Find the answers to common questions about using the STAT to support your SATAC application. For questions about a STAT sitting, contact ACER.
There are no age limits on sitting the STAT. However, you cannot use a STAT result for entry to undergraduate courses if you do not meet the minimum age requirement for the STAT pathway.
For entry to an undergraduate course starting in Semester 1
You must be at least 18 years old by 1 February in the year you start the course.
For entry to an undergraduate course starting in midyear or a later teaching period
You must be at least 18 years old by 1 July in the year you start the course.
For entry to a TAFE SA higher education course
If you are applying for a higher education course offered by TAFE SA, there is no age rule for using STAT results.
The dates for ACER's STAT testing windows can be found here. Please check that results from your STAT sitting will be available in time for you to be considered in scheduled offer rounds.
You can sit STAT once within a test window. There is no restriction on how many times you can sit STAT in a year (providing that they are different test windows). For more details, please refer to the STAT registration page. If you have completed multiple STAT sittings across separate STAT years, SATAC will use your most competitive score in the assessment of your application.
There are different versions of the STAT. Candidates applying for courses through SATAC will require STAT Multiple Choice (MC).
STAT Written English is not used for entry to undergraduate courses through SATAC. Interstate tertiary institutions may require it.
STAT Written English is not used for entry to undergraduate courses through SATAC. Interstate tertiary institutions may require it.
STAT Multiple Choice (MC) is the version accepted by SATAC's participating institutions. It is a two-hour test (including reading time) containing 70 multiple-choice questions, with half of the questions focussing on verbal reasoning and half focussing on quantitative.
The test has been designed to assess critical and quantitative reasoning and problem solving skills, with a strong focus on general skills, intended to complement academic achievement. It does not test academic knowledge and does not require in-depth understanding of any academic discipline.
The test has been designed to assess critical and quantitative reasoning and problem solving skills, with a strong focus on general skills, intended to complement academic achievement. It does not test academic knowledge and does not require in-depth understanding of any academic discipline.
ACER provide helpful tools to prepare for the MC test. They can be found here.
The STAT does not meet prerequisite subject requirements for undergraduate courses. If the course you are applying to has subject prerequisites you will need to meet them with another qualification. Speak to the institution offering the course for advice.
STAT may meet Mathematics prerequisite requirements for some TAFE SA higher education courses. Ask TAFE SA for advice about your circumstances.
Information on how STAT results are reported by ACER can be found here.
If you sit the STAT through ACER, you will need to provide permission for ACER to release your results to SATAC.
If SATAC is unable to retrieve your results, you will be asked to supply these to us.
If you previously sat the STAT Multiple Choice (MC) with SATAC, we will access your results electronically.
There is no formal limit on the length of time a STAT score remains valid for applications through SATAC.
If you are applying to study interstate, check with the tertiary admissions centre or institution to which you apply.
We can access most results through the ACER National Database. If we are unable to access yours, we will notify you via email.