In education, the passing score or grade is the minimum score or grade that is required to pass a test or class. Often, a passing score of 70% or 70 out of 100 is used as the threshold for passing. However, passing scores can vary considerably depending on the difficulty of the material, the type of test, and the policies of the school, district, or governing body. Ultimately, the determination of what constitutes a passing score is subjective and a matter of policy.
What Does a Passing Score of 70 Mean?
A passing score of 70% or 70 out of 100 means that students must answer at least 70% of test questions correctly or earn 70% of the total points possible in order to pass that test. This passing score indicates a minimum satisfactory level of achievement and proficiency in the material. Earning 70% on a test suggests the student has an adequate, though not excellent, understanding of the knowledge and skills being assessed.
A score of 70% indicates the student has met the minimum bar for demonstrating competency in the subject matter. However, it also indicates there is still room for improvement, as a score of 70% means the student still answered 30% of questions incorrectly. While the student passed, earning a 70% suggests their grasp of the material is fairly rudimentary.
Advantages of a 70 Passing Score
There are some advantages to using 70 as a passing score:
- 70% is a widely recognized standard for a minimum passing score. Many schools use 70 as the cutoff, so it is familiar to students, parents, and teachers.
- A 70% passing score ensures students have a foundational understanding of the key concepts before moving on. A higher cutoff could allow students to advance with significant gaps in learning.
- The 70% threshold helps uphold standards and encourages students to adequately prepare for assessments. A lower cutoff could diminish academic rigor and expectations.
- 70% allows some room for minor mistakes, challenges, or testing errors that otherwise would fail a competent student.
Disadvantages of a 70 Passing Score
There are also some potential drawbacks to using 70 as the minimum passing score:
- A 70% cutoff may be too low for more advanced courses or high-stakes tests. Important competencies could be missed by only requiring 70%.
- Students may aim for just passing rather than mastery of content. Those satisfied with mediocre scores may not be motivated to truly excel.
- Factors like test anxiety or poor testing conditions could disadvantage students who are actually competent in the material.
- Passing with 70% leaves considerable room for mistakes and gaps in knowledge that make advancement difficult.
What Are Common Passing Scores?
While 70% is a widely used passing score, requirements can range considerably depending on context. Here are some common passing score thresholds:
K-12 Education
- A passing test score in K-12 schools frequently falls between 60-70%. This may vary by district.
- For final grades, many K-12 schools require a passing grade of D or 60-69%. Some set the bar at C or 70-79%.
College Courses
- In college, a passing course grade is often considered C or 70-79%. Some schools set the passing mark at D or 60-69%.
- On placement exams like AP tests, passing scores might be 3 or higher out of 5. Subject mastery tests often require 70-80% to pass.
Professional Licensure/Certification Exams
- Passing scores on licensing and certification exams vary greatly by field and test. Most fall between 60-75%.
- High stakes exams like medical licensing boards generally have higher cutoffs, like 75% or more.
Standardized Admission Tests
- Passing scores on college admission tests like the SAT fall roughly around 40-60% correct answers.
- The GED passing standard is 145 out of 200 points (72.5%).
As these examples illustrate, while 70% is common, passing score requirements depend on the importance of the test, complexity of the material, risk of advancing those unprepared, and specific policies of the governing body.
How Are Passing Scores Determined?
Passing scores are not randomly chosen but are based on standard-setting procedures. First, the content and difficulty level of the test is thoroughly analyzed. Then, panels of educators in that field participate in extensive standard-setting studies.
These experts look at specific test questions and student response data to determine the minimum scores signaling adequate versus inadequate mastery. Cutoff scores are adjusted based on the panel’s recommendations of what students at each level of proficiency should reasonably know.
Other factors like comparison to similar exams or benchmarks, previous passing requirements, and implications for students are also considered when determining an appropriate passing bar.
Methods for Setting Passing Scores
Some common standard-setting methods include:
- Angoff Method: Subject matter experts rate how many students bordering on minimal competency would correctly answer each question. Their ratings are combined to determine an overall passing score.
- Bookmark Method: Panelists review questions ordered by difficulty and determine the passing “bookmark” between those students who have sufficient versus insufficient knowledge.
- Body of Work Method: Raters evaluate representative student responses across performance levels to find natural break points between passing and failing work.
By using well-researched, validated methods, standard-setting panels can establish fair, defensible passing scores aligned to the purpose of the test and content standards.
How Does the Passing Score Relate to the Total Score?
On a 100-point scale test, a passing score of 70 means students must achieve 70 out of the 100 total points. This 70/100 score (or 70%) shows the passing score relative to the total possible score.
However, many major tests are not scored on a simple 0-100 scale. The passing score is still set relative to the total possible points, but the score scale may be very different.
For example, the SAT college entrance exam has two sections each worth 200-800 points. The total SAT score ranges from 400-1600. A passing SAT score is generally considered to be about 930 combined points out of the 1600 total. While this 930 seems far below 70%, it reflects the minimum passing threshold relative to the SAT’s much wider score scale.
To interpret passing scores properly, you must consider the score in relation to the total possible points, not just assume scores are on a 0-100 scale. Review the test maker’s documentation to understand the score scale and passing mark in context.
Typical Ways Passing Scores Are Expressed
- As a percentage of total questions correct (e.g. 70/100 or 70%)
- As a number of points correct out of total possible points (e.g. 930/1600)
- As achieving a minimum score on a standardized scale like Grade Level Equivalents (e.g. GLE 4.0)
- As a percentile rank of the score distribution (e.g. 30th percentile)
- As a passing grade designation like D, C, Pass, etc.
Do All Students Need a 70 to Pass?
While 70% is a very common passing standard, it is not necessarily universal. Passing scores may vary based on the student population and purposes of the test. There are cases where students might pass with scores above or below 70:
When Higher Than 70 May Be Required
- Advanced/honors courses and classes for gifted students
- College entrance exams and subject mastery/placement tests
- Licensing and certification exams in fields like medicine, law, engineering, etc.
- Test sections related to functional Literacy, critical safety skills, etc.
When Lower Than 70 May Be Allowed
- Students with learning disabilities or other special needs
- English language learners and immigrant students
- Elementary achievement tests still focused on skill-building
- Low-stakes diagnostic, practice, or placement tests
The specific student population and their needs, the subject matter complexity, the stakes of the test, and school/district policies all affect where passing cutoffs are established. While 70% is common, flexibility may be warranted in some cases.
Conclusion
In summary, a passing score of 70% or 70 out of 100 is widely seen as the standard minimum threshold for demonstrating adequate academic competence. However, passing standards vary considerably by situation, and a 70% passing requirement should not necessarily be universally applied.
Passing scores are carefully set based on standard-setting procedures, not arbitrarily chosen. Expert panels determine the appropriate cutoff between acceptable and unacceptable mastery of the material, given the difficulty, stakes, and student population. Passing marks may fall above or below 70% depending on these contextual factors.
Educators and policy makers should be thoughtful in establishing passing score requirements for their needs. They must balance upholding rigorous standards with allowing flexibility for struggling students as warranted. With sound standard setting methods and reasonable judgment, appropriate passing scores can be defined that serve student and educational needs.
