Q: What is a Raw Score?
A: Your raw score is the simplest part – it’s just the number of questions you answered correctly.
Example:
-
- Test has 100 questions
- You get 72 correct → your raw score = 72
Raw scores are not your final score.
Q: Why Don’t Exams Just Use Raw Scores?
A: Not all exam forms are exactly the same. Some forms are slightly harder or easier than others.
If raw scores were used:
- Someone with an easier test would have an advantage
- Scores would not be fair or comparable
Simple analogy: Imagine two grocery stores using scales to measure the same three apples:
- One scale reads heavier at 1.1 lb
- One scale reads lighter at .75 lb
Customers wouldn’t be treated fairly as some customers would pay more. So, just like stores adjust scales so a pound is always a pound, ICC uses scaled scores so results are fair.
Q: What is the Angoff Score (Passing Score)?
A: The Angoff score is how the passing standard is set.
- A group of experts determines what a “minimally competent” candidate should know
- They estimate how many people should get the question correct
- Those estimates are averaged to set the passing score
Simple analogy: Think of setting the height of a basketball hoop for beginners:
- Experts decide what height is reasonable
- That height becomes the standard
The Angoff score defines what it takes to pass.
Q: What is a Scaled Score?
A: A scaled score is your raw score after it has been adjusted for fairness.
- Raw scores are converted onto a common scale
- This ensures scores mean the same thing across different test versions
For ICC Certification exams:
- Scores are reported on a scale where 75 = passing
Key point: Scaled scores aren’t percentages, they show how your performance compares to a set standard.
Q: How Raw Scores are Converted to Scaled Scores
A: Because exam forms vary in difficulty:
- A lower raw score on a harder exam might still pass
- A higher raw score on an easier exam might be needed to pass
Example:
- You get 72 correct (raw score)
- After scaling → your score becomes 82 (scaled score),
Or:
- On exam form A, 70% correct could equal a scaled 75 (pass)
- On exam form B, 85% correct could also equal scaled 75 (pass)
It depends on how difficult the exam form was and where the passing bar was set.
Q: Why Use This System?
A: This system ensures fairness by:
- Keeping the passing standard consistent
- Adjusting for exam form difficulty differences
- Allowing accurate comparison across exam forms
No matter which form of the exam you take – passing always means the same level of ability.
Final Summary
- Raw score = questions you got right
- Angoff score = sets the passing standard
- Scaled score = adjusts results so scores are fair
The Angoff method decides what counts as passing – scaling ensures passing means the same thing for everyone.
Bottom line:
Even if exam forms vary slightly in difficulty, a passing score represents the same level of minimal competence.