The VCE subjects that scale up the most, on VTAC’s own 2025 numbers, are Specialist Mathematics (scaled mean 41.5), the languages (Latin 45.0, Chinese Second Language 40.2, French 40.2, German 38.7), Algorithmics (37.3), Mathematical Methods (34.4) and Chemistry (33.6). At the other end, Industry and Enterprise and Foundation Mathematics both scaled to a mean of 21.6, and most VCE VET studies and Food Studies sat between 23 and 25. Every study score starts with a mean of 30, so a scaled mean above 30 means the study scaled up on average and a scaled mean below 30 means it scaled down.
This guide ranks every VCE study with published data, from the VTAC 2025 Scaling Report dated 11 December 2025, and shows what a raw study score of 30 and 40 actually became in each. If you want the method behind the numbers first, read our explainer on how VCE scaling works. This page is the full list.
What does it mean for a VCE subject to scale up?
VCAA gives every student a study score out of 50 in each study, with a mean of 30 for the whole state. VTAC then scales those study scores before adding them into the ATAR aggregate. In VTAC’s words, “Scaling adjusts for the fact that it is more difficult to obtain a high VCE study score in some studies than others… because some studies attract a more competitive cohort of students.” Scaled study scores run from 0.00 to 55.00, which is why a few studies show scaled scores above 50 in the tables below.
The scaled mean is the cleanest single number: it is what the average student in that study (a raw 30) ended up with after scaling. The report also publishes what raw scores of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 became, and those matter more for a strong student, because scaling is not a flat bonus. In Specialist Mathematics a 30 became 43 but a 50 became 55; in Psychology a 30 became 28 and a 50 stayed 50.
Which VCE subjects scaled up the most in 2025?
Languages are listed separately below because they carry a government-policy adjustment. Among everything else, these were the top 15 by scaled mean:
| Rank | VCE study | 2025 scaled mean | Raw 30 became | Raw 40 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Specialist Mathematics | 41.5 | 43 | 51 |
| 2 | Algorithmics (HESS) | 37.3 | 38 | 47 |
| 3 | Mathematical Methods | 34.4 | 35 | 46 |
| 4 | Chemistry | 33.6 | 34 | 44 |
| 5 | Extended Investigation | 32.8 | 33 | 42 |
| 6 | English Language | 32.6 | 33 | 43 |
| 7 | Music Repertoire Performance | 32.1 | 32 | 42 |
| 8 | Politics | 32.0 | 32 | 42 |
| 9 | Physics | 31.7 | 32 | 42 |
| 10 | Economics | 31.2 | 31 | 42 |
| 11 | Literature | 31.0 | 31 | 41 |
| 12 | Music Composition | 30.9 | 31 | 41 |
| 13 | Accounting | 30.8 | 31 | 41 |
| 14 | Biology | 30.5 | 31 | 41 |
| 15 | Classical Studies | 29.6 | 30 | 41 |
Only 14 non-language studies scaled up at the mean in 2025. Everything from Classical Studies down sat at or below 30.
How do VCE languages scale?
Every language gets an adjustment. VTAC’s ATAR and Scaling Guide 2026 explains that, as a result of government policy to encourage language study, “each language is adjusted up by adding five to the initial VTAC scaled study score average.” The adjustment is largest at a raw score around 30 and shrinks as scores move away from it. That is why the languages dominate the top of the list:
| Language | 2025 scaled mean | Raw 30 became | Raw 40 became |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latin | 45.0 | 46 | 53 |
| Chinese Second Language | 40.2 | 41 | 49 |
| French | 40.2 | 41 | 49 |
| German | 38.7 | 39 | 48 |
| Hebrew | 38.5 | 39 | 46 |
| Japanese Second Language | 37.4 | 38 | 46 |
| Hindi | 37.0 | 36 | 46 |
| Chinese Second Language Advanced | 36.8 | 37 | 47 |
| Indonesian Second Language | 36.8 | 38 | 46 |
| Italian | 36.8 | 38 | 45 |
| Korean Second Language | 36.7 | 36 | 47 |
| Vietnamese Second Language | 36.0 | 36 | 43 |
| Spanish | 35.5 | 35 | 44 |
| Greek | 34.8 | 35 | 44 |
| Chinese First Language | 32.9 | 33 | 45 |
Two cautions. Languages with ten or fewer eligible students are not scaled by the automatic procedure at all; VTAC applies a separate small-language rule. And the adjustment does not turn a weak language student into a strong one: a raw 20 in French still became 30, a long way from the top of the scale.
How do the four VCE mathematics studies scale?
Mathematics has its own rule. VTAC scales all four maths studies against each other as well as against every other study, and “the higher of the two resulting scales is used.” That protects students in the harder maths from being penalised for choosing them. The 2025 outcome:
| Mathematics study | 2025 scaled mean | Raw 25 became | Raw 30 became | Raw 40 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist Mathematics | 41.5 | 36 | 43 | 51 |
| Mathematical Methods | 34.4 | 28 | 35 | 46 |
| General Mathematics | 27.8 | 23 | 28 | 38 |
| Foundation Mathematics | 21.6 | 16 | 20 | 32 |
The gap is real but it is not the whole story. A student who would score 40 in General Mathematics (scaled 38) but only 25 in Mathematical Methods (scaled 28) is ten points better off in General. The right maths is the one you can score well in.
Which VCE subjects scale down the most?
These 15 had the lowest 2025 scaled means. Most are VCE VET studies, which are scored and scaled like any other study but tend to attract a less exam-focused cohort.
| VCE study | 2025 scaled mean | Raw 30 became | Raw 40 became |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry and Enterprise | 21.6 | 20 | 32 |
| Foundation Mathematics | 21.6 | 20 | 32 |
| VCE VET Health Services Assistance | 22.4 | 25 | 38 |
| VCE VET Furnishing | 23.3 | 26 | 35 |
| VCE VET Hospitality (Cookery) | 23.5 | 23 | 34 |
| VCE VET Sport and Recreation | 23.9 | 23 | 34 |
| Food Studies | 24.1 | 23 | 35 |
| VCE VET Business | 24.3 | 23 | 34 |
| Agricultural and Horticultural Studies | 24.4 | 24 | 34 |
| VCE VET Hospitality | 24.5 | 24 | 35 |
| VCE VET Community Services | 24.8 | 24 | 35 |
| VCE VET Engineering | 24.9 | 25 | 34 |
| Outdoor and Environmental Studies | 25.2 | 24 | 36 |
| Product Design and Technologies | 25.3 | 24 | 36 |
| VCE VET Information Technology | 25.6 | 25 | 36 |
Where do the most popular VCE subjects sit?
Most students’ timetables are built from a familiar group of studies. Their 2025 scaled means, in order:
| VCE study | 2025 scaled mean | Raw 30 became | Raw 40 became |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 33.6 | 34 | 44 |
| English Language | 32.6 | 33 | 43 |
| Physics | 31.7 | 32 | 42 |
| Literature | 31.0 | 31 | 41 |
| Biology | 30.5 | 31 | 41 |
| History: Australian History | 28.9 | 29 | 40 |
| History: Revolutions | 28.7 | 29 | 40 |
| Legal Studies | 28.6 | 28 | 40 |
| Geography | 28.6 | 28 | 39 |
| Psychology | 28.4 | 28 | 39 |
| English | 28.2 | 28 | 39 |
| General Mathematics | 27.8 | 28 | 38 |
| Physical Education | 27.6 | 27 | 38 |
| English as an Additional Language | 27.3 | 27 | 40 |
| Business Management | 27.2 | 27 | 38 |
| Media | 27.1 | 26 | 38 |
| Health and Human Development | 26.4 | 26 | 37 |
Notice how tight the middle is. From Australian History (28.9) to Business Management (27.2) is under two points at the mean, and a raw 40 landed between 38 and 40 in all of them. For most students in most studies, scaling moves an ATAR by far less than a single extra study score point would.
Should you choose VCE subjects because they scale up?
VTAC’s own advice is blunt: “Choosing a study that you are not very good at, or engaged in, simply because it may be scaled up would be a mistake.” Here is why, in numbers. This is an illustration, not a real student:
- Ava is strong in Psychology and would score a raw 42. On 2025 scaling that is about 41.
- Ava instead takes Physics for the scaling, and scores a raw 32. That becomes about 34.
- She has given up roughly seven scaled points, spent a year on a subject she does not enjoy, and if Physics falls outside her top four it contributes only 10 per cent of its scaled score as an increment anyway.
Scaling rewards a good score in a competitive study. It does not rescue a poor one. Our guide to what a VCE study score is and what a good one looks like covers the raw-score side of that decision.
How much does scaling actually change the ATAR?
The ATAR aggregate is the scaled score in an English study, plus the next three highest scaled scores, plus 10 per cent of a fifth and sixth study if you have them. VTAC’s 2025 aggregate-to-ATAR table gives the minimum aggregate for each ATAR, and a few rows show what scaling is worth:
| 2025 ATAR | Minimum scaled aggregate |
|---|---|
| 70.00 | 120.42 |
| 80.00 | 135.65 |
| 85.00 | 144.45 |
| 90.00 | 155.19 |
| 95.00 | 169.85 |
| 99.00 | 192.10 |
The step from an ATAR of 80 to 85 is about nine aggregate points. In 2025 a raw 35 in English became 33, while a raw 35 in Specialist Mathematics became 48, so a student who could genuinely score the same raw 35 in both would gain about 15 aggregate points from the swap. That “could genuinely score the same” is the whole catch. Scoring five raw points higher in a study you already do well in (a raw 40 in English became 39) is worth six points on its own, and it is the route still open after subject selection closes.
Why do the scaled means change every year?
Because the scaling population changes. VTAC recalculates everything from scratch each December using only students who completed at least four study scores that year, including an English study, and who do not already hold an ATAR. A study that attracted a stronger cohort in 2026 will scale higher in the 2026 report, and vice versa. The 2025 figures above are the best available guide, and the 2026 report will be published alongside the 2026 results.
When are the 2026 VCE exams and results?
VCAA’s 2026 written examinations run from Tuesday 27 October to Wednesday 18 November 2026. VTAC releases VCE results and ATARs together at 7am on Thursday 10 December 2026, digital statements follow at 9am on Tuesday 15 December, and the VTAC December offer round is released at 10am on Wednesday 23 December 2026. Dates are from VTAC’s key dates page and VCAA’s examination timetable, checked in September 2026.
Where can VCE tutoring help with study scores?
Every table on this page starts from the raw study score, and that is the only number a student can move. Our VCE tutoring in Melbourne runs online, one to one, with tutors who work from the VCAA study design and past examinations, six weeks out from the first written paper. Families can also see maths tutoring in Melbourne for Methods and Specialist, high school tutoring in Melbourne for Year 10 students choosing their Unit 1 and 2 studies now, and our Melbourne tutoring overview. If you are weighing up timing, when students start VCE tutoring in Melbourne sets out what we see work.
Every new family starts with our First Lesson Guarantee: if the first lesson is not right for your child, you do not pay for it. Book a VCE tutor before the 27 October exams.
Frequently asked questions
Which VCE subject scales up the most?
Among non-language studies, Specialist Mathematics, with a 2025 scaled mean of 41.5. Including languages, Latin had the highest scaled mean at 45.0, helped by the languages adjustment that every VCE language receives.
Which VCE subjects scale down?
Any study with a scaled mean below 30. In 2025 the lowest were Industry and Enterprise and Foundation Mathematics (both 21.6), followed by most VCE VET studies, Food Studies (24.1) and Agricultural and Horticultural Studies (24.4).
Does English scale up or down in VCE?
Slightly down at the mean in 2025: English had a scaled mean of 28.2, with a raw 30 becoming 28 and a raw 40 becoming 39. English Language (32.6) and Literature (31.0) both scaled up.
Do VCE languages get a bonus?
Yes. VTAC adds five to the initial scaled study score average of every language, with the adjustment shrinking for scores further from 30. Languages with ten or fewer eligible students are handled by a separate small-language rule.
Where do these VCE scaling figures come from?
All figures are from the VTAC 2025 Scaling Report, published 11 December 2025, which lists the scaled mean, standard deviation and the scaled equivalents of raw study scores for every VCE study.