Short answer
500scaled, 200 to 800 scale
A scaled 500 is the passing point. BPS places every result on a 200 to 800 scale after equating, a statistical step that adjusts for differences in difficulty between exam forms, and the pass or fail decision rests on the total score alone.
Source: BPS, Examination Scoring · as of October 27, 2026
1Why BPS reports a scale
BPS builds new forms of the exam regularly, and no two forms are exactly equal in difficulty. Equating corrects for that, so a candidate who drew an easier form and one who drew a harder form face the same standard (Examination Scoring). A fixed share of correct answers could not do that job, which is why BPS does not publish one.
1.1Criterion-referenced, in plain terms
BPS set the passing standard with criterion-referenced methods: the 500 is linked to the minimum knowledge expected of a specialist. It is not a curve. Your result does not depend on how the rest of that year’s candidates did.
Only the 125 scored items feed the scale; the 25 pretest items do not (BCPS Examination Specifications). The full breakdown is on how many questions are on the BCPS exam.
2From your answers to a scaled score
Scored items are marked
Your responses on the 125 scored items are checked against the answer key; pretest items are left out.
Equating adjusts for the form
A statistical step accounts for how hard your form was relative to other forms.
The result lands on the scale
Scores run from 200 to 800, and 500 is the passing point.
The total decides
Pass or fail rests on the total score. Domain ratings, shown only after a fail, do not change it.
3What the scale leaves out
Does a higher passing score show anywhere?
No. BPS gives passing candidates no numeric score, so every pass reads the same (Examination Scoring).
Can a practice score predict my scaled score?
Not with any precision. Results on this site, including the timed mock exam, come from cases our editors wrote, and BPS publishes no way to convert a raw count to its scale. Use them to find weak domains.
4References
- BPS, Examination Scoring. Scale, passing point, equating, score report contents. As of October 27, 2026.
- BPS, BCPS Examination Specifications (effective September 2024). Scored and pretest items. As of October 27, 2026.
- BPS, Candidate’s Guide. Score report by outcome. As of October 27, 2026.
Next step
Turn reading into recall
Reading a monograph is half the work; answering cases is the other half.
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