CDCES exam: length, scoring and who passes

A common reading of the pass mark is that you need 70 percent of the questions right. The exam is not scored that way. Your raw result is placed on a scale, and passing means 70 or higher on CBDCE's 0–99 scaled range.

That cut came out of an Angoff study run after the 2023 practice analysis: a panel of experts in the field judged each question to fix how many right answers a passing candidate needs, and the result was tied to a scale used for every form. Since each form is a little easier or harder than the last, the number of correct answers required for a 70 shifts, and no fixed percentage is published.

The board reports results by testing year, July to June, and the figure above comes from the latest report. Put the other way, about two in five first-timers fell short. The year before, the first-time rate was a little higher. In both years first-time candidates at a PSI test center did better than first-timers testing remotely, and repeat candidates passed far less often than first-timers; the table gives each figure.

Some prep sites still quote a rate in the low 70s. It matches neither of the board's last two reports.

The verdict appears the moment you submit, and an emailed report comes after it; the table has the timing. It shows your scaled total and a raw score for each of the three domains. Only the scaled total decides the result.

The domain scores earn their keep after a fail. Care and Education Interventions holds 105 of the scored items, so it carries more of the total than the other two domains combined, and the domain line there is the one to read first.

Attempts have no cap; what matters is meeting the eligibility rules in force when you reapply. Every new attempt starts with its own application and fee, and the 2026 handbook sets no waiting period between attempts (read Nov 13, 2026); the practical wait is approval plus an open PSI appointment.

Since you reapply from scratch, your diabetes hours are counted back from the new application date. If they were close to the minimum the first time, check them before you reapply.