How to Compute Your Board Exam Rating

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Planning to take a board exam soon?

Knowing your target scores ahead of time is one of the best ways to keep your review on track.

Instead of just guessing what it takes to pass, you can actually simulate your grades based on the subject weights.

A lot of people argue about how board exam ratings are actually calculated, with some swearing it uses a 40-percent passing baseline while others insist it is totally zero-based.

Let’s discuss what a 40% baseline means and what zero-based is.

How Are PRC Board Exam Scores Computed? 40% Baseline vs. Zero-Based

40% Passing Baseline

The 40% baseline is commonly used in schools, especially when exam scores are too low, using the formula:

Transmuted Grade = Raw Score/Total Items x 60 + 40

For example, in a 50-item exam, most students score 20.

If the teacher applies a 40% baseline to compute the rating, all students who scored 20 will get a rating of 64% (20/50 x 60 + 40 = 64%).

So even if you score 0 on a test, you still get a rating of 40%.

That is how the 40% passing baseline works.

Zero-based Rating

The zero-based rating is widely used in standardized exams, such as the UPCAT, NSAT (National Standardized Achievement Tests), and international professional certifications (CPA, CFA, or IT certification tests).

It uses the formula:

Final Grade = Raw Scores/Total Items x 100

For instance, student A scored 65 out of 100 items.

Using the formula, student A will get a rating of 65% (65/100 x 100).

It means that if you score 0 on a test, your final rating will be zero, too.

That is how your score is calculated on a zero-based scale.

Now, the question is: how does PRC compute your rating?

Is it a forty percent passing baseline or zero-based?

How Does PRC Compute Your Grade?

Although the PRC has not issued an official announcement on how scores are computed, examinees who failed the boards know that the exam is not 40-based.

See the images below from our official Facebook page.

Look at the photos above.

Both results show a score below 40%.

What does this mean?

Examinee records show that the claimed 40% baseline is not verified.

But what about the zero-based? Is it reliable?

PRC has no official announcement on the grade calculation; however, since this is a professional licensure exam and standardized, we can assume the board exam is zero-based like other standardized tests.

How Does it Affect You?

Now that you know the board exam isn’t using the 40% baseline, assume that it relies on a zero-based computation.

It means you need to aim for scores higher than the minimum passing rate, such as 70% or 75%.

If the board exam you are taking requires a minimum rate of 75% to pass, then aim for scores higher than the minimum passing rate, such as 70% or 75%.

For instance, in a 100-item test, you need a raw score of 75 to meet the minimum passing rate, while a 150-item test requires a score of 113 to achieve that 75% passing grade.

To successfully pass the board, don’t aim for the bare minimum; aim higher to secure a safe margin for error.

If you don’t know the exact passing score or want to check your target per subject, use our PRC board rating calculator below to estimate the exact raw scores you need to pass.

How to Use the PRC Board Exam Calculator?

Step 1: Select your preferred course.

Step 2: In the “Raw Score/Total” column, enter your possible score and the total number of items (130/150 or 85/100).

Step 3: When done, click “Compute Grade” to see your remarks: Passed, Failed, or Conditional.

Ready to test your knowledge and answering skills? Take our free mock board exam now to see where you stand and test your preparation.

Disclaimer:The calculations and results from this tool are for estimation and review purposes only. They do not guarantee your official PRC board exam results and will not affect your actual performance. Use this calculator simply as a guide to determine your target scores for each subject.