How the TER is calculated
The following steps are used to calculate the Tertiary Entrance Ranks (TER):
1. The Tertiary Entrance Scores (TES) [i.e. scaled aggregates] are arranged in order from highest to lowest (many students will have received the same TES).
2. The frequencies of each TES, that is the number of times each TES has occurred, are then changed into percentages (with a few decimal places).
3. These percentage frequencies are then listed cumulatively with the top TES being shown as 100.
4. The computer determines the cut-offs for each TER by working down this cumulative percentage column.
5. Students are then awarded a TER based upon the band in which their TES fell.
Below is a table of data from the 1989 Higher School Certificate summarising how the TER is calculated.
<table width="38%" border="0"><tr> <td width="8%"><div align="center"><b>TES</b></div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center"><b>No. of Students</b></div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center"><b>% of Students</b></div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center"><b>Cumulative Freq.</b></div></td><td width="22%"><div align="center"><b><div align="right">Cumulative Freq. %</b></div></td><td width="19%"><div align="center"><b>TER</b></div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">491</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">1</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.002</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 329</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">100.000</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">100.00</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">489</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">3</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.006</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 328</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.998</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">100.00</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">488</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">2</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.004</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 325</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.992</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">100.00</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">487</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">3</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.006</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 323</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.988</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">100.00</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">486</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">2</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.004</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 320</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.982</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">100.00</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">485</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">3</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.006</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 318</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.978</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right"><u>100.00</u></div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">484</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">2</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.004</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 315</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.972</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.95</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">483</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">2</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.004</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 313</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.968</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.95</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">482</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">4</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.008</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 311</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.964</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.95</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">481</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">2</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.004</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 307</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.956</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.95</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">480</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">7</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.014</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 305</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.952</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.95</div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">479</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">7</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.014</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 298</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.938</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right"><u> 99.95</u></div></td></tr><tr> <td width="8%">478</td><td width="15%"><div align="center">6</div></td><td width="15%"><div align="center">0.012</div></td><td width="21%"><div align="center">50 291</div></td><td width="22%"><div align="right">99.924</div></td><td width="19%"><div align="right">99.90</div></td></tr></table>
Note:
99.978 becomes a TER of 100.00 because it is closer to 100.00 than 99.95.
99.972 becomes a TER of 99.95 because it is closer to 99.95 than 100.00.
There will be some variations from year to year depending upon the pattern of Tertiary Entrance Scores. Irrespective of this, the basic approach will be the same.
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While theoretically there will be 0.05% of the candidature on each TER, in practice, due to different numbers of students obtaining the same TES there will be unequal numbers of students receiving each TER.
In addition, some Tertiary Entrance Ranks will not be used.