Add up your CAO points from your Leaving Certificate grades. The calculator counts your best six subjects and adds the 25 bonus points for Higher-level Maths at H6 or above.
Best 6 subjects, including 25 bonus points for Higher Maths.
Best 6 total487
Maths bonus+25
Subjects entered7
Only your six highest-scoring subjects count. The maximum is 625 (six H1s plus the 25 Higher-Maths bonus).
The CAO points system converts your Leaving Certificate results into a single score that colleges use for entry. Each grade is worth a fixed number of points on the common points scale, your best six subjects are added together, and Higher-level Maths earns 25 extra points if you achieve an H6 or better.
The Leaving Cert points scale
Grade
Higher
Ordinary
1
100
56
2
88
46
3
77
37
4
66
28
5
56
20
6
46
12
7
37
0
8
0
0
Worked example
Higher Maths H2 (88 + 25 = 113), plus H3, H4, H2, H3, H4 and H5 in six other subjects. The points are 113, 77, 66, 88, 77, 66 and 56. Taking the best six — 113, 88, 77, 77, 66 and 66 — gives 487 points.
How the bonus and best-six rules work
The 25 bonus points apply only to Higher-level Mathematics and only at H6 or above; the maths result, bonus included, then competes with your other subjects for a place in your top six. If a seventh subject scores higher than one of your first six, it replaces it. The highest possible score is 625 points.
Frequently asked questions
How many subjects count for CAO points?
Your best six. Extra subjects only help if they score higher than one already in your top six.
How do the Higher Maths bonus points work?
You get 25 extra points for Higher-level Maths at H6 or above. They are added to your maths score before the best-six subjects are chosen.
What is the maximum CAO points score?
625 — six H1 grades (600 points) plus the 25 Higher-Maths bonus.
Do H7 and H8 give points?
A Higher H7 is worth 37 points; an H8 (and Ordinary O7/O8) is worth zero on the common scale.
Uses the common points scale for the Leaving Certificate. Confirm current points and any course-specific requirements on the official CAO and college websites.
Written by the CalcPine team · Reviewed for accuracy · Last updated 23 July 2026 · Method: common points scale, best six subjects, +25 for Higher Maths at H6 or above.
