Exam scoring
How is the CRPO exam scored?
Facts checked against CRPO's and Ontario's official sources on October 21, 2026.
The CRPO Registration Examination is scored by adding up the weights of the options you select, from +3 for an option of central importance to the client's care down to -3 for one that is gravely damaging. Those points form two separate raw totals, one for Information Gathering and one for Decision Making, and you must reach the passing score in both to pass the exam. The pass mark is set for each version of the exam and is not a fixed percentage.
The weights, from +3 to -3
The Resource Manual (Table 1) gives every option a weight "based on the level of appropriateness for good client care":
| Weight | What it means (from the Resource Manual) |
|---|---|
| +3 | Of central importance for good client care: omission would result in serious damage to the client |
| +2 | Strongly facilitative of good client care |
| +1 | Mildly facilitative of good client care |
| 0 | Does not contribute to client care but does not cause the client harm |
| -1 | Mildly detrimental to client care |
| -2 | Seriously detrimental to client care |
| -3 | Gravely damaging to client care |
Options you do not select score nothing, positive or negative. A +3 therefore costs you three points when you leave it out, and a -2 costs you two points when you take it.
How a section adds up
A section's score is the sum of the weights you selected. The manual's own worked example shows why neither clicking everything nor playing safe works. In its sample section, with a pass mark of 6:
- a candidate who chose four well-judged options scored 6 and passed;
- a candidate who chose six options, all of them positive, scored 8 and passed;
- a candidate who chose five options, including a -2, scored 4 and did not pass;
- a candidate who chose every option scored 0, exactly the same as a candidate who chose none.
The manual also notes that the mix of weights differs from section to section, so choosing options by how many are on the list does not help. Count nothing; judge each option on what it would do for this client at this point.
A section you skip earns no points, and you cannot go back to it. How sections and simulations are laid out is explained in the exam format guide.
Two totals, and you must pass both
Every simulation has a benchmark for its Information Gathering sections and one for its Decision Making sections. Across the nine scored simulations, your IG points add up to one total and your DM points to another. In the manual's words: "Candidates must achieve total raw passing scores in both IG and DM to successfully complete the Registration Examination."
Two things follow:
- Within a stream, sections balance out. A weak section is not fatal. The manual says that if you fall below the pass mark in one section, "you can still achieve the pass-score by being sufficiently above the pass-score in another section."
- Between streams, nothing balances out. A strong IG total cannot make up for a DM total below its pass mark, or the reverse. Gathering is half the exam, scored on its own, and so is deciding.
The unscored pilot simulation does not count toward either total.
How the pass mark is set
CRPO does not publish a pass mark before the exam, and there is no fixed percentage to aim for. The passing point for each form is set by COMPASS's test development committee, using a criterion-referenced, 10-step process that includes a modified Angoff method. The exact passing point varies from one version of the exam to another, depending on the scored simulations it contains, and linear equating is used to keep the versions parallel in difficulty.
Any figure quoted as "the" CRPO pass mark is a guess. The practice cases in the CRPO Exam Lab use a training benchmark of 60% of each section's positive points, rounded up: a consistent standard to train against, not a prediction of the real cut score. The How the exam works module shows the arithmetic on real practice sections.
What your score sheet shows
Results come six to eight weeks after the exam. COMPASS emails you a single-page PDF score report, and CRPO sends a results notice with your next steps. CRPO's page puts it simply: "Candidates do not receive a 'grade' but will be notified of a pass or fail."
According to the Resource Manual, the score sheet shows:
- your Information Gathering result and your Decision Making result;
- the passing score required in each;
- the highest scores candidates achieved in each at the same administration.
It does not show item-by-item results. You will not learn which options cost you points or how you did in any one simulation. What it does tell you is which stream fell short and by how much, which is where a second attempt should start: see I failed the CRPO exam.
Common questions
What is the pass mark for the CRPO exam?
There is no fixed pass mark. COMPASS sets the passing point for each version of the exam with a modified Angoff method and equates versions for difficulty, so it is not published in advance.
Can a strong Information Gathering score make up for weak Decision Making?
No. The two are separate totals and you must pass both. Within each stream, though, a strong section can make up for a weak one.
Do wrong answers lose points?
Yes. Options weighted -1 to -3 subtract from your total when you select them, and an option you leave unselected scores zero.
What is the CRPO exam pass rate?
CRPO reports an average pass rate of 85% over the past eight years. The pass rate guide explains what that figure does and does not tell you.