Raw vs scaled study score: which one matters?
VCE has two study score numbers per subject. Both matter, but for different things. Here's when each one is the one to look at.
Every VCE subject hands out two numbers per student: a raw study score and a scaled study score. They look similar but mean different things. Mixing them up is one of the most common student mistakes.
What each number is
Raw study score is what VCAA gives you. It's a number out of 50, based on your weighted SAC and exam results. It's the number printed on your VCE certificate.
Scaled study score is what VTAC creates. They take your raw score and apply that year's scaling for that subject. It's not printed on your certificate — it lives only inside VTAC's ATAR calculation.
For Methods at raw 40 in 2025, the scaled value is 46. So a student with a raw 40 in Methods has both: raw 40 (on their certificate) and scaled 46 (used in their ATAR aggregate).
When raw matters
Two situations:
University and TAFE selection where raw scores are required. A small number of programs ask for specific raw study scores in a prereq subject, especially for entrance to certain creative courses, music conservatoriums, or vocational pathways. "Music Performance raw 30" or "English raw 25" type requirements.
Student satisfaction / parents. Raw is the number everyone celebrates. "She got a 47 in Chem" — that's raw. Scaled scores aren't routinely shared because they're not on the certificate.
When scaled matters
Almost everywhere else:
ATAR calculation. Your aggregate is built from your scaled scores. Top four scaled scores at full value, plus 10% × 5th + 10% × 6th. Raw scores don't appear in the aggregate at all.
Comparing across subjects. A raw 38 in Methods is a top-quartile result. A raw 38 in HHD is a top-15% result. They're not the same thing. Their scaled equivalents (44 vs 35) tell you the actual comparison.
Predicting your ATAR. Plug your raw scores into the ATAR calculator and the calculator does the raw-to-scaled translation for you. The aggregate it shows uses scaled, not raw.
How to talk about each
When someone asks "what study score did you get?", they almost always mean raw. That's the social convention.
When someone asks "how did you do?", they often mean ATAR, which is built from scaled.
When someone asks "what does that mean for your ATAR?", they mean scaled. They want to know how it'll feed your aggregate.
A common confusion
Students who've heard about scaling sometimes assume their certificate shows the scaled number. It doesn't. The number on your VCE certificate is the raw score VCAA computed.
The scaled score lives only inside VTAC and only for the duration of your ATAR calculation. After offers are released, scaled scores essentially stop existing as a public number.
Should you optimise for raw or scaled?
Trick question: you optimise for raw. The scaled number is a deterministic function of the raw number; you can't lift the scaled without lifting the raw.
The exception is subject choice — that's where you make scaling decisions. Once you've picked your subjects, raw is the only lever you can pull.
For the math behind scaling, see how VCE scaling works. For the broader study score picture, read the study score guide.
Keep reading
Every component that contributes to a VCE study score — SACs, SATs, exams, GAs — and how to figure out which ones are actually moving your number.
Every component that contributes to a VCE study score — SACs, SATs, exams, GAs — and how to figure out which ones are actually moving your number.
What it actually takes to clear a 40 raw study score in any VCE subject — by the people who consistently do it.
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