2020 Scaling Report - Study Score Scaling and VTAC Calculations

Sep 20, 2026

2020 Scaling Report explains how VCAA study scores are scaled to compute scaled aggregates and Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs). It defines the 2020 scaling population, including requirements for VCAA study scores and English study completion while excluding candidates who already have an ATAR. It provides scaled means and standard deviations for the scaling population and relates study scores at 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 to VTAC scaled study scores. It also lists study codes with corresponding statistics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of 2020 scaling

Scaling population definition

Scaled means, standard deviations, and VTAC results

Study code statistics and subject listings

2020 Scaling Report VCAA provides VTAC with study scores (relative positions) . These study scores are scaled in order to calculate scaled aggregates and Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs) . Candidates are in the 2020 scaling population if, excluding small studies, they have obtained at least one VCAA study score in 2020 , at least four in total, at least one in an English study [English, English (EAL), English Language or Literature], but do not already have an ATAR. The scaling population is therefore a subset of the entire population. The means and standard deviations below pertain to the scaling population in 2020. The following table gives the 2020 scaled means and standard deviations as well as the VTAC scaled study scores (rounded to the nearest integer) corresponding to the study scores of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50. The formal aggregation process uses VTAC scaled study scores to two decimal places, but the following information gives an indication of how scaling adjusts scores in the various studies. Code 2020 Study Mean St. Dev. 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 AC AH AL03 IT02 IT03 AT BI BM CH CC DA DR EC EN EF EG EV XI03 FT GE HH Accounting Agricultural & Horticultural Studies Algorithmics (HESS) Applied Computing: Data Analytics Software Development Art Biology Business Management Chemistry Classical Studies Dance Drama Economics English English (EAL) English Language Environmental Science Extended Investigation Food Studies Geography Health and Human Development 30.4 24.4 35.4 26.3 27.7 27.2 30.5 27.0 33.7 29.9 28.6 28.2 31.6 28.1 28.7 32.2 27.6 33.0 24.0 28.7 26.4 7.5 6.7 8.0 7.1 7.0 7.5 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.5 6.8 7.0 7.1 7.6 8.1 7.3 7.3 6.9 7.1 7.2 7.4 19 15 23 15 16 16 19 17 23 19 19 18 21 17 17 21 17 21 14 18 16 25 19 30 20 21 21 25 21 29 24 24 23 26 22 22 27 22 27 18 23 21 30 23 36 25 27 26 30 27 34 30 28 28 32 28 28 32 27 33 23 28 26 36 29 41 31 32 32 36 32 39 35 33 33 37 34 34 38 33 38 29 34 31 41 35 46 37 38 38 41 38 44 40 39 38 42 39 40 42 38 43 35 39 37 46 42 49 43 44 44 46 44 47 45 44 44 46 45 46 47 44 47 42 45 44 50 50 51 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 HI17 HA HR IE AR AM AU LO50 LO53 CN LO57 CK CL AG LO51 CR DU FP FR GN MG HB HI HU AI IN IX IL JA JS LO55 KH KO KS History: Ancient History Australian History Revolutions Industry and Enterprise Languages: Arabic Armenian Auslan Bosnian Chin Hakha Chinese First Language Chinese Language Culture and Society Chinese Second Language Advanced Chinese Second Language Classical Greek Classical Hebrew Croatian Dutch Filipino French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indigenous Languages Indonesian First Language Indonesian Second Language Italian Japanese First Language Japanese Second Language Karen Khmer Korean First Language Korean Second Language 27.7 28.2 28.9 24.4 30.6 30.0 28.0 34.1 32.7 38.2 39.7 37.4 30.7 40.3 38.5 34.2 42.3 35.7 36.8 36.6 37.5 30.4 36.4 8.3 7.8 7.8 8.3 6.1 6.7 7.2 7.9 6.4 7.8 6.5 7.7 3.4 6.7 6.8 6.7 6.4 6.9 6.9 6.3 6.5 6.0 6.3 15 17 17 12 21 21 22 23 17 25 27 28 29 22 30 34 34 34 28 34 40 40 40 35 39 46 46 46 43 44 50 50 50 50 50 Small Study or no candidates, see Note below 21 26 31 36 41 45 50 Small Study or no candidates, see Note below 20 24 27 31 36 41 50 2

FAQs

What is the purpose of scaling VCAA study scores in 2020?

Scaling adjusts VCAA study scores to calculate scaled aggregates and Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs).

Who is included in the 2020 scaling population?

Candidates are in the 2020 scaling population if they have at least one VCAA study score in 2020 (excluding small studies), at least four total, at least one English study, and do not already have an ATAR.

How does the report connect study scores to VTAC scaled study scores?

It provides a table with 2020 scaled means and standard deviations and indicates VTAC scaled study scores (rounded to the nearest integer) corresponding to study scores of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West