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CAO Points
Calculator

Work out your Leaving Certificate points in a few seconds, then see how many CAO courses that number actually reached. Six subjects count, and the maths bonus does not work the way most CAO calculators say it does.

Put your grades in and find out how many doors your points open.

Free, no sign up, and nothing you type leaves your phone.

Your Leaving Certificate results

Your results

Best 6 count
Colour
  • 91

    Maths sits first because the bonus is worked out here, before your best six are picked. Remove the row if you did not sit maths.

  • 77
  • 46
  • 66
  • 66
  • 56

Your points

402/ 625Includes the higher level maths bonus, worth 25 points to you.
0600 without the bonus

Doors this opens

875courses were within reach in 2025

See them
+25 mathsCounted in full, because maths is one of your best six.
Every subject, and whether it counted
SubjectPointsCounted
MathematicsH466 +25Yes
EnglishH377Yes
IrishO246Yes
Subject 4H466Yes
Subject 5H466Yes
Subject 6H556Yes

This is an estimate worked out with the official points scale. Your final points are decided by the CAO once results issue.

What 402 points would have got you in 2025

These are the courses whose 2025 round one figure your total reaches, or comes within 20 points of. It is a record of what happened that year, not a prediction about this one.

643 courses within reach.

  • Sport and Exercise Management [Cork] MT910

    Munster Technological University

    402

    exactly on it

  • Applied Biology and Biopharmaceutical Science [Galway] AU670

    Atlantic Technological University

    402

    exactly on it

  • Chemical Sciences (General Entry) DC163

    Dublin City University

    402

    exactly on it

  • Game Design [Grangegorman] TU984

    Technological University Dublin

    402

    exactly on it

  • Religion TR041

    Trinity College Dublin

    402

    exactly on it

    round 2 349

  • Education (Computer Science and Mathematical Studies) GY133

    University of Galway

    402

    exactly on it

  • Creative Digital Media [CCAD Cork] MT824

    Munster Technological University

    not everyone on this score was offered a place, so places were drawn at random.

    403

    1 short

    round 2 400

    One grade closes this. Mathematics up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses, or English up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses.

  • Physical Education Studies with Business [Kerry] MT906

    Munster Technological University

    401

    1 above

  • Arts International - 4 years CK108

    University College Cork (NUI)

    401

    1 above

  • World Languages CK110

    University College Cork (NUI)

    403

    1 short

    round 2 358

    One grade closes this. Mathematics up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses, or English up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses.

  • Furniture Making and Architectural Woodworking [Letterfrack] AU682

    Atlantic Technological University

    401

    1 above

  • Furniture Design Making and Technology - Common Entry [Letterfrack] AU683

    Atlantic Technological University

    403

    1 short

    One grade closes this. Mathematics up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses, or English up one band is worth 11, which opens 50 more courses.

See the full 402 points page, which lists every course at or below it and stays at that address, so it can be sent to somebody or come back to later.

Figures are the 2025 round one points published by the CAO, read from its own points list. Courses assessed partly on a portfolio, audition or test are left out of this list, because their published score is on a different scale and cannot be compared with a points total.

How your points are worked out

Six subjects count, from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate. Sitting seven or eight is common and it gives you more chances at a good result, but only the best six are added up. The most you can score from subjects alone is 600, and the maths bonus takes the ceiling to 625.

Each grade is worth a fixed number of points, set out in the CAO points grid. Higher level is worth more than ordinary at every grade, and the gap is wider than most people assume. A H7, which is a pass at higher level scraping past 30 per cent, is worth 37 points. An O3, a strong result at ordinary level, is worth the same 37. That single comparison is why guidance counsellors push students to stay at higher level where they can.

The maths bonus, and the part people get wrong

Higher level maths at H6 or better earns 25 bonus points. The detail that matters is where those points go. They are added to your maths result first, and your best six subjects are picked after that.

So a H6 in higher maths is not 46 points, it is 71, and that 71 is what competes for a place in your six. Three things can happen from there:

  • Maths was already one of your best six. The bonus is worth the full 25.
  • The bonus is what pulls maths into your six. It is worth less than 25, because the subject it pushes out was already counting. If bonused maths comes to 81 and it displaces a H4 worth 66, you gained 15.
  • Maths still misses the six even with the bonus. It is worth nothing at all.

Any calculator that simply adds 25 to your total is wrong in the second and third cases, and those are not rare. The calculator above tells you which of the three happened to you.

There is more detail, with worked examples, in how CAO points work.

What else counts

The LCVP Link Modules can take one of your six places, worth 66 for a distinction, 46 for a merit and 28 for a pass. A distinction beats a H4, so for a lot of students it quietly replaces a weaker subject. Tick the box in the calculator and you will see whether it counts for you.

Foundation level maths is treated differently. It is worth 20 points at F1 and 12 at F2, and only some colleges award them at all, so the calculator flags it rather than folding it in silently. Check the course before you rely on it.

Questions students ask

How many subjects count towards my points?

Six, from a single sitting. Sitting more than six gives you more chances at a strong result, but only your best 6 are added together.

Do I get the maths bonus if I do ordinary level maths?

No. The bonus is for higher level maths only, and only at H6 or better. A H7 in higher maths earns no bonus either.

What is the highest score possible?

625. Six H1s come to 600, and the higher level maths bonus adds the last 25.

Are my grades saved anywhere?

Only on your own device, so you can come back to them. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Use Clear to wipe them.

Can I share my result?

Yes. Copy link puts your grades into the address, so you can send it to a parent or a friend and they will see the same result.

Is this the official CAO calculator?

No. CollegeRoute has no connection to the Central Applications Office. This works to the published points scale, and cao.ie is where you apply and where your final points come from.

Where to go next

Last verified .