United States
Hong KongWhat score do you need to pass?
75 percent of the 115 scored questions, which is 87 correct answers. Because five of the 120 administered questions are unscored and unidentifiable, the sensible target is 90 of 120.
75 percent. Published, and set in federal regulation at 12 CFR 1008.105(e)(1).
In questions
Seventy-five percent of 115 scored questions is 86.25, which rounds up to 87 correct.
That means you can get 28 wrong and pass, which sounds generous until you meet how many near-identical timeframes the syllabus contains.
- Pass mark
- 75 percent
- Scored questions
- 115
- Correct needed
- 87
- Wrong answers allowed
- 28
- Target to work to
- 90 of 120
Why 90 rather than 87
Five of the 120 questions are unscored pretest items, scattered at random and indistinguishable from the rest.
Answer 87 of 120 correctly and you cannot know whether enough of them counted. Ninety removes the question.
The pass mark is 75 percent. Eighty-seven of 115 is what that means in questions. Ninety is a working target with a margin in it, and the distinction matters if you are ever quoting it.
No scaling
A raw percentage, so the requirement is identical on every form. That is unusual - most credentialing exams scale, which means the number of questions you need moves with the difficulty of the paper you happened to draw.
And not 53 percent
53 percent is the first-time pass rate: how many candidates cleared the bar, not where the bar is.
Common questions
What score do you need to pass the NMLS exam?
75 percent of the scored questions, which is 87 of 115.
How many can I get wrong?
28 of the 115 scored questions.
Why aim for 90 of 120?
Because five questions are unscored and unidentifiable, so 90 guarantees you clear 87 scored regardless of which five were free.
Is the exam scaled?
No. It is a raw percentage, so the requirement is the same on every form.
Is 53 percent the pass mark?
No. That is the first-time pass rate.