How your ATAR is calculated
NZQA converts NCEA Level 3 results into an ATAR in six steps. Each step below follows Jane Doe's numbers through the full process, so you can see exactly where every value comes from.
Are you eligible?
You need at least 60 NCEA Level 3 credits from completed years. Below that, you don't get an ATAR.
Jane Doe — worked example
✓ Eligible — above the 60 credit minimum
Your best 90 credits are picked
NZQA selects 90 credits from across all your Level 3 results, including past years if you have them. A few rules shape the selection:
- ·Up to 24 credits count from any single subject
- ·UE-approved subjects are picked before non-UE subjects
- ·Achievement standards are picked before unit standards
- ·If you've resat a standard, only your best result is used
“Best” doesn't just mean highest grade. A UE-approved Achieved can be picked ahead of a non-UE Excellence.
Jane Doe — worked example
UE-approved standards selected first, then by priority order
+ 71 credits from other UE subjects · · ·
Each result gets a weight
Every standard is given a weight reflecting how hard it is. Harder standards, where students generally find it tougher to get top grades, count for more. Externally assessed standards usually weigh more than internal ones. Your grade in each standard is then turned into a score between 0 and 1, with the weight built in: an Excellence in a heavily-weighted external standard scores much higher than an Excellence in a lightly-weighted internal one.
Jane Doe — worked example
Difficulty weight for each standard
· · · other subjects follow the same pattern
Your scores are averaged
Your 90 credits' worth of weighted scores are averaged together to give you a single number, your Statistical Value.
Jane Doe — worked example
You're ranked against everyone else
Every eligible student's Statistical Value is ranked from highest to lowest. Where you sit on this list depends on how everyone else did, not just on your own results.
Jane Doe — worked example
All eligible students ordered by Statistical Value
Ranked 3,800 of 30,000 eligible students
Your rank becomes your ATAR
The ranked list is sliced into bands of 0.05%. The top band gets 99.95, the next 99.90, and so on down to 0.00. Because the ATAR represents your standing among everyone your age, not just NCEA students, each band is roughly 0.1% of NCEA Level 3 students, since only about half your age cohort takes Level 3.
Jane Doe — worked example
ATAR
0.00
Can results from previous years count?
Yes, as long as they're Level 3. Level 1 and 2 results never count. If you resat a standard, only the best attempt is used, weighted using the year you sat it.
Will 90 Excellence credits guarantee 99.95?
No. Two reasons. First, weights matter. 90 Excellences in lightly-weighted standards can score lower than a mix of Excellences and Merits in heavily-weighted ones. Second, only about 32 students fit in the top 99.95 band each year, so even a perfect-looking profile can be ranked just outside it.
When does NZQA release ATARs?
ATARs are released alongside NCEA results in mid-to-late January. This is after most Australian round 1 offers have closed, so unless a university explicitly reserves seats for NCEA students, you may need to apply for round 2 or later.