CAO Points Calculator
Enter your Leaving Certificate subjects, levels and grades and get your CAO points: the best six scores on the common points scale, with the Higher Level Maths bonus applied only where it helps. It also reads older 1992–2016 results. Free, no sign-up.
Your subjects
Result
498
Total CAO points
473
Without the Maths bonus
25
Maths bonus added
out of a possible 625
| Subject | Level and grade | Points | In best six |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject 1 | Higher H3 | 77 + 25 = 102 | Yes |
| Subject 2 | Higher H2 | 88 | Yes |
| Subject 3 | Higher H4 | 66 | Yes |
| Subject 4 | Higher H2 | 88 | Yes |
| Subject 5 | Higher H3 | 77 | Yes |
| Subject 6 | Higher H3 | 77 | Yes |
| Subject 7 | Higher H5 | 56 | No |
Medicine and some other courses use extra scoring rules, and a course may require specific subjects or grades whatever your total. Check the CAO Handbook and the course entry.
How to Use the CAO Points Calculator
- 1. Say when you sat the exam. Choose 2017 or later for H1–H8 and O1–O8 grades, or 1992–2016 for the older A1–NG grades. CAO converts older results onto the same points scale.
- 2. Enter every subject. Type an optional name, choose Higher or Ordinary, and pick the grade. Add as many subjects as you sat, up to ten.
- 3. Tick your Maths. On the Higher Level Mathematics row, tick the box so the bonus can apply. Only one row can be Mathematics.
- 4. Add LCVP if you took it. The Link Modules grade is scored like a subject and can take one of your six places.
- 5. Read the total. You get your points, the total without the bonus, what the bonus added, and a table showing which subjects made your best six.
The CAO Points Scale
Each subject result is turned into points on the CAO common points scale. Higher Level scores run from 100 for an H1 down to 37 for an H7, and an H8 earns nothing. Ordinary Level starts at 56 for an O1 and stops at 12 for an O6. Your total is the six highest scores from a single sitting of the Leaving Certificate. Because the best six count, a weaker seventh subject never costs you points.
| Grade | Higher Level points | Ordinary Level points |
|---|---|---|
| H1 / O1 | 100 | 56 |
| H2 / O2 | 88 | 46 |
| H3 / O3 | 77 | 37 |
| H4 / O4 | 66 | 28 |
| H5 / O5 | 56 | 20 |
| H6 / O6 | 46 | 12 |
| H7 / O7 | 37 | 0 |
| H8 / O8 | 0 | 0 |
Source: CAO, New Common Points Scale for Entry to Higher Education from 2017. The points available under this scale cannot be compared with the points awarded up to 2016.
The Higher Level Maths Bonus
CAO adds 25 bonus points to a Higher Level Mathematics result of H6 or better, so an H6 in Maths scores 46 + 25 = 71. The bonus is added to the Mathematics score before your best six are chosen, which means it only matters if Maths ends up among them. CAO's own examples show a student whose boosted 71 still missed her best six, so the bonus gave her nothing. A top-scoring student with six H1s including Maths reaches the maximum of 625: 100 × 6 + 25.
Results From 1992 to 2016
Older grades are converted by CAO onto the 2017 scale, so applicants from any sitting use one set of points. An A1 is worth 100 at Higher Level, A2 and B1 are 88, B2 and B3 are 77, C1 and C2 are 66, C3 and D1 are 56, D2 and D3 are 46, and an E is 33. At Ordinary Level the same grades score 56, 46, 37, 28, 20 and 12, with an E at 0. For these sittings the Maths bonus applies from a Higher D3 upwards. If you sat more than once, CAO counts the best six scores from the best single sitting, not a mix of sittings.
Worked Example
The calculator opens with seven Higher Level subjects: Maths H3, H2, H4, H2, H3, H3 and H5. Maths scores 77 + 25 = 102. The scores are then 102, 88, 88, 77, 77, 66 and 56, so the best six add up to 498. The H5 is left out. Without the bonus the total would be 473, so the bonus is worth 25 points here.
What this does not cover
CAO applies a separate reduced scale for medicine entry, handles QQI further education awards differently, and the common scale does not score Foundation Level subjects. A course can also require particular subjects or grades however many points you have. Check the CAO Handbook and the course entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How are CAO points calculated?
- Each subject result earns points on CAO's common scale, such as 100 for a Higher Level H1 and 56 for an Ordinary Level O1. CAO adds the six highest scores from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate, after the Higher Level Maths bonus has been added to the Maths score. The maximum is 625.
- How many points is an H1 in the Leaving Cert?
- An H1 is worth 100 points at Higher Level. An H2 is 88, an H3 is 77, an H4 is 66, an H5 is 56, an H6 is 46 and an H7 is 37. An H8 earns no points.
- How do the Maths bonus points work?
- You get 25 extra points for Higher Level Mathematics at H6 or above, so an H6 scores 71 and an H1 scores 125. The bonus only changes your total if Maths is one of your best six subjects after the 25 points are added.
- What is the maximum number of CAO points?
- The maximum is 625: six Higher Level H1s at 100 each, plus the 25-point Maths bonus. It requires Higher Level Maths to be one of the six subjects. CAO's own example of a student with seven H1s reaches this figure.
- Does LCVP count towards CAO points?
- LCVP Link Modules are scored on their own scale: Distinction 66, Merit 46 and Pass 28. Irish universities and colleges say the result can count as one of your best six, but not towards the minimum entry subject requirements. It only helps when it outscores one of your six subjects.
- Do Ordinary Level subjects count?
- Yes, at lower points: an O1 is 56, which is the same as a Higher H5. Ordinary Level subjects count towards the best six, though a course may require Higher Level in specific subjects. There is no Maths bonus at Ordinary Level.
- Do my points decide which course I get?
- Only partly. Each course has its own points requirement, which changes every year with demand and is not published in advance. Many courses also need subject or grade minimums, and some use extra tests or reduced scales, so treat a points total as a guide rather than a guarantee.