How many questions can you answer correctly on the ASP or CSP exam and still pass?
This question comes up in every exam-preparation group, and candidates often throw around numbers like 110 or 114 as if they were safe thresholds to rely on. But these numbers do not represent a fixed rule, and building your preparation strategy around them could lead to an unexpected surprise on exam day.
This article explains in detail how BCSP determines the passing score, what Scaled Score and Cut Score mean, and what changes from one exam version to another.
Exam Structure: From the 200 Questions to the Actual Score
Both the ASP (Associate Safety Professional) and CSP (Certified Safety Professional) exams consist of 200 questions. However, not all of these questions count toward your final score.
Twenty-five of the 200 questions are pilot questions, which BCSP (Board of Certified Safety Professionals) randomly includes in the exam to evaluate their suitability for use in future exam versions. You will not know which questions are pilot questions and which are scored, so treat every question as if it counts. However, your actual score is based on only 175 questions.
Why Is There No Fixed Passing Score?
Many professional exams use a clear passing percentage. For example, on the CFPS exam, you need to answer 70 questions correctly to pass. However, BCSP exams do not work this way, and the reason is objective.
BCSP administers multiple versions of its exams that can vary in difficulty. For example, an exam version you take in January may differ significantly in difficulty from the version your colleague takes in April. If a fixed passing score were used for everyone, candidates who happened to receive a more difficult version would be unfairly penalized, while those who received an easier version would benefit without having demonstrated any additional competence. This is what the conversion to a Scaled Score is designed to address.
The Scaled Score
The Scaled Score is the mechanism designed to ensure fairness among all candidates, regardless of which exam version they happen to receive.
Under this system, you answer the questions, and your correct responses (Raw Score) are then converted into a standardized score on a fixed scale using a mathematical process that takes into account the difficulty level of that particular exam version. This allows all candidates to be evaluated on the same basis: demonstrated competence rather than simply the number of questions answered correctly.
For Example
Let’s assume that Exam Version A is significantly more difficult than Version B. A candidate taking Version A might reach the passing level with 108 correct answers out of 175, while a candidate taking Version B might need 118 correct answers to achieve the same Scaled Score. The required level of professional competence is the same, but the number of correct answers needed to reach it varies.
This explains why no one, including BCSP itself, can tell you exactly how many questions you can get wrong and still pass.
Understanding the Cut Score and How It Is Determined
The Cut Score is the minimum Scaled Score you need to reach in order to pass the exam. This threshold is not based on personal judgment or arbitrary estimation; it is established through a structured, scientific process.
Psychometric Test
Psychometric Testing (psychometric assessment, or educational measurement) is the scientific method BCSP uses to determine the Cut Score. BCSP brings together a panel of professional practitioners in the safety field, who go through a structured evaluation process known as Standard Setting.
During this process, the experts review each question individually and estimate the probability that a candidate who possesses the minimum acceptable level of professional competence required for certification would answer it correctly. The sum of these judgments produces the Raw Cut Score, which is then converted into a Scaled Score that becomes the threshold separating passing from failing.
Why Does the Cut Score Change?
The Cut Score is not a value that is set once and then forgotten. BCSP reviews it periodically, and it can change with each update to the Exam Blueprint. When new professional domains are added to the exam or the weighting of existing domains is revised, the psychometric study is conducted again, and the Cut Score is re-established.
This means that the Cut Score applied to an exam version three years ago may not be the same as the Cut Score used today.
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So, Where Did the Numbers 110 and 114 Come From, and Why Can’t You Rely on Them?
These numbers most likely originated from score reports of candidates who passed during certain periods. They were then circulated among candidates in forums and groups as if they were fixed, official thresholds. But the context is important here.
Any score reported by a successful candidate is tied to a specific exam version, on a specific date, and to the scoring conversion used for that particular version. Applying that number to a different exam version—or after an Exam Blueprint update—completely removes it from its original context.
The right approach to exam preparation is to maximize your Scaled Score and aim for as much margin above the Cut Score as possible, rather than trying to reach a widely circulated number whose accuracy and date you have not verified.
I know you still need one more confirmation. So, let’s take that confirmation from the same widely circulated image showing the passing score.
Have you noticed that it says CSP11-1, even though the Blueprint is numbered CSP11, not CSP11-1?
This confirms that the passing score shown applies specifically to that particular exam version, which was designed according to CSP11 and was Version 1—not the passing score for the CSP exam as a whole.
BCSP’s Position on Publishing Passing Rates
The Credentials At-A-Glance document is the official concise reference published by BCSP. It outlines the requirements for each credential, including educational qualifications, work experience, fees, exam duration, and recertification requirements.
In previous editions of this document, a passing rate was listed for each credential. However, the current edition no longer includes this information. This indicates that BCSP itself no longer publishes a passing-rate figure that candidates can use as a target. In other words, there is no official, fixed passing percentage that candidates can rely on for exam preparation.
Refer to the latest Credentials At-A-Glance
Summary
The passing score for the ASP and CSP exams is not a single fixed number. BCSP uses a Scaled Score system to ensure fairness among candidates across different exam versions, while the Cut Score is established through a scientific psychometric process that is reviewed when the Exam Blueprint is updated.
The numbers commonly circulated in exam-preparation groups are tied to specific contexts and may not apply to the exam version you will take. The credentialing body itself no longer publishes an official passing percentage.
The right strategy is to prepare thoroughly and build a sufficient margin above any potential Cut Score, rather than aiming for a minimum threshold based on incomplete or outdated information.
If you are preparing for the ASP or CSP exam and want a structured preparation program covering the full current Blueprint, with realistic practice questions and detailed explanations, the Infinite HSE ASP/CSP Exam Preparation Course is designed specifically for this purpose. Explore the course now and start your preparation on the right foundation.
FAQ
Is there a fixed passing score for the ASP and CSP exams?
What is a scaled score, and how is it different from the raw score?
What is the cut score, and how is it set?
Are commonly quoted numbers like 110 and 114 accurate and reliable?
Why did BCSP stop publishing pass rates in the Credentials At-A-Glance document?
How many questions actually count on the ASP/CSP exams?
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