How to Get a High ATAR: 12 Strategies That Actually Work

What counts as a "high" ATAR — and why it matters

Learning how to get a high ATAR is one of the most common questions Australian students ask heading into Year 11 and 12 — and for good reason. Your ATAR determines which university courses you can access, and in competitive fields like medicine, law, and engineering, even a few points can be the difference between getting in or missing out. At KIS Academics, our tutors have an average ATAR of 99.50, and we've helped more than 6,600 students across Australia improve their academic results. The strategies in this guide are drawn from what actually works.

A "high" ATAR is relative to your goals. For most selective university courses, a score above 85 opens significant doors. Above 95 puts you in contention for the most competitive programs. A 99+ ATAR requires exceptional consistency across all subjects — it's achievable, but demands the right approach from early in Year 11.

What ATAR do you need for your goals?

Before you can plan how to get a high ATAR, you need to know what "high" means for you specifically. Here's a rough guide to ATAR ranges and what they typically unlock:

Set your target ATAR based on your top two or three course preferences — then work backwards. This gives your study a clear purpose and makes it easier to allocate effort strategically.

How does subject selection affect your ATAR?

Subject selection is one of the most underrated levers for a high ATAR — and one of the most common mistakes students make. Each curriculum has its own scaling system: VCAA scaling in Victoria, NESA in NSW, QCAA in Queensland, TISC in WA, and SATAC in SA. Subjects that scale up can give your ATAR a significant boost even if your raw score is the same.

General principles that apply across all curricula:

• Choose subjects you're genuinely interested in. Motivation collapses when you hate what you're studying. Passion translates to marks.
• Research scaling before locking in. Higher-level maths and sciences typically scale up. Check your state's scaling reports from previous years.
• Don't drop a difficult subject just because it's hard. Hard subjects usually scale higher. A 70 in Specialist Maths may contribute more to your ATAR than an 85 in a low-scaling subject.
• Balance workload across your subject list. Taking five essay-heavy subjects will exhaust you. Mix written and skills-based subjects where possible.
• Play to your strengths. Your ATAR is a rank — competing well in subjects you're naturally stronger in gives you an edge.

How many hours should you study for a high ATAR?

Research consistently shows that study quality matters more than raw hours — but both matter. Here's a realistic weekly study framework, based on what our high-achieving tutors did in Year 11 and 12:

1. Year 11 baseline: 10–15 hours per week outside school. Build your habits now — they carry into Year 12.
2. Year 12 main term: 20–30 hours per week. More during assessment periods, less during lighter weeks.
3. Trial/prelim exam period: 35–40 hours per week. This is your dress rehearsal — treat it seriously.
4. Final exam block: 40–50 hours per week. Structured, subject-specific revision with past papers as the centrepiece.

The most important variable isn't the number of hours — it's whether you're in active recall mode (testing yourself) or passive mode (re-reading notes). Active recall is up to six times more effective for long-term retention.

12 strategies to get a high ATAR

1. Set your target ATAR on day one of Year 11

Know your number before you start. A specific target (e.g., 92.00 for a nursing degree at USYD) creates focus. A vague goal ("do well") doesn't.

2. Master your curriculum's assessment structure early

VCE students need to understand the balance between school-assessed coursework (SACs) and external exams. HSC students need to know how internal assessments and external exams combine. QCE, WACE, and SACE each have their own structures. Know the rules of the game you're playing.

3. Build a weekly study schedule — and protect it

Block out your study hours at the start of each week like they're appointments. Use a consistent structure: review class notes within 24 hours, do practice questions within 48 hours, and schedule one full subject review per week per subject.

4. Use active recall, not passive review

Flashcards, practice questions, teaching concepts to someone else, and writing out key ideas from memory are all active recall techniques. They're uncomfortable because they reveal gaps — which is exactly the point.

5. Do past papers from the start of Year 12

Past papers are the single most reliable predictor of exam performance. Start them from the beginning of Year 12, not just in the final weeks. Work through them under timed conditions and mark them honestly. For VCE students, VCAA past papers are available online. HSC students should use NESA's past paper database. QCE students should use QCAA sample and past papers.

6. Identify and fix your weak areas systematically

After every practice paper, categorise your mistakes: concept errors (didn't understand), careless errors (rushed), or knowledge gaps (didn't know the content). Address concept errors first — they cost the most marks.

7. Prioritise your highest-scaling subjects

Not all subjects contribute equally to your ATAR. If maths scales well in your state, a 5-point improvement in maths may be worth more than a 10-point improvement in a low-scaling subject. Run the numbers for your specific subject combination.

8. Get ahead on essay subjects early

English is compulsory in every Australian curriculum and tends to have a bigger ATAR contribution than students realise. Build your essay writing skills early. Read widely. Practise annotating texts. Don't leave English to the night before exams.

9. Optimise sleep, exercise, and nutrition

This is not filler advice. Research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies and international sleep science consistently shows that students who sleep 8–9 hours retain information significantly better. Exercise increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which improves memory consolidation. Eating well stabilises energy levels across long study sessions.

10. Seek feedback on your work — don't just submit and forget

Every piece of assessment is feedback. After getting results back, analyse the marking criteria, compare your work against model answers, and ask your teacher what specifically cost you marks. Most students don't do this. It's one of the biggest gaps between average and high achievers.

11. Work with a high-achieving tutor

A tutor who has achieved a high ATAR themselves can show you exactly how they approached each subject, what the marking criteria really reward, and how to structure your answers. The difference between a student who works hard alone and one who gets targeted guidance can be 5–10 ATAR points.

12. Manage exam anxiety with a pre-exam routine

Anxiety is performance energy — the goal is to channel it, not eliminate it. Develop a consistent pre-exam routine: sleep 8 hours the night before, eat a real breakfast, arrive early, and do five minutes of deep breathing before entering the exam room. Familiarity reduces anxiety.

Does subject scaling differ across VCE, HSC, QCE, WACE, and SACE?

Yes — significantly. Each state has its own calculation method, which means the same raw score in the same subject can have a different ATAR impact depending on where you study. Here's a quick overview:

• VCE (Victoria): VCAA scales raw study scores to produce scaled scores. Maths, sciences, and languages tend to scale up. English is capped at a study score of 30 before scaling for most students.
• HSC (NSW): NESA moderates school assessments against external exam results. The HSC mark is a combination of internal and external performance. Scaling then applies to convert to ATAR.
• QCE (Queensland): QCAA uses a combination of internal assessments (weighted at 75%) and external exams (25% for most subjects). Results are scaled across the state cohort.
• WACE (Western Australia): TISC calculates ATARs using scaled marks from a combination of school-based and external assessment. The calculation is similar to other states but has WA-specific scaling tables.
• SACE (South Australia): SATAC calculates ATARs from SACE results. Stage 2 subjects contribute to the ATAR; Stage 1 results do not directly, but they can affect eligibility.

Use your state's official ATAR calculator to model different subject combinations and scenarios:

• VCE ATAR Calculator
• HSC ATAR Calculator
• QCE ATAR Calculator
• WACE ATAR Calculator
• SACE ATAR Calculator

What's the biggest mistake students make when aiming for a high ATAR?

The single biggest mistake is leaving it too late. Students who start building strong study habits in Year 11 — and who treat each SAC, assignment, and internal assessment as practice for the final exam — consistently outperform students who coast through Year 11 and try to cram in Year 12. The ATAR is cumulative. Every assessment counts.

The second biggest mistake is studying without a strategy. Hours of re-reading notes feels productive but produces minimal retention. Focused active recall, timed past-paper practice, and targeted work on weak areas — applied consistently — is how high achievers get results.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to get a high ATAR without a tutor?

Yes — many students achieve high ATARs without tutoring. But tutoring significantly accelerates the process by providing expert feedback, filling knowledge gaps early, and holding students accountable to a consistent study plan. The students most likely to benefit are those who are already working hard but aren't seeing the marks they expect.

How important is Year 11 for your final ATAR?

Very important, despite the common belief that only Year 12 counts. In most curricula, Year 11 results don't directly count towards your ATAR — but the habits, content knowledge, and exam technique you build in Year 11 determine how well you perform in Year 12. Students who underperform in Year 11 often spend the first half of Year 12 catching up.

Can I improve my ATAR significantly in the final term of Year 12?

Yes, but the ceiling gets lower the later you start. Students who make targeted improvements in the final term — focusing on past papers, weak areas, and exam technique — can lift their ATAR by several points. For larger improvements (5+), you generally need to start the process by the mid-year exam period at the latest.

How many subjects should I take for the best ATAR?

Most Australian curricula require a minimum of five or six subjects to calculate an ATAR. Taking more subjects gives you a buffer — if one subject performs below expectation, you have extras to fall back on. However, taking too many subjects spreads your time thin. Most high achievers take five or six subjects strategically chosen for scaling and personal strengths.

Do extracurricular activities hurt my ATAR?

Not if managed well. Research consistently shows that students who participate in structured extracurricular activities — sport, music, debating — tend to perform better academically, not worse. The discipline, time management, and stress resilience built through extracurriculars translate directly into exam performance. The key is maintaining boundaries and not letting extracurriculars expand into peak study periods.

What's the difference between a raw score and a scaled ATAR score?

Your raw score is the mark you receive before state-wide scaling is applied. Scaling adjusts your score based on how your subject's difficulty compares to other subjects across the state cohort. A subject that attracts high-performing students will typically scale up — meaning your raw mark is converted to a higher scaled score. This is why choosing subjects strategically matters.

Getting started

A high ATAR is the product of consistent, strategic effort applied over two years — not a miracle that happens in the final week of exams. The strategies above are not secret or complex. They're what works, practised by the tutors at KIS Academics who have been through the process themselves. If you'd like personalised guidance from a tutor who achieved a high ATAR in your specific curriculum and subject combination, KIS Academics offers a free 30-minute trial session — no commitment required. With 6,600+ students helped and a 99.50 average tutor ATAR, we know what it takes. Let's talk.