Pass Rate Calculator
Find the share of students who passed. Paste all scores, then set the maximum score and the passing threshold.
How to enter your data: Enter two whole numbers: how many people passed, and the total number who took the exam. Type each number into its own box, with no percent signs, letters or extra text. To compare several classes or groups at once, put each group on its own line with the two counts separated by a comma (for example, passed first, then total).
The Exam Pass Rate Calculator works out what share of people passed a test. You tell it how many people passed and how many took the exam in total, and it shows the pass rate as a percentage. For example, if 18 out of 20 students pass, the pass rate is 90 percent.
Built into PaperSurvey.io
Skip the copy-paste. Scan your paper or web surveys and PaperSurvey computes these metrics automatically on your real data, ready to export to Excel, SPSS and R.
Where it is used
- Teachers: A teacher enters how many pupils reached the pass mark on the end-of-term maths test and how many sat it, to see the class pass rate.
- Workplace trainers and HR staff: A trainer checks what percentage of employees passed the health and safety test after a course.
- Driving schools and tutoring centres: A driving school owner works out the share of learners who passed their theory test this month.
How it works
The pass rate is the percentage of scores at or above the passing mark, which is the maximum score times your threshold percentage. PaperSurvey can scan and auto-grade paper exams so you get pass rates without manual marking.
When should you use it?
Use it any time a group of people has taken a test and you want to know how many passed, shown as a tidy percentage instead of a rough count. It suits a single class, a full course, a training day, a certification exam or a mock test. It is also handy for comparing groups, such as one term against another or one class against the next. If everyone was simply present or absent, with no pass or fail mark involved, this is not the right tool for the job.
What does the result mean?
The result is the pass rate, the percentage of people who passed out of everyone who took the exam. A pass rate of 90 percent means 9 in every 10 people passed. A higher number means more people passed, and a lower number means fewer did. There is no single good figure that fits every exam, because a fair pass rate depends on how hard the test is and who sits it. Compare your result against your own past results or your school or course target, rather than a made-up universal benchmark.
Mistakes to avoid
The most common slip is using the wrong total. The total should be everyone who actually took the exam, not everyone on the register, so decide up front whether absent people count. Do not enter the number who failed in the box meant for the number who passed. Make sure the passed count is never larger than the total, or the percentage will be wrong. Keep to whole people, and avoid mixing results from different tests in one calculation unless you truly want them combined into a single figure.
How to use this calculator
- Count how many people passed and how many people took the exam in total.
- Type the number who passed into the box for people who passed.
- Type the total number who took the exam into the total box.
- Read the pass rate percentage it shows; a higher percentage means more people passed.
Worked example
A class of 25 students sits a spelling test, and 20 of them reach the pass mark. You enter 20 as the number who passed and 25 as the total who took the test. The calculator shows a pass rate of 80 percent, meaning 4 out of every 5 students passed.
Frequently asked questions
What do I type in each box?
Put the number of people who passed in one box and the total number who took the exam in the other. Use plain whole numbers with no percent sign.
Where do I get these numbers?
From your marked results, register or grade sheet. Count how many people reached the pass mark, and count how many people sat the exam in total.
What does the pass rate percentage actually mean?
It is the share of people who passed. 75 percent means 75 out of every 100 test-takers passed, which is three quarters of them.
Should I include people who were absent or did not finish?
Only if you want them counted as not passing. Most people leave absentees out and count only those who actually took the exam. Whichever you choose, be consistent.
What is a good pass rate?
There is no universal target, since it depends on the exam and the group. Compare your result with your own earlier results or the goal set by your school, course or awarding body.
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