NSW HSC students: Just before 9am we will SMS or email you a link to the ATAR login. You'll need to enter your:

• NESA student number (8 digits) – Lost it? Call NESA on 1300 13 83 23.
• UAC PIN (4 digits, emailed to you in April) – Lost it? Call UAC on or (+61 2) 9752 0200. Note: Your UAC PIN is different to your HSC PIN.

Want your ATAR delivered to your phone instead? The day before, keep an eye out for an email inviting you to register for Credfolio, UAC's free digital wallet.

These are the preferences used for the first ATAR-based uni offers made in December Round 2 (23 December).

Tips for ordering your five course preferences:

1. Start with your dream course: Aim high, even if your ATAR isn't what you'd hoped for. Required selection ranks change from year to year and you might receive selection rank adjustments.
2. Add another course you really want to study
3. Include a back-up course that matches your ATAR: Choose at least one course that previously had a lowest selection rank close to your ATAR. The previous lowest selection rank for each course is listed in the course descriptions linked from the UAC course search.
4. Add another back-up: Choose another course you'd feel good about studying if your top choices don't work out.
5. Finish with a pathway course: Select a course that can lead you into your dream degree. It might be a more general degree, a diploma, a foundation course or a pathway program. You can apply for your preferred course later, using your new qualification to boost your selection rank. (Some unis may allow you to apply for an internal transfer.)

Why is my ATAR low compared with my HSC marks?

Your HSC marks and your ATAR measure different things:

• Your HSC marks are marks out of 100. They show how well you performed in each course.
• Your ATAR is a rank, not an average mark or a mark out of 100. It shows where you are positioned compared with all other students and takes into account your achievement in all your HSC courses (where you are ranked).

You can think of it like an athletics carnival: your HSC is your time in a particular race (and is not compared to anyone else's time), and your ATAR is your place overall after you've completed in different events (first, second, third, and so on).

Why are my marks scaled?

Students study over 25,000 different combinations of HSC courses. Your rank in different courses will not necessarily have the same meaning. A good rank is more difficult to obtain when you are competing against students of high academic ability.

Scaling ensures all students are compared and ranked fairly, no matter what courses they have studied. This means you are not advantaged or disadvantaged by choosing one HSC course over another.

You can think of it like a currency exchange:

• A mark of 80 in one course isn’t always equal to 80 in another.
• Scaling converts them into the same ‘currency’.

Can I find out what my scaled marks are?

No. Scaled marks are not reported to students. They are just one stage in the calculation of the ATAR.

How does scaling work?

Each HSC course is taken by a different group of students. Some courses attract students who are very strong academically, while others attract a wider range of abilities. It is much harder to get a good position in a course where all the other students are strong academically.

Scaling adjusts your HSC marks so you can be fairly compared with all other students, as if everyone studied the same courses.

Courses are scaled using the mean scores and distribution of marks, which indicate the ability of all students studying that course. Courses studied by students who perform well in all their courses will be scaled highly. Courses such as Mathematics Extension 2 and Physics traditionally scale well because of this; however, you need to achieve high HSC marks to gain any benefit from scaling.

Why did one course count towards my ATAR, when a course I received a higher HSC mark for did not count? 

A higher HSC mark does not always mean a higher scaled mark, and the calculation of your ATAR is based on your scaled marks.

I have similar HSC marks to my friend, but we don't have similar ATARs. Why not?

Your ATARs will only be similar if your courses are the same. If your courses are different and your courses have different scaled means, your ATARs may be very different.

Can I have my ATAR recalculated?

No. But if NESA provides amended HSC results, your ATAR will be recalculated and you will be notified immediately.