- There Is No Fixed Passing Percentage
- How Scoring Works on the 120-Question Exam
- What Modified Angoff Standard Setting Means for You
- Single-Answer and Multiple-Response Items
- Where the 100 Scored Items Come From
- Pass Rate Data and What It Does (and Doesn't) Tell You
- Time, Delivery Rules, and Results Timing
- Retakes and the Five-Year Window
- Planning Your Preparation Around the Scoring Model
- Frequently Asked Questions
- PASC has no single published passing percentage; the cut score uses modified Angoff standard setting with difficulty adjustment.
- Only 100 of the 120 questions are scored; 20 are unscored beta items you cannot identify.
- There is no guessing penalty, so answer every item, including multiple-response questions with two or three correct options.
- Assessment and Diagnosis (24%) and Case Management and Counseling (22%) carry the most scored weight.
There Is No Fixed Passing Percentage
The most common question candidates ask about Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC), the American Board of Audiology (ABA) program that awards the Board Certified in Pediatric Audiology (BC-PA) designation, is simple: what percentage do I need to get right? The honest answer is that the ABA does not publish a single universal passing percentage. Anyone quoting "you need 70%" or "you need 75%" for this exam is guessing or borrowing a number from a different test.
What the program does state is how passing is determined. The standard is criterion-referenced, set through modified Angoff standard setting, and applied to your overall raw score on the 100 scored items, with a difficulty adjustment. In plain terms, your result is measured against a competence standard, not against how other candidates performed that day, and not against a flat percentage that never moves.
How Scoring Works on the 120-Question Exam
The PASC exam contains 120 questions delivered in 2 hours 30 minutes. Of those, 100 are scored and 20 are unscored beta items. The beta items are pilot questions the ABA uses to evaluate future content. They are not flagged for you, so you should treat every question as if it counts.
| Scoring Element | What the Program Specifies |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 120 |
| Scored items | 100 |
| Unscored beta items | 20 (not identified to candidates) |
| Time allowed | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Score basis | Overall raw score on the 100 scored items |
| Standard type | Criterion-referenced, modified Angoff, with difficulty adjustment |
| Guessing penalty | None |
Two practical points follow. First, your result is based on an overall raw score, not a requirement to pass each domain separately, so a weaker area can be offset by strength elsewhere. Second, because there is no guessing penalty, leaving an item blank gains you nothing. If you are unsure, eliminate what you can and select your best answer.
What Modified Angoff Standard Setting Means for You
In an Angoff-style process, a panel of subject-matter experts reviews each scored question and judges how a minimally competent candidate would be expected to perform on it. Those judgments are combined to establish the passing standard. The "modified" label refers to variations on the classic method, such as discussion rounds and review of performance data.
For a candidate, the implication is that the standard is tied to the expected competence of a pediatric audiology practitioner rather than to a curve. Questions that experts consider easy for a minimally competent clinician count toward the threshold differently than questions they consider hard. That is the difficulty adjustment the ABA refers to, and it is why a fixed percentage is not published.
Key Takeaway
Study to the competence level of a working pediatric audiologist, not to a number. If you can handle routine newborn hearing screening follow-up, diagnostic test interpretation, amplification decisions, and family counseling scenarios with confidence, you are preparing for the standard the panel is actually judging.
For a deeper look at how demanding the exam feels in practice, see How Hard Is the PASC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Single-Answer and Multiple-Response Items
Every PASC question has four answer options, but not every question has one correct answer. The exam includes two item types:
- Single-answer multiple-choice: four options, one correct answer.
- Multiple-response: four options, with two or three correct answers.
This matters for scoring strategy. On a multiple-response item you must identify the full set of correct options, so read the stem carefully for cues about how many answers are expected. A clinical scenario asking which findings are consistent with a particular condition, or which actions are appropriate next steps in case management, often lends itself to the multiple-response format.
Where the 100 Scored Items Come From
The current handbook publishes scored-item allocations across six content domains, and the ABA's November 13, 2023 revised-blueprint announcement lists the matching percentage weights. Because there are 100 scored items, the allocation and the percentage are the same number.
| Domain | Scored Items / Weight |
|---|---|
| Domain 1: Assessment and Diagnosis of Auditory and Vestibular Disorders | 24 (24%) |
| Domain 2: Habilitation/Rehabilitation | 21 (21%) |
| Domain 3: Case Management and Counseling | 22 (22%) |
| Domain 4: Medical Audiology | 16 (16%) |
| Domain 5: Professional and Regulatory Issues | 9 (9%) |
| Domain 6: Educational Audiology | 8 (8%) |
These are formal exam content domains, not a suggested study curriculum. They tell you what is tested and in what proportion. For a full breakdown of each area, read PASC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Assessment and Diagnosis of Auditory and Vestibular Disorders (24%)
The single largest slice of your score. Expect pediatric-specific diagnostic reasoning.
- Age-appropriate behavioral and physiologic test selection
- Interpretation of objective measures in infants and young children
- Vestibular considerations in pediatric populations
Domain 3: Case Management and Counseling (22%)
The second-heaviest domain, and one where scenario judgment dominates.
- Family-centered counseling and shared decision-making
- Coordination across medical, educational, and early-intervention teams
- Follow-up and monitoring after identification of hearing loss
Domain 2: Habilitation/Rehabilitation (21%)
Intervention planning after diagnosis.
- Amplification and other hearing-technology decisions for children
- Verification and ongoing management considerations
- Supporting communication development
Together, Domains 1, 3, and 2 account for 67 of the 100 scored items. Domain 4 (Medical Audiology, 16%), Domain 5 (Professional and Regulatory Issues, 9%), and Domain 6 (Educational Audiology, 8%) make up the remaining 33. A weak area in any one of the smaller domains is easier to absorb than a weak area in Assessment and Diagnosis.
Pass Rate Data and What It Does (and Doesn't) Tell You
The ABA's August 6, 2026 report on the Spring 2026 administration gives two figures that are easy to confuse because they use different denominators:
- A first-time pass rate of 82.6%, which counts first-time candidates only.
- 20 of 25 candidates passed overall, which counts all candidates in the administration, including those who were not testing for the first time.
The ABA also reported a 2025 first-time rate of 86.9%. That figure describes a different cohort and should not be treated as a 2026 number or blended with it. With candidate counts this small, year-to-year differences can shift noticeably, so treat these figures as context rather than a prediction of your own outcome. For a fuller discussion, see PASC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Time, Delivery Rules, and Results Timing
Your score is only as good as your ability to demonstrate knowledge under the testing conditions. The exam is delivered through Prolydian with Proctor360 live remote proctoring. Older language referencing Examity should not override the current Prolydian/Proctor360 instructions.
- Pace: 150 minutes across 120 questions leaves roughly 75 seconds per item on average. Multiple-response items and case-style stems deserve more time, so bank time on straightforward questions.
- Format rules: standard testing is English-only and closed book, with no calculators, notes, dual monitors, or ordinary breaks.
- Equipment: a desktop or laptop, webcam, microphone, and a private room are required, with identity and room checks. Tablets, phones, and Chromebooks do not meet the device requirements.
- Identification: current government photo/signature ID matching your registered name.
- Accommodations: approved accommodations are governed separately from the standard rules.
Results arrive approximately eight weeks after the administration, so plan around that gap if the credential affects a job application or promotion timeline.
Retakes and the Five-Year Window
If you do not pass, your retake options depend on your eligibility period. The current handbook permits testing and retakes for five years beginning on the first day of the next testing window after application approval. An older FAQ page counts the five years from the first test date instead. Where sources conflict, follow the current handbook, and confirm the specifics with the ABA before you rely on a particular end date. After eligibility expires, you need a new application, new documentation, and new fees.
Upcoming dates are on the ABA schedule: the next exam window is May 3-17, 2027, with an application deadline of March 9, 2027 and exam registration open January 12-April 13, 2027. See PASC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling for scheduling detail.
On cost, exam registration is USD 395 for Academy members and USD 440 for non-members, with a separate application fee of USD 125 or USD 160; the combined first application and exam is USD 520 or USD 600, excluding membership. A second-certification application receives a USD 50 application-fee reduction. Because a retake can mean additional spending, it is worth reviewing PASC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown before you commit to a window.
Planning Your Preparation Around the Scoring Model
Since your result rests on one overall raw score across 100 weighted items, a sensible plan allocates effort in proportion to blueprint weight while shoring up your own weakest areas. Here is one way to sequence a timeline, tied directly to the domain allocations above:
Assessment and Diagnosis (24%)
- Review pediatric diagnostic test batteries by developmental age
- Work through multiple-response practice on test interpretation
Case Management and Counseling (22%) and Habilitation/Rehabilitation (21%)
- Practice scenario-based counseling and care-coordination items
- Review amplification, verification, and intervention planning
Medical Audiology (16%)
- Revisit etiologies, medical referral criteria, and comorbidities
Professional and Regulatory Issues (9%) and Educational Audiology (8%)
- Cover ethics, scope of practice, and school-based service frameworks
- Finish with timed mixed-domain practice at 120 questions
Front-loading the two heaviest domains means the content most likely to move your raw score gets the longest runway. The smaller domains still matter, but a short, focused pass is usually enough if your clinical background already touches them. For a complete preparation framework, see PASC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and use the PASC Exam Prep practice questions to rehearse the single-answer and multiple-response formats under timed conditions.
Key Takeaway
Treat all 120 questions as scored, answer every one, and measure your readiness by consistent performance across the domains, weighted toward Assessment and Diagnosis and Case Management and Counseling, rather than by a percentage target the ABA does not publish.
Before you plan any of this, confirm that you qualify. Eligibility includes pediatric direct-patient and case-management hours that externship experience does not satisfy; see PASC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ABA does not publish a single universal passing percentage. Passing is criterion-referenced, uses modified Angoff standard setting, and is based on your overall raw score on the 100 scored items, with a difficulty adjustment.
The exam has 120 questions, but only 100 are scored. The other 20 are unscored beta items, and they are not identified, so you should answer every question carefully.
No. There is no guessing penalty, so leaving a question unanswered offers no scoring advantage. Select your best answer on every item, including multiple-response questions that have two or three correct options.
The program describes scoring on the overall raw score across the 100 scored items rather than a separate cut for each domain. Still, Assessment and Diagnosis (24%) and Case Management and Counseling (22%) carry the most weight, so gaps there cost the most.
Results arrive approximately eight weeks after the administration. If you need to retest, the current handbook allows testing and retakes for five years from the first day of the next testing window after your application is approved.
Understanding the scoring model removes the guesswork about what a "passing percentage" might be and points your effort where it counts. To see how the credential fits your career goals, explore Is the PASC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026, and when you are ready to rehearse the real format, head to the PASC practice test.