Year 12 students often hear conflicting information about the HSC and ATAR. To clarify things, NSW Education Standards Authority CEO Paul Martin and UAC ATAR expert Dr Helen Tam have addressed some of the most common misconceptions. Here are the top five ATAR myths, debunked.
 
Myth 1: The HSC and the ATAR are the same
Fact: HSC marks and ATAR scores serve different purposes.

• HSC marks reflect your achievement in each course, based on exams and assessments. They indicate the standard you reached in that subject.

• ATAR ranks you against other students in NSW, based on your best 10 units (including at least 2 units of English). Its sole purpose is to help universities select applicants.
   

 
Myth 2: My ATAR should closely match my HSC marks
Fact: HSC marks measure your performance, while ATAR measures your ranking. They are different metrics and don’t directly correspond.

• For students scoring in the mid-70s across subjects, an ATAR around 70.00 is typical, reflecting the median ranking.

• However, marks in the 70s can result in a significantly lower ATAR depending on your courses and how other students perform.
   

 
Myth 3: Choosing a course that scales well guarantees a higher ATAR
Fact: Scaling depends on how students in a course perform across all their subjects. Courses like Mathematics Extension 2 and Physics often scale highly because their students tend to do well across the board.

• High HSC marks are essential to benefit from scaling; scaling alone won’t boost your ATAR.

• Scaling changes every year based on student performance. There’s no guarantee a course will scale the same way as previous years.

• Course selection should be guided by your interests, abilities, and future goals, not by anticipated scaling.
   

 
Myth 4: Choosing the “right” combination of courses guarantees the best ATAR
Fact: Any combination of courses can lead to a strong ATAR if you perform well in all of them.

• For example, students studying Drama have achieved ATARs of 99.95—not because Drama is “hard” or scales highly, but because they excelled in subjects that suited their strengths.

• Success depends on matching your courses to your interests and abilities, not perceived difficulty.
   

 
Myth 5: The school you attend affects your ATAR
Fact: Your school has no influence on ATAR calculation.

• ATAR is calculated solely from your exam and moderated assessment marks provided by NESA.

• No other factors—like which school you attend—are included in the ranking.