United States
Hong KongWhat is the NASCLA exam pass mark?
81 correct answers out of the 115 scored questions, which works out at 70.4 percent and is stated as 70 percent. PSI publishes the count, and the count is the more useful form to work to.
81 of 115.
PSI publishes the cut as a raw count rather than as a percentage, which is unusually helpful. You know exactly how many you need.
The percentage
81 divided by 115 is 70.4 percent, stated as 70 percent. Both are true and the count is the one to work to.
- Questions administered
- 125
- Questions scored
- 115
- Correct needed
- 81
- As a percentage
- 70 percent
- Wrong answers allowed
- 34
Thirty-four wrong answers
That is a meaningful margin, and it changes how you should manage the paper.
You can afford to lose a category almost entirely and still pass, provided you are strong elsewhere. What you cannot afford is running out of time with twenty questions unanswered. Work to the count.
PSI administers 125 and scores 115. The extra ten are experimental items you cannot identify, so answer everything as though it counts. There is no way to save time by spotting them.
No published pass rate
Neither NASCLA nor PSI publishes how many candidates pass. Any figure you see quoted for it has been estimated by whoever wrote the page.
What is published is the standard: 81 of 115. That is the number worth having.
A working target
Aim for 90 of 125 in practice. It clears 81 scored comfortably whichever ten questions turn out to be free.
Common questions
What is the NASCLA exam pass mark?
81 correct out of the 115 scored questions, which is 70 percent.
How many can I get wrong?
34 of the 115 scored questions.
Why 125 questions if only 115 count?
Ten are experimental items being trialled for future forms. They are unscored and you cannot identify them.
What is the NASCLA pass rate?
Neither NASCLA nor PSI publishes one. Any figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
What should I aim for in practice?
About 90 of 125, which clears 81 scored comfortably whichever ten are unscored.