The CAO points calculator: know your Leaving Cert points before the postman does.
Pick your grades, and we’ll do the rest — best six subjects, the +25 Higher Maths bonus and LCVP, exactly by the CAO rules.
The 2026 points table
The CAO common points scale, unchanged since 2017. Higher Level grades on the left, Ordinary Level on the right.
Higher level
Ordinary level
LCVP
Maths bonus
+25 points on top of any H6-or-better grade in Higher Level Maths. H7 and below get no bonus.
From results day to your offer
Results day
Late August. Grades land in the morning — type them in above and you have your points in seconds.
Check the points archive
Compare your total against last year’s cut-off for your courses on cao.ie — cut-offs move a little every year.
Round 1 offers
Early September. Highest preference you meet the points for wins. Accept online by the deadline.
Later rounds
Points can drop in Round 2 and beyond as places free up — missing Round 1 by a few points isn’t always the end.
Results-week guides
CAO key dates 2026 →
Results 21 August, Round 1 offers 26 August at 2pm, and every deadline after — the full verified timetable.
CAO offers explained →
Why you only get one offer, how accepting upgrades itself, deferring a place, and the Available Places route.
Leaving Cert appeals →
Viewing your script free, when an appeal is worth it, and what an upgrade does to your CAO offer.
Questions students ask
Each Leaving Cert grade converts to points on the CAO common points scale — H1 is worth 100, O1 is worth 56, and so on. Your best six subjects count towards your total. If you sit Higher Level Maths and get H6 or better, 25 bonus points are added to your maths score.
The maximum is 625: six H1 grades (600 points) plus the 25-point Higher Maths bonus. Around 1% of students hit the full 625 in a typical year.
If you get H6 or better in Higher Level Maths, 25 bonus points are added to your maths score. The boosted score then competes for a place in your best six — so a H6 in maths (46 + 25 = 71 points) can beat a H5 (56) in another subject. There is no bonus for H7, H8 or Ordinary Level maths.
No — only your best six results count, no matter how many subjects you sit. This calculator scores every subject you enter and automatically picks the six that give you the highest total.
Yes. The LCVP Link Modules count as one of your six subjects for most CAO courses: Distinction is worth 66 points, Merit 46, and Pass 28. A small number of courses don’t accept LCVP, so check the specific entry requirements.
A H4 (60–69% at Higher Level) is worth 66 points. An O2 (80–89% at Ordinary Level) is worth 46 points. The full conversion table for every grade is just above this FAQ.
Leaving Cert results are released in late August, and CAO Round 1 offers follow in early September, with further rounds after that. Your points from this calculator are what you’ll be competing with in those rounds.
No — PointsCalculator.ie is a free independent tool. It uses the official CAO common points scale, but for course entry requirements and offers always check cao.ie and the college’s own pages.