HSC scaling explorer

Highest scaling HSC subjects, and the full scaling table.

Filter by faculty, search any subject, and sort by the scaled mark at each percentile of the state cohort. Use it to weigh subject choices with figures from historic scaling patterns, not schoolyard rumours.

Indicative figures · Updated June 2026

Ranked by real scaling data

The highest scaling HSC subjects.

The top twenty by median (P50) scaled mark, which best shows how a typical student is scaled. Mathematics Extension 2 leads, and the next fifteen are mostly Latin, Extension and language Continuers courses with small candidatures. Scaling reflects how strong a course's cohort is across their other subjects, not how hard the course is.

Rank	Subject	P50 (median)	Strength
1	Mathematics Extension 2	44.7	Very High
2	Latin Extension	43.7	Very High
3	Latin Continuers	42.6	Very High
4	Mathematics Extension 1	41.5	Very High
5	Italian Extension	39.3	High
6	French Extension	38.5	High
7	Japanese Extension	38.0	High
8	German Extension	37.9	High
9	Chinese Extension	37.5	High
10	English Extension 1	36.9	High
11	English Extension 2	36.5	High
12	Music Extension	36.3	High
13	French Continuers	35.4	High
14	Music 2	35.1	High
15	Chinese Continuers	35.0	High
16	German Continuers	34.2	High
17	Chemistry	33.9	High
18	Italian Continuers	33.9	High
19	English Advanced	33.7	High
20	Mathematics Advanced	33.2	High

Chemistry, English Advanced and Mathematics Advanced, near the bottom of this list, each draw thousands of students a year. They are a fairer guide to strong scaling in a subject you can realistically pick. Full percentile breakdowns for every HSC subject, including P99, P90 and P75, are in the table below.

How to read this

Scaling rewards subjects, not students.

Each percentile column shows the scaled mark (out of 50 per unit) at that rank of the state cohort. A higher number means the subject scales more generously. But the cohort matters too: stronger subjects are full of stronger students.

Percentile bands

P99 is roughly the top of the state; P50 is the median candidate. Your scaled mark sits somewhere on that curve.

Strength rating

A quick label from Very High to Low for how strongly the subject scales overall, based on its median band.

Pick for fit too

Don't chase scaling into a subject you'll hate. A Band 6 in a moderate subject beats a mid-band in a high one.

Showing all 86 subjects


Mathematics Extension 2	Mathematics	49.6	48.3	46.9	44.7	Very High	Master proofs and mechanics early.
Latin Extension	Languages	50.0	48.4	47.0	43.7	Very High	Build translation speed with unseen passages.
Latin Continuers	Languages	49.0	47.7	46.1	42.6	Very High	Consolidate grammar and vocabulary early.
Mathematics Extension 1	Mathematics	49.5	47.2	44.9	41.5	Very High	Drill harder integration problems.
Italian Extension	Languages	50.0	47.1	41.4	39.3	High	Refine essay writing in the target language.
French Extension	Languages	50.0	47.0	43.3	38.5	High	Practise extended writing under timed conditions.
Japanese Extension	Languages	48.3	45.0	41.2	38.0	High	Sharpen kanji recognition and composition skills.
German Extension	Languages	50.0	46.7	44.7	37.9	High	Polish extended response writing early.
Chinese Extension	Languages	48.3	44.4	41.2	37.5	High	Build fluency in extended composition.
English Extension 1	English	48.3	43.9	40.9	36.9	High	Focus on creative writing and critical essays.
English Extension 2	English	48.1	44.0	40.5	36.5	High	Start the major work early and redraft often.
Music Extension	Other	50.0	49.6	45.2	36.3	High	Refine the composition or performance component early.
French Continuers	Languages	48.0	44.2	40.5	35.4	High	Immerse early — steady listening and speaking practice pays off.
Music 2	Other	48.7	44.9	40.8	35.1	High	Balance performance, composition and musicology study.
Chinese Continuers	Languages	48.6	43.5	40.2	35.0	High	Build character recall and reading speed steadily.
German Continuers	Languages	48.9	45.1	41.1	34.2	High	Master case endings early to free up exam time.
Chemistry	Science	47.6	43.6	39.8	33.9	High	Learn the why behind each reaction.
Italian Continuers	Languages	49.6	45.0	38.8	33.9	High	Practise writing to prompts under timed conditions.
English Advanced	English	46.9	42.6	38.9	33.7	High	Refine analysis over memorised essays.
Mathematics Advanced	Mathematics	47.5	42.9	38.9	33.2	High	Build calculus fluency by repetition.
Economics	HSIE	47.1	43.0	38.9	33.0	High	Link theory to current events.
History Extension	HSIE	47.0	42.7	38.1	32.9	High	Build a strong historiography argument early.
Science Extension	Science	46.4	41.0	37.1	32.5	High	Start the scientific research project early.
Physics	Science	47.2	43.0	38.8	32.2	High	Practise deriving formulas, not memorising.
Japanese Continuers	Languages	47.6	42.4	38.1	32.1	High	Drill kanji and grammar patterns in short daily blocks.
Chinese in Context	Languages	49.3	42.7	38.5	31.9	High	Practise reading comprehension under timed conditions.
Spanish Extension	Languages	47.2	40.3	36.5	31.6	High	Practise extended writing under timed conditions.
Indonesian Continuers	Languages	50.0	46.3	36.9	29.9	Moderate	Consolidate affixes and sentence patterns early.
German Beginners	Languages	49.2	42.5	35.9	29.0	Moderate	Build vocabulary and grammar from the ground up.
Italian Beginners	Languages	48.1	41.9	36.4	28.9	Moderate	Practise speaking and listening from day one.
Studies of Religion II	HSIE	46.0	40.5	35.4	28.1	Moderate	Link depth study themes to core concepts.
Studies of Religion I	HSIE	45.2	39.9	34.8	28.1	Moderate	Link case studies to core beliefs and practices.
Korean Continuers	Languages	48.6	39.4	34.1	28.0	Moderate	Balance script fluency with speaking practice.
Spanish Continuers	Languages	46.8	39.0	33.3	28.0	Moderate	Grow vocabulary and verb conjugation steadily.
Software Engineering	Other	47.3	40.5	34.6	27.2	Moderate	Document your project and code clearly for the exam.
Biology	Science	45.3	39.9	34.8	26.7	Moderate	Connect modules with case studies.
Engineering Studies	Other	45.9	39.6	33.6	26.4	Moderate	Sketch and annotate — marks are in the detail.
Korean Beginners	Languages	49.0	42.8	36.1	26.1	Moderate	Build script fluency alongside vocabulary.
Spanish Beginners	Languages	47.9	42.3	35.5	26.0	Moderate	Practise speaking and listening from day one.
Legal Studies	HSIE	45.7	39.9	34.4	25.9	Moderate	Memorise key legislation and cases.
Modern History	HSIE	46.0	39.2	33.7	25.8	Moderate	Argue with evidence, not narration.
Modern Greek Beginners	Languages	45.2	39.0	34.8	25.5	Moderate	Build vocabulary and grammar from the ground up.
Geography	HSIE	47.3	40.5	34.1	25.4	Moderate	Master fieldwork and data skills.
Arabic Extension	Languages	41.6	33.7	32.1	25.3	Moderate	Refine reading and composition skills together.
Japanese Beginners	Languages	44.2	40.1	33.5	24.8	Moderate	Build script fluency alongside vocabulary.
Dance	Other	44.4	39.6	32.5	24.3	Moderate	Rehearse the core and major study components equally.
Chinese & Literature	Languages	45.5	38.6	31.7	24.0	Moderate	Balance literary analysis with language fluency.
French Beginners	Languages	47.0	40.1	33.2	24.0	Moderate	Practise speaking and listening from day one.
Enterprise Computing	Other	46.1	39.1	31.7	23.7	Moderate	Balance the major project with exam theory.
Drama	Other	47.2	40.7	33.0	23.4	Moderate	Strong group and individual components — rehearse both.
Business Studies	HSIE	45.6	39.2	32.6	23.4	Moderate	Use real company case studies.
Chinese Beginners	Languages	48.1	39.0	34.7	23.3	Moderate	Build vocabulary and grammar from the ground up.
Mathematics Standard 2	Mathematics	42.9	37.3	31.5	23.2	Moderate	Nail exam technique and timing.
Earth & Environmental Science	Science	43.4	37.1	31.5	23.2	Moderate	Link fieldwork data to theory in exams.
Society & Culture	HSIE	44.9	37.7	31.3	23.1	Moderate	Strong PIP early to free up exam prep time.
Financial Services Exam	Other	46.6	39.2	32.0	22.9	Moderate	Connect financial procedures to real workplace scenarios.
PDHPE	Other	43.5	37.3	31.3	22.8	Moderate	Apply theory to scenarios.
Design & Technology	Other	45.1	37.1	30.8	22.7	Moderate	Major project and exam need equal attention.
Ancient History	HSIE	44.4	37.4	30.9	22.5	Moderate	Use primary sources to support arguments.
Textiles & Design	Other	45.6	38.3	31.5	22.4	Moderate	Major project quality drives most of your mark.
Modern Greek Continuers	Languages	50.0	45.6	35.3	21.4	Low	Consolidate grammar and vocabulary early.
Visual Arts	Other	45.3	37.4	30.1	21.1	Low	Start the body of work early.
Music 1	Other	43.8	36.4	29.0	20.4	Low	Portfolio and performance together — plan your timeline.
English Standard	English	39.7	31.5	26.1	20.0	Low	Aim for a Band 6 to offset scaling.
English EAL/D	English	45.3	37.6	30.3	20.0	Low	Aim for a Band 6 to offset scaling.
Investigating Science	Science	42.8	35.5	28.9	20.0	Low	Link the scientific investigation to core content.
Entertainment Industry Exam	Other	43.5	34.4	28.6	19.9	Low	Link event and production scenarios to theory.
Information & Digital Technology Exam	Other	40.6	32.3	27.0	19.9	Low	Practise applying IT concepts to workplace scenarios.
Tourism, Travel & Events Exam	Other	43.1	34.4	26.4	19.4	Low	Connect industry procedures to real scenarios.
Agriculture	Other	41.6	35.4	27.8	18.7	Low	Link farm management theory to case studies.
Human Services Exam	Other	39.1	32.1	25.1	18.1	Low	Connect care procedures to real workplace scenarios.
Community & Family Studies	HSIE	40.4	33.3	26.7	17.8	Low	Case studies must be recent and specific.
Business Services Exam	Other	39.1	32.9	26.1	17.8	Low	Connect office procedures to real workplace scenarios.
Food Technology	Other	43.3	35.6	27.3	17.6	Low	Industry practices section carries heavy marks.
Hospitality Exam	Other	41.2	33.6	25.9	17.5	Low	Practical and exam components need equal focus.
Electrotechnology Exam	Other	36.7	31.1	24.0	17.2	Low	Connect trade procedures to real workplace scenarios.
Industrial Technology	Other	39.6	32.7	25.4	16.6	Low	Major project quality drives most of your mark.
Vietnamese Continuers	Languages	40.3	30.7	25.1	16.3	Low	Build listening and reading speed steadily.
Arabic Continuers	Languages	42.6	34.4	25.0	15.5	Low	Build script fluency and reading speed steadily.
Primary Industries Exam	Other	36.2	29.9	23.5	15.2	Low	Connect farm and industry procedures to theory.
Construction Exam	Other	39.5	31.4	24.7	15.0	Low	Connect trade procedures to real workplace scenarios.
Retail Services Exam	Other	39.3	31.9	22.9	14.7	Low	Connect customer service procedures to theory.
Mathematics Standard 1	Mathematics	34.7	27.7	20.2	12.5	Low	Focus on exam technique and time management.
Automotive Exam	Other	37.7	28.8	21.2	11.5	Low	Connect trade procedures to real workplace scenarios.
Aboriginal Studies	HSIE	42.6	33.8	23.6	11.0	Low	Use case studies and primary sources to support arguments.
English Studies Exam	English	25.0	16.4	12.9	8.3	Low	Aim for a Band 6 to offset scaling.

HSC mark vs scaled mark

Same HSC mark, different scaled mark.

This table compares distributions, not individual students: HSC and scaled marks at the same percentile of each course's 2025 candidature. At the 75th percentile, Chemistry and Business Studies share an HSC mark of 42.0, or 84 out of 100. Yet scaled marks are 39.8 in Chemistry and 32.6 in Business Studies, reflecting each cohort's strength across other subjects.

UAC is clear that its table is not a conversion table. HSC marks are rounded and aligned to bands, so the same reported mark can hide different raw marks. A reported HSC mark has no unique scaled equivalent.

HSC mark and scaled mark at the 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles of each course, 2025 HSC, one-unit basis (out of 50)
Course	50th percentile HSC → scaled	75th percentile HSC → scaled	90th percentile HSC → scaled
Chemistry	38.0 → 33.9	42.0 → 39.8	45.0 → 43.6
Physics	37.5 → 32.2	42.0 → 38.8	45.5 → 43.0
Biology	37.5 → 26.7	41.5 → 34.8	44.0 → 39.9
Mathematics Advanced	40.0 → 33.2	44.5 → 38.9	47.0 → 42.9
Economics	40.0 → 33.0	43.5 → 38.9	45.5 → 43.0
English Advanced	41.0 → 33.7	43.5 → 38.9	45.5 → 42.6
Legal Studies	39.0 → 25.9	43.0 → 34.4	45.5 → 39.9
Modern History	38.0 → 25.8	41.5 → 33.7	45.0 → 39.2
Business Studies	37.5 → 23.4	42.0 → 32.6	45.0 → 39.2
English Standard	36.5 → 20.0	38.5 → 26.1	40.0 → 31.5

Marks are on UAC's one-unit basis, out of 50; double them for a 2-unit course's mark out of 100. These are 2025 figures, and the pattern shifts a little each year (see Are these scaling figures official? below). The ATAR calculator uses these same percentile points.

Source: UAC, Preliminary report on the scaling of the 2025 NSW HSC (PDF), Table A3.

Estimate your ATAR from your marks

Use our free ATAR calculator to estimate your ATAR from your predicted or trial marks.

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The tutors behind the numbers.

Our tutors average a 97.1 ATAR. They can help you turn a scaling table into a subject plan that fits you.

Diva Parmar
ATAR 99.00

Girraween High School

Bachelor of Actuarial Studies / Commerce, UNSW

Maths Chemistry
Heyu Liu
ATAR 97.75

Girraween High School

Bachelor of Arts / Law, UNSW

English Maths Biology
Ishika Verma
ATAR 97.35

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours – Aerospace Engineering), UNSW

English Maths
Kirsten Marcello
ATAR 97.10

Penrith Selective High School

Bachelor of Commerce, UNSW

English
Abhay Dhanger
ATAR 96.25

Parramatta High School

Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and Commerce, UNSW

English Maths Physics
Pooja Undrakonda
ATAR 95.90

Cheltenham Girls High School

Bachelor of Biomedical Science, University of Notre Dame

English Maths
Ravdeep Behl
ATAR 95.20

Penrith Selective High School

Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions, UNSW

English Maths
Tristan Youdell
ATAR 97.20

Trinity Catholic College Auburn

Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and Computer Science, UNSW

Maths

Keep exploring HSC scaling.

How scaling works

Our full guide to how NESA moderation and UAC scaling fit together.

HSC Chemistry

Specialist Chemistry tutoring with our Blacktown tutors.

HSC Physics

Specialist Physics tutoring with our Blacktown tutors.

Frequently asked questions about HSC scaling

Which HSC subjects scale the best?

Ranked by median (P50) scaled mark, Mathematics Extension 2 scales highest, followed mainly by Latin and the Extension language courses. Almost all are small candidatures: scaling measures how strong a cohort is across other subjects, not course difficulty. The full ranked table on this page lists every course.

Does Society and Culture scale well?

Society & Culture is rated Moderate in the table above. It scales roughly in line with Business Studies and Legal Studies, neither among the highest nor the lowest. Check its row for the exact percentile figures.

Do language Continuers courses scale well?

Most language Continuers courses scale strongly. French, Chinese, German, Italian and Japanese Continuers are rated High; Indonesian, Korean and Spanish Continuers are Moderate. Smaller, committed cohorts tend to lift scaling, though figures shift yearly, so check each language's own row.

Does French Continuers scale well?

Yes. French Continuers is rated High, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 35.4 and a P99 of 48.0. A committed candidature tends to keep it among the strongest languages, though figures move slightly each year.

Does Japanese Continuers scale well?

Yes. Japanese Continuers is rated High, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 32.1 and a P99 of 47.6. It scales a little below French, Chinese and German Continuers but comfortably ahead of most non-language subjects.

Does Studies of Religion (SOR) scale well?

Studies of Religion II is rated Moderate, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 28.1 and a P99 of 46.0. That is similar territory to Legal Studies and Modern History: neither high-scaling nor low-scaling. A strong, well-earned mark matters more than the subject label.

Does Business Studies scale well?

Business Studies is rated Moderate, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 23.4 and a P99 of 45.6. It scales in line with Legal Studies and Society & Culture, not among the highest or lowest.

Does Engineering Studies scale well?

Engineering Studies is rated Moderate, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 26.4 and a P99 of 45.9. Its median is slightly ahead of Business Studies and Design & Technology.

Does Design and Technology scale well?

Design & Technology is rated Moderate, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 22.7 and a P99 of 45.1. Like other project-based courses, a strong major project plus a solid exam mark outweighs the scaling label.

Does Earth and Environmental Science scale well?

Earth & Environmental Science is rated Moderate, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 23.2 and a P99 of 43.4. Its median is level with Mathematics Standard 2. Among the sciences, only Investigating Science scales lower at the top end.

Does Investigating Science scale well?

Investigating Science is rated Low, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 20.0 and a P99 of 42.8. That is the lowest median of the sciences, behind Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth & Environmental Science. That doesn't make it a bad choice; a strong, well-earned mark matters more than the scaling label.

Does Chemistry scale well for the ATAR?

Yes, Chemistry is rated High, with a P50 (median) scaled mark of 33.9 and a P99 of 47.6. That makes it the strongest-scaling science at both the median and top end, just ahead of Physics. Its demanding syllabus rewards students who understand the content rather than memorise it.

Do I need high-scaling subjects to get a high ATAR?

No. Your ATAR depends far more on how well you perform relative to your cohort than on which subjects you pick. A strong mark in a subject you can commit to typically beats a mediocre mark in a "high-scaling" one.

Why do the same marks scale differently across subjects?

UAC scales each course using the relative performance of that course's own cohort, not a fixed formula. A stronger cohort lifts scaled marks across the board. So the same raw HSC mark can convert to a different scaled mark in each subject.

Are these scaling figures official?

These figures are based on real HSC scaling data. Scaling shifts slightly each year as the cohort changes. Use them as a strong guide, not a guaranteed result for any future year.

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