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How the NDHCE is scored

A scaled score from 200 to 800, a pass mark around 550, and only a pass/fail told to you. Here’s what that actually means.

The scaled score

Your raw score (number of correct answers on the 170 scored items) is converted to a scaled score from 200 to 800, with a typical passing score around 550. Scaling lets the FDHRC compare results fairly across sittings even when one form is slightly harder than another. There’s no penalty for wrong answers, so answer everything.

Equating — why the raw cut-off moves

A statistical process called equating adjusts for differences in form difficulty. The practical consequence: the exact number of correct answers needed to pass drifts a little from form to form, while the scaled bar (~550) stays put.

You can’t calculate “how many can I miss.” Thirty of the 200 items are hidden pilots you can’t identify, scoring is scaled and equated rather than a flat percentage, and only pass/fail is reported. Stop chasing a target percentage on exam day. (On the official practice tests, candidates use ~80–90% as a readiness signal.)

What you’re told — and what you aren’t

The FDHRC releases pass or fail only — never your numeric score. If you don’t pass, you receive a personalized Performance Profile showing your relative strengths and weaknesses by blueprint domain.

The FDHRC deliberately does not publish several things other exams do:

  • The named standard-setting method (an Angoff-family method is likely but unconfirmed).
  • Reliability coefficients or the standard error of measurement.
  • The exact raw-to-scaled formula, or how 550 was anchored.
  • Appeal/rescore success rates, and first-time vs. repeat pass rates.

Historical pass rates

Overall pass rates have sat in the mid-80s, with a consistent seasonal pattern.

Sitting2022202320242025
January80%84.5%86.7%84.9%
May87.8%89.3%88.5%90.4%
September84.6%78.5%83.1%83.7%
Overall84.9%85.5%86.6%87.1%

May is consistently the highest pass rate — the new-graduate, first-attempt cohort. September is consistently the lowest. The published rate blends first-time and repeat writers; the FDHRC doesn’t split them, but repeat-attempt pass rates are typically lower.

Getting your result

Scoring takes 4–6 weeks. Unofficial results post online no sooner than four weeks (listed by your candidate ID number); official results are mailed within six weeks. Results are never given by phone. See after the exam for rescores, reconsiderations and appeals.

Last reviewed: 4 August 2026 · Pass-rate data from the FDHRC NDHCE overview (Jan 2026).