Reading a rank honestly

A rank only means something next to two other numbers: how many people sat the exam, and how many seats exist in the courses you would actually accept. The same rank can be comfortable in one year and short in the next, and can be comfortable for one branch and hopeless for another at the same institution.

Previous years’ closing ranks are published and are the most useful thing to look at before results arrive, not after. Look at three years rather than one, because a single year can move on things that have nothing to do with you — a change in the paper, a change in the number of seats, a change in how many people sat it.