For Queensland students in Years 10 to 12
QCE ATAR calculator
A free ATAR calculator for QLD students. Enter your subjects and expected marks to estimate your Queensland ATAR with QTAC’s 2025 scaling.
Looking for QTAC’s official estimator? It’s ATAR Navigator. This calculator is free with no email needed. It shows your estimate as a range and tells you which subject would lift it most.
Estimate your QCE ATAR
Add 5 or more subjects and the mark out of 100 you expect. At least 4 must be General subjects.
Scaling data: QTAC 2025 ATAR Report · Last checked 20 October 2026
How this calculator works out your ATAR
QTAC calculates every Queensland ATAR from scaled subject results. This calculator follows the same four steps.
- 1
Each result is scaled
Your mark in each subject becomes a scaled result out of 100, using QTAC’s 2025 scaling for that subject. Scaling puts every subject on one scale, so the same mark is worth more in some subjects than in others.
- 2
Your best five count
The calculator keeps your five best scaled results. That means five General subjects, or four General subjects plus one Applied subject or VET qualification at Certificate III or higher.
- 3
They add up to a TEA out of 500
The five scaled results are added together. QTAC calls this total your Tertiary Entrance Aggregate, or TEA.
- 4
The TEA becomes an ATAR range
Your TEA is read against two of QTAC’s TEA-to-ATAR tables, one from a lower year and one from a higher year. The two answers are the ends of your range.
Why a range and not one number? The same TEA gives a slightly different ATAR each year, because it depends on how the whole Queensland cohort performs. The range shows where your TEA would have landed in a lower year and in a higher one.
Applied subjects are graded A to E instead of marked out of 100. You choose your grade and the calculator scales it with QTAC’s 2025 scaling for that subject. A completed VET qualification gets a fixed scaled result from QTAC: 38.00 for Certificate III, 51.84 for Certificate IV and 58.72 for a Diploma. Only one Applied subject or VET qualification can be in your best five.
Who gets an ATAR
QTAC sets the rules for who is eligible. The calculator applies the subject rules below, and it reminds you if you haven’t entered an English subject.
- Enough subjects. You need Units 3 and 4 of five General subjects, or of four General subjects plus one Applied subject. A VET qualification at Certificate III or higher can take the place of the Applied subject.
- A C or better in English. That can be English, Literature, English as an Additional Language, English and Literature Extension, or Essential English. It doesn’t have to be in your best five. It only counts towards your ATAR if it’s one of your five best scaled results.
- Pairs that can’t both count. Essential English can’t count alongside a General English subject. Essential Mathematics can’t count alongside General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics. English and Literature can both count.
If one of your subjects can’t count, your result says so. For the full rules, see QTAC’s guide to the ATAR.
What a raw mark is worth in each subject
The same raw mark becomes a different scaled result in each subject. This table shows QCE scaling for eight common subjects, using QTAC’s 2025 figures.
| Subject | Raw 60 | Raw 70 | Raw 80 | Raw 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 51.0 | 67.2 | 80.1 | 88.8 |
| General Mathematics | 49.0 | 60.7 | 71.3 | 79.9 |
| Mathematical Methods | 74.7 | 85.3 | 91.9 | 95.7 |
| Specialist Mathematics | 78.9 | 88.9 | 94.5 | 97.4 |
| Chemistry | 35.2 | 62.9 | 84.1 | 94.3 |
| Physics | 28.2 | 56.5 | 81.1 | 93.4 |
| Biology | 30.5 | 52.4 | 73.5 | 87.5 |
| Psychology | 32.3 | 50.9 | 69.3 | 83.0 |
Read across a row to see how one subject scales. The figures come from the calculator’s scaling curves, which match the points QTAC publishes in Table 6 of its 2025 ATAR Report to within 0.01.
Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics scale up at every mark in the table. Chemistry and Physics scale down at 60 and 70 and up at 90. English, General Mathematics, Biology and Psychology mostly come out at or below the raw mark. The best scaling subjects still only help if you do well in them: a 90 in Biology scales to 87.5, while a 70 in Chemistry scales to 62.9.
“Think about what prerequisites you need for uni and what you’re good at. Don’t pick too many difficult subjects.”
You’ve got your estimate. What now?
What to do with an ATAR estimate depends on your year level. This advice comes from Leah Hider, a registered Queensland teacher who co-runs KeirEd.
In Year 12, before results
Most of your internal results are in, so the estimate is a fair guide to where you’ll land. External exams still count for 25% of most subjects and 50% of maths and science subjects, so if you have exams left there is still room to move.
“Go back through all your notes and make a summary with the key points, formulas, processes and diagrams. You’re re-reading and summarising as you go, and it’s a lot easier to study from your summary. Then do lots of timed practice tests.”
Use your range to check your QTAC preferences against each course’s past selection ranks. You can still change your preferences after ATARs come out in December. QTAC’s Year 12 ATAR page has this year’s release date.
In Year 11
This is when the “biggest lift” line in your result matters most. It names the subject where 5 more marks would raise your estimate the most. Units 1 and 2 don’t count towards your ATAR, but your Year 12 internal assessments do, so build that subject’s skills now and go into your first Year 12 assessment ready.
“It depends on what the assessment is. The first thing is the task sheet, because it tells you what you need to do, how it’s supposed to be written, the information and all the context.”
In Year 10
Use the calculator to compare subject choices before you lock them in. Enter the marks you’d realistically expect with each set of subjects and see how the range changes. An ATAR estimate in Year 10 is rough, so use it to compare options rather than to set a target. Then read how to choose Year 11 and 12 subjects and our Year 10 subject selection guide.
Help with the subject that matters most
If one subject is holding your estimate back, that’s the one to work on first.
KeirEd tutors teach one-on-one, at home or online, and our Queensland Programs run weekly live classes in a single subject. The button under your result offers to talk through a plan for the subject that would lift your estimate most, so the call starts there.
QCE ATAR calculator questions
Is this the official QTAC ATAR calculator?
No. QTAC’s own estimator is ATAR Navigator. KeirEd built this calculator from QTAC’s 2025 scaling. It doesn’t ask for your email. It shows your estimate as a range and names the subject that would lift it most. Neither tool gives you an official ATAR. Only QTAC issues those, in December.
Is a Queensland ATAR estimate exact?
No. Your real ATAR depends on your final subject results and on how the whole Queensland cohort performs that year, and scaling changes a little every year. Treat the range as a guide.
Why does the calculator show a range?
The same TEA has turned into a different ATAR in different years. The low end of your range uses the TEA-to-ATAR table from a lower year and the high end uses one from a higher year.
What scaling does it use?
QTAC’s 2025 subject scaling, from QTAC’s ATAR Report 2025. At the points QTAC publishes, the calculator’s scaled results match QTAC’s figures. The line under the calculator shows when the data was last checked.
Which QCE subjects count toward an ATAR?
Your five best scaled results count. They can be five General subjects, or four General subjects plus one Applied subject or one VET qualification at Certificate III or higher. You can enter up to seven subjects and the calculator picks the best five for you.
Does English always count toward the ATAR?
You need a C or better in an English subject to be eligible for an ATAR. English only counts in the calculation if it’s one of your five best scaled results.
When do ATARs come out?
QTAC releases ATARs in December. Check QTAC’s Year 12 ATAR page for this year’s date and time.
Can I use it in Year 10 or Year 11?
Yes. Enter the marks you expect to get in Year 12. In Year 10 it helps you compare subject choices. In Year 11 it shows which subject is worth the most extra work.
What if my estimate is below my target ATAR?
Enter your target in the calculator. Your result shows how far the top of your range is from it and which subject would close the gap fastest. Start with that subject. A free Tutor Match Call can help you plan the work.
Official sources
Only QTAC issues ATARs. These are the official pages behind this calculator.
Turn the ATAR estimate into a clearer plan
Book a free call to talk through one-on-one tutoring or a Program for your child. Booking the call is free. It does not enrol your child or take payment.