What is a scaled score?

Scaled scores are measures of candidate performance, and the higher the score, the better the performance. Scaled scores range from 1 to 99, with 70 designated as the passing score. Scaled scores DO NOT represent the percentage of questions answered correctly on the exam.

English language exams:

A candidate’s raw score (the total number of questions answered correctly), taking into consideration question difficulty, is transformed into a scaled score. Because each candidate answers a unique set of questions on an adaptive exam, scaled scores are reported to provide a direct comparison of performance across candidates and exams. This allows candidates to be held to the same passing standard regardless of which questions they receive.

Foreign language exams:

A candidate’s raw score (the total number of questions answered correctly) is transformed into a scaled score for reporting purposes. This transformation is necessary because multiple forms are administered for each of our exams. Candidates are held to the same passing standard regardless of which form they take, so scaled scores are reported instead of raw scores to provide a direct comparison of performance across forms and administrations.