What is the NPPE pass rate?

Nothing on the NPPE program's site or in its candidate guide gives a pass rate. What the program does publish is how the pass decision is made, and that is more useful:

• The pass mark is a scaled score of 65, set by subject matter experts from across Canada using a standard setting method called Modified-Angoff.
• Scores are statistically equated, so every sitting is held to the same standard regardless of how hard its particular questions were.
• There is no quota. Each exam is scored with no predetermined percentage of candidates who should pass or fail.
• First-time and repeat writers are graded to the same standard.

Put together, that means the pass rate for your sitting is simply the share of people in it who were ready. You are measured against a fixed standard, not against them.

Search for the NPPE pass rate and you will find figures around 90 percent and higher, almost always on the websites of companies selling NPPE preparation. Those numbers usually come from surveying their own customers.

That is not a neutral sample. People who bought a course and passed are more likely to answer a survey than people who did not, and a company has every reason to publish a flattering figure. The number may even be accurate for that group; it just does not tell you the pass rate for the exam as a whole. We do not publish a pass rate for PassNPPE users for the same reason.

What candidates say

Candidate discussion online, which is anecdote rather than data, suggests that people who prepare deliberately usually pass, often on the first attempt, and that those who do not tend to describe the same problems: running short of time, misreading questions phrased in the negative, and choosing the second-best of two reasonable answers.

Because there is no quota, your odds depend only on your own preparation. You can measure that directly:

• Take a timed practice exam at the real pace and look at your score by blueprint section, not just overall.
• Aim comfortably above 65 percent in practice, since the real pass mark is a scaled score and exam day adds pressure.
• Check that no large section is weak. Law for Professional Practice and Professional Practice together are more than half the exam.
• Make sure you can explain why each wrong answer is wrong, not only which answer is right.

A free account includes a timed 60 question mini exam scored by section, which is a quick way to see where you stand. The study plan covers what to do with the result.