How the EPPP is Scored

How the EPPP is Scored

As you prepare to take the EPPP, it is helpful to understand the EPPP exam itself and how the exam is scored. For example, knowing that there are 50 unscored pre-test questions on the exam can help with anxiety, allowing you to say to yourself, “It’s okay if I don’t know this answer, it may be a test question!”

The EPPP is a multiple-choice test where each question gives you four answer choices, and you must select the answer choice that you feel is the best fit. There are a total of 225 questions. As has already been stated, this includes 50 unscored pre-test questions. This means that a total of 175 questions will be scored on the exam. Your total score will be based on the total number of correct responses. The pre-test questions do not count towards your final score. While taking the exam, you should answer every question, even if you are unsure of the correct response. Unanswered questions will be marked as incorrect.

After you complete the exam you will be given a scaled score. Your scaled score can range from 200-800. Converting raw scores to scaled scores ensures that scores on different forms of the examination have the same meaning and that pass points represent the same level of difficulty. As there are always four versions of the exam in matriculation, it is imperative that there be a standardized way of ensuring that all versions of the exam are scored fairly. Regardless of the exam form taken, the scaled scores represent equal levels of achievement. For example, while the ASPPB-recommended passing scores of 500 for independent practice and 450 for supervised practice do not change, the number of questions that must be answered correctly to achieve a passing score can change. If a form of the EPPP were easier than the form on which the passing score was set, more questions would have to be answered correctly to obtain a scaled score of 450 or 500. If the form of the EPPP were more difficult, fewer questions would have to be answered correctly to pass. Thus, candidates are not rewarded because their exam was easier nor penalized because it was more difficult.

A majority of state licensing boards in the country set a passing rate of 500, which is the passing score recommended by the ASPPB for independent practice. Make sure to check your state’s requirements for passing before you take the exam.