Overall Position

The Overall Position (OP) is a tertiary entrance rank used in the Australian state of Queensland for selection into universities. Like similar systems used throughout the rest of Australia, the OP shows how well a student has performed in their senior secondary studies compared with all other OP-eligible students in Queensland. The system was introduced in 1992.

The OP is calculated and used similarly to the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in other states. Instead of being a percentile rank (0.00 - 99.95), however, the OP is a number from 1 to 25, where 1 is the highest and 25 is the lowest. This range of possible results is bell curved so the percentage of students receiving the very highest and very lowest results is much less common than those receiving mid-range OPs. In 2012, 724 students received the highest rank, OP1, according to Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek. 55.6% of Queensland high school students were able to obtain an OP in 2012.

A table is produced in conjunction with other tertiary authorities to allow conversion between Overall Position, ATAR, Universities Admission Index, SAT, and the A-Level scales.

The Overall Position ranking is due to be replaced by the ATAR ranking in 2018 in line with other Australian states and territories.

OPs are calculated by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) for all students who satisfactorily complete the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) (or equivalent) and who meet certain other criteria for receiving an OP, such as participating in the Queensland Core Skills Test (QCS Test).

The next level of calculation is to ensure that students are being equally assessed in ability in the school across subjects, and from school to school. Two levels of scaling are applied to ensure that each subject the student sits contributes equally to their OP.

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