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What Grades Do I Need for the ISAT?
If you're researching the ISAT, you've probably noticed there's no simple "pass mark" you can point to. That's because the ISAT isn't graded like a school exam — it's scored and ranked, and universities weigh that score alongside your academic results. Here's how it actually works.
The ISAT Doesn't Have "Grades" — It Has Scaled Scores
Rather than a percentage or letter grade, ISAT results are reported as scaled scores between 100 and 200 for each section, Critical Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning, with your overall score calculated as the average of the two. You'll also receive a percentile rank, showing how your score compares to other test takers that year. According to ACER, the test's official provider, the ISAT is "specifically designed to rank a highly competitive and intelligent population of test takers," which is why scores are always interpreted in context rather than against a fixed benchmark.
So What Counts as a "Good" ISAT Score?
Because the scoring scale is designed to stay comparable year to year, some general patterns hold. Fraser's Medical's own analysis of ISAT score-to-percentile data shows that scores start becoming genuinely competitive once they climb above 160, and that balance across both sections tends to matter more than most students expect — a candidate scoring, say, 180/180 is generally viewed more favourably than one scoring 200/160, even though the average is identical. That's partly because strong, well-rounded reasoning across both humanities-style and quantitative material is harder to demonstrate than excelling in just one area.
Your Academic Grades Still Matter
Here's the part that trips people up: a strong ISAT score doesn't replace your academic results — it sits alongside them. Most universities that accept the ISAT use a combination of your prior academic performance (school grades, ATAR-equivalent rank, or completed tertiary GPA) plus your ISAT score plus an interview to make final offers.
A concrete example: the University of New South Wales requires international applicants to Undergraduate Medicine to meet an Academic Rank equivalent to an ATAR of 96.00 or above, and either a UCAT ANZ percentile of 50 or above or an ISAT score of at least 165. Meeting the academic threshold alone isn't enough — you need both.
Every participating university sets its own combination of requirements, and these can change from year to year, so always check directly with your target institution rather than assuming one school's benchmark applies elsewhere. As of 2026, the ISAT is used by Monash University (Melbourne and Malaysia campuses), UNSW, the University of Tasmania, the University of Western Australia, Western Sydney University, the University of Limerick, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and Universidad de Navarra, each for specific medicine, dentistry, veterinary, or allied health programs.
The Bottom Line for ISAT
There's no single grade or score that guarantees an offer, because the ISAT is only one part of a broader assessment. To give yourself the best chance:
- Confirm the specific academic and ISAT requirements for each university you're targeting.
- Aim to perform as evenly as possible across both ISAT sections, rather than relying on strength in just one.
- Keep your school or tertiary grades as strong as possible — the ISAT supplements your academic record, it doesn't replace it.
If you'd like a clearer picture of where you stand and a personalised plan to close any gaps, Fraser's ISAT program builds one-to-one coaching around your specific target universities and current performance.
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