Tens of thousands of Victorian students find out if "all their hard work has paid off" after ATAR results are released at 7am on December 11. More than 45,000 students have received an ATAR with the average rank of 69.31 for the 2023 cohort, a slight drop from 70.33 in 2022. And 39 students have achieved the highest possible rank of 99.95. Year 12 students can find their scores through the VCE Results and ATAR website online or app. Among the group is Melbourne student Ravin Desai who studied ten hours per day for five weeks in the lead up to his VCE exams. He studied English, literature, French, general maths and philosophy as an extension subject. Mr Desai is going to hit the open road after finding out his entry score before returning in February when he hopes to start a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. But he needs an ATAR of at least 88. The ATAR is not a score out of 100 but a ranking of a student compared to others. It's calculated to allow universities and tertiary institutions to compare the achievement of students. The ATAR is made by adding the Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre (VTAC) scaled scores of the student's English subject with their three next best performing subjects, and 10 per cent of the fifth and sixth best performing subjects if they are available. Mr Desai knows there's "always other options" at universities with lower entry scores and has seen how students tailored their dream career path in spite of a disappointing ATAR. He's confident in his ability to clear the entry score hurdle but said VCE exams didn't assess how interesting or innovative the student's ideas were. "It's just how much you can memorise. If you can memorise a lot then you'll do well but if you can't, you're not going to," he said. The long wait for ATAR results has cast a solemn mood over his friendship group when the topic arose, he said. "It's the elephant in the room, no one wants to bring it up." But the tension would break when the results rolled in. "Assuming everything goes well I think everyone will be happy on the day and afterwards we can just move on," he said. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she was thinking of the 57,601 students waiting for their VCE result. "Your VCE is a big deal, but it's not everything. Trust me: I got a B in politics," she said in a Facebook post. "Your results today don't have to define your future, so if you didn't get what you'd hoped for, don't panic. "Whether it's uni or TAFE or something else entirely, there are so many doors open to you, no matter what. "Above all, I really hope you're proud of what you've achieved this year. I am." Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll also congratulated all those completing secondary school. "Remember this is just one step in your life and educational journey and that there are all kinds of options available to you," he said on X. "A big thank you to all the teachers and families for their support!" After receiving their results students have until 4pm on December 13 to update their tertiary course preferences, if they are applying. The first round of tertiary offers is in December, followed by further rounds in January and February.