HSC courses that can be used in the ATAR calculation

ATAR courses are those developed by NESA for which there are formal examinations that yield graded assessments. These are the only courses that can be used to calculate your ATAR.

ATAR courses are classified as either Category A or Category B courses. Only 2 units of Category B courses can contribute to your ATAR.

Criteria for Category A courses: academic rigour, depth of knowledge, the degree to which the course contributes to assumed knowledge for tertiary studies, and the coherence with other courses included in the ATAR calculations.

Criteria for Category B courses: the level of cognitive and performance demands are not regarded as satisfactory in themselves, though their contribution to a selection index is regarded as adequate if the other courses included in the aggregate are more academically demanding.

Changes in 2025

Choosing your HSC subjects? Note that from 2025 there will no longer be a distinction between Category A and Category B courses.