How the R score (CRC) works in Quebec

What the R score actually is

The R score's official name is the cote de rendement au collégial (CRC). It is calculated for every course you take at CEGEP and then combined into an average. Quebec universities use it to compare applicants who come from different colleges, classes and teachers.

The core idea is simple: an 80% does not mean the same thing in a class averaging 65% as in a class averaging 85%. So the R score looks at where you stand in your group, and also at how strong and how varied that group is. The method is published by the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (BCI).

The formula, piece by piece

According to the BCI, the formula is:

CRC = ((Z × IDGZ) + IFGZ + 5) × 5

• Z (college Z score): your position in the group. Z = (your grade − group average) ÷ group standard deviation. A Z of 0 means you are exactly average; a Z of 1 means one standard deviation above.
• IFGZ (group strength indicator): the average of the high school Z scores of the students in your group, based on Secondary 4 and 5 ministry subjects. The stronger the group was in high school, the higher the IFGZ.
• IDGZ (group dispersion indicator): the standard deviation of those same high school Z scores. It measures how alike or how varied the group is. By convention it can never go above 1.5 or below 0.5.
• + 5 then × 5: two constants that remove negative values and put the result on a 0 to 50 scale.

In practice, most R scores fall between 15 and 35.

A full worked example

Lea gets 82% in Calculus I. Her class average is 74% with a standard deviation of 8. Let's assume an IFGZ of 0.30 and an IDGZ of 0.90 (made-up but realistic values).

1. Z score: (82 − 74) ÷ 8 = 8 ÷ 8 = 1.00.
2. Adjusted Z: (1.00 × 0.90) + 0.30 = 0.90 + 0.30 = 1.20.
3. R score: (1.20 + 5) × 5 = 6.20 × 5 = 31.00.

With the exact same grade and class, but an IFGZ of −0.20 (a group that was weaker in high school), the result would be (0.90 − 0.20 + 5) × 5 = 5.70 × 5 = 28.50.

Strong group or weak group?

Now compare the same 82% in two different groups (standard deviation of 8 and IDGZ of 0.90 in both):

In the strong group Lea is less far above average, but the IFGZ makes up for it, and the two R scores end up almost identical. You can run these numbers with your own grades in our R score calculator.

From one course to your overall R score

Your overall R score is an average weighted by each course's units, so a 2.67-unit course counts more than a 1-unit course.

Total: 180.85 ÷ 6.00 units = 30.14.

Failed courses count for only 0.25 of their units in your first semester at CEGEP, and 0.5 in later semesters. Add a failed 2.33-unit first-semester course with an R score of 20.00: its weight becomes 2.33 × 0.25 = 0.5825 units. The average becomes (180.85 + 11.65) ÷ 6.58 = 29.24. Without this rule it would drop to 27.30.

For admission, universities use the R score of your last DEC program when at least 16 courses count toward it; otherwise they use the overall R score.

What you control and what you don't

Out of your hands: your group's average and standard deviation, and your classmates' high school results. Your own high school grades barely matter here: the BCI estimates they make up only about 3% of the IFGZ and IDGZ in a group of 35 students.

In your hands:

• your grade in each course, and therefore where you stand relative to the group;
• avoiding failures, especially after your first semester;
• your course load and how you use withdrawal deadlines. At many CEGEPs, dropping a course before the official deadline has no effect on your R score, but rules and dates differ, so check your own college's.

Four stubborn myths

• "A strong group always hurts your R score." False. That is exactly what the IFGZ corrects for. The BCI states there is no advantage or disadvantage to being in one group rather than another.
• "Pick the weakest section." Same answer: being at the top of a weak group is offset by a lower IFGZ.
• "My high school grades decide my R score." Your own high school record carries very little weight; your CEGEP grades do the heavy lifting.
• "One failure ruins everything." A failure pulls your average down, but its weight is reduced. A rough semester can be recovered from.

How universities use it

The R score matters most for limited-enrolment programs, where applications outnumber spots. The BCI notes that other criteria can be added or used instead, such as tests, interviews or portfolios. The most competitive programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law and similar) generally require a very high R score.

There is no fixed cutoff. The score of the last admitted student shifts from year to year with the number of places and the strength of the applicant pool. McGill, for example, says its R score minimums can fluctuate yearly and also looks at a core R score in prerequisite courses, as well as failures and repeated courses. Treat published minimums from previous years as benchmarks, not guarantees.

Practical strategies to raise your R score

• Be consistent in every course, including general education and phys ed: they all count according to their units.
• Protect your prerequisite courses for the program you want (for example math in Science): some universities look at them separately.
• Act early when a course is going badly: extra help, office hours, or withdrawing before the deadline if that is truly the best option.
• Aim for distance above the average: every point above your group's mean raises your Z score.
• Run scenarios in our R score calculator to see which course moves your average the most.

If a course like Calculus I or Linear Algebra is dragging your R score down, Stellaire Académie offers focused tutoring: book a session.

Frequently asked questions