- Choose subjects you're good at FIRST, as high-scaling subjects won't help if you can't achieve strong raw scores in them to begin with
- VCE Subjects that scale well include Latin, Hebrew, Chinese Second Language, Specialist Maths, Chemistry, and Physics but require serious commitment and expert guidance to excel
- Scaling changes yearly so focus on building strong fundamentals in your chosen subjects rather than trying to game the system
Table Of Contents:
- What Is Scaling?
- How to Read The 2024 VCE Scaling Report?
- How Did VCE Subjects Scale In 2024?
- Conclusion
You’ve heard about subject scaling, but how can it make or break your ATAR? How can you use it to your advantage? KIS Academics has thankfully broken it all down to help you better understand how it affects your ATAR result at the end of the year!
What Is Scaling?
Scaling takes into account how competitive subjects are and what kinds of students do them, then making adjustments so that students are ranked more fairly. If you want a detailed explanation of how scaling works, check out this KIS Academics article.
In the VCE system, each subject is graded with a raw study score out of 50, reflecting a student’s performance relative to others in the same subject. But comparing raw scores across different subjects is not fair.
Thus, the VTAC compares a subject’s difficulty, popularity and competitiveness against another. Harder subjects like Specialist will scale up, whilst Further would scale down.
If you're looking to maximise your VCE ATAR in 2025/2026, select from a range of VCE Tutor Specialists who've done it before! 👇
How to Read The 2024 VCE Scaling Report?
The 2024 Scaling Report provides a table showing scaled scores corresponding to raw scores for each subject. The scaled study scores are then combined into an aggregate score, which determines the ATAR. This calculation includes:
- The top four scaled scores, one of which must be an English study (e.g. English, Literature, or English Language).
- 10% of the scaled scores from up to two additional subjects.
The report includes a table linking scaled aggregates to ATAR percentiles, showing, for example, that a scaled aggregate of 154.85 corresponds to an ATAR of 90.00 in 2024.
t is important to choose subjects based on what you will excel in, regardless of scaling. Using your previous performances across subjects to inform your subject decisions is key. A good tool for working out how to maximise your ATAR is the VCE ATAR Calculator. 👇
How Did VCE Subjects Scale In 2024?
English
- English Language scaled up by 2-3 marks, with an average study score of 32.6.
- English scales down by up to 3 marks.
- Literature scales up by 1.
- EAL ranges from -4 to +1.
- Scaling for English subjects has been mostly consistent for the past 3 years, and can be expected to stay the same for 2025.
Maths
- Specialist Maths scales up by 8 to 13 marks, making it the highest-scaling math subject with an average study score of 41.6.
- Math Methods scales up by up to 6 marks.
- General Mathematics scales down by around 2 marks.
- Scaling for math subjects has been mostly consistent for the past 3 years, and can be expected to stay the same for 2025.
Science
- Chemistry and Physics consistently scale up significantly.
- Biology has minimal scaling.
- Psychology, Software Development and HHD often scale down.
Commerce
- Commerce subjects on average have minimal scaling.
- Accounting and Economics scale up slightly.
- Legal Studies and Business Management scale down by around 2.
Humanities
- Humanities subjects, with the exception of Politics, tend to be unaffected by scaling.
Visual Arts
- Visual Art subjects generally scale down by around 3.
Languages Other Than English (LOTE)
- LOTE subjects remain the highest-scaling subjects across the board.
- Latin, for the past 3 years, has had the highest scaling adjustments amongst VCE subjects, with raw scores of 40 scaling to 55.
VET Subjects
What are the Top 10 Subjects for Scaling?
Conclusion
If your subjects scale well, great for you! But if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world. A general misconception about scaling is that it “punishes” students for taking certain subjects. In reality, it is designed to ensure fairness, not to discourage or favour any particular subject.
Do not pick subjects based on scaling, but based on what you’re realistically good at and interested in. After all, a raw 50 will still be a scaled 50 (or even more!) no matter which subject you take.
After more resources? Check these out! 👇
Manoj Arachige
Manoj Arachige
FAQs
Should I pick Subjects that scale well?
- Do not pick subjects based on scaling!
- Choose subjects that you are good at, or enjoy studying.
- It is more important for you to do well in the subject than how well it scales.
How to Study for VCE?
- Do practice papers, and clarify any doubts with your teachers and tutors.
- Check out study guides by other graduates who aced their VCEs!
