by the QTAC deadline. Partly completed qualifications do not count. |
| The score | One statewide scaled score per AQF level each year, regardless of subject, length or provider. Hospitality and Business at Certificate III receive the same score. |
Subject prerequisites for a degree, such as Mathematical Methods or Chemistry, are met through senior secondary subjects or approved bridging courses, not through certificate study. A student who needs one must keep that subject at school. Admission rules are set by each institution and change between admission years, so check the current requirements before applying.