Mechanical Failing Scores

[TxMechEng]

I've searched around this thread and I did not find any info on the mechanical fail scores. If you failed, please post your score, if you received it.

I'm going through the troubling period of trying to calculate whether I passed. Also, are we not allowed to share our scores on this site? If not, i apologize in advance.

 

[snickerd3]

once you get the results you will know if you passed or not.  Any guesses as to the cut score are a useless exercise.   What happened on previous offerings really isn't going to help on the current offering as the test is different.     

 

[TxMechEng]

I disagree....i took it twice before and the cut score was identical. I don't know if i can post the actual number but both exams were the same. I missed it by 2 questions the first time and 1 question the second time.

This is all assuming each question is weighed the same

 

[TxMechEng]

Those two exams I took were in 2015...I just wanted to see if it remained the same in April 2016. The October exam seemed quite easier than the previous ones I took. I don't know if I learned more if they made the exam easier and increased the cut score.

 

[glockjacket P.E.]

I disagree....i took it twice before and the cut score was identical. I don't know if i can post the actual number but both exams were the same. I missed it by 2 questions the first time and 1 question the second time.

This is all assuming each question is weighed the same

There is no way you know the cut score was identical.

 

[TxMechEng]

How is this so difficult to understand. 

First exam 67%   43 right

Second Exam 69% 44 right

Again, this is assuming each question is weighed the same.

 

[glockjacket P.E.]

How is this so difficult to understand. 

First exam 67%   43 right

Second Exam 69% 44 right

Again, this is assuming each question is weighed the same.

so you know your scores but you do not know the passing score.  Nothing says 45 right was passing.

 

[matt267 PE]

How is this so difficult to understand. 

Let's not get too worked up here.

The cut score, like the pencil color, is an obsession that we've all felt.

But, per the NCEES, a new "numerical passing score" is calculated each time:

Determining passing scores


When an exam is introduced or when its specifications change, a committee of subject-matter experts works with experienced psychometricians (testing experts with a background in statistics) to determine the level of performance that corresponds with minimal competence in that discipline. This becomes the passing score. NCEES does not publish passing scores because they change with each administration. NCEES scores each exam with no predetermined percentage of examinees that should pass or fail. All exams are scored the same way. First-time takers and repeat takers are graded to the same standard.


Equating


For subsequent administrations of the exam, statistical equating is used to ensure that this level of performance is consistent across multiple administrations of that exam. Essentially, this means that while the numerical passing score may change with each administration, you are not disadvantaged when one administration of a particular exam is more difficult than another. This process accounts for the 8- to 10-week interval between an exam administration and the release of scores to member licensing boards.

Your exam results are determined by the number of items you answered correctly for the exam in its entirety. There are no minimum requirements for particular sections or topics within an exam. You are not penalized for incorrect answers. You may request that your exam answer sheet be manually verified. A fee is charged for this service.

Instead of worrying about that, you should spam the spam thread: http://engineerboards.com/index.php?/topic/27382-october-2016-spam-athon-thread/&page=1

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I'm pretty sure the cut score is 79/80 every time. And anyone not preparing for the exam with that thought pattern is setting themselves up for failure.

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

As @glockjacket pointed out, you are erroneously assuming that because you scored 43/44 the cut score was 45.  You may have missed the cut score substantially or not (maybe it was 45, maybe it was 55).  The cut score, as discussed on this forum and elsewhere on the board, is unique to each exam. 

 

[JonA2B3]

I got 42 right on last October's Mechanical Systems & Materials exam and no where on my diagnostic does it give me an overall percentage. So I'm not sure where you came up with those percentages and if they are right or not.

 

[Klox23]

I got 42 right on last October's Mechanical Systems & Materials exam and no where on my diagnostic does it give me an overall percentage. So I'm not sure where you came up with those percentages and if they are right or not.

I can only assume by his username that he took the test in TX, where they give you an actual score.

 

[TxMechEng]

The percentage did not show up on my diagnostic. It showed up on the Texas Board website where the scores came out first.

 

[TxMechEng]

The Texas Board of Professional Engineers has a website where you can check your score. All it told me was fail and percentile.

I obtained the number correct from my diagnostic report.

 

[CU07]

There's no problem with you posting your total correct from your diagnostic or your state's scaled percentage.  The cut score is not a secret, but per Matt's excerpt, it varies by exam administration based on the relative difficulty of each examination.  As Audi Driver suggests, you should not go into an exam (or leave it) assuming if you get 45 right this time you will be fine, because an easier examination will have a higher cut score.  If the cut scores for both 2015 exams were identical, that's a coincidence.

 

[LifeSucks]

While I have to agree with everyone else that the determining cut scores is a useless exercise. What I can tell you is that I took the exam in April 2016 with 46 correct which yielded a 69% and a failed exam.

 

[Guest]

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[LifeSucks]

Forgive me... 46 out of 80 questions correct is a 57.5% score, not 69%. Was that intended to be a percentile ranking instead? Your percentages only make sense if you took a 64-question exam.

Yes, you are correct 46/80 for a raw score of 57.5%. 69% is what was provided by the Texas board.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

Forgive me... 46 out of 80 questions correct is a 57.5% score, not 69%. Was that intended to be a percentile ranking instead? Your percentages only make sense if you took a 64-question exam.

They may throw out a question or two on any given exam, but even that doesn't explain it.

 

[TxMechEng]

LifeDoesn'tSuck....what exam did you take? PM session as well?

I think you've answered my cut score question.

I know I shouldn't be worrying about this stuff....BUT I CAN'T STOP! The third exam felt easier to me than the previous two....the 2 likely scenarios are that the cut score will be increased or I actually learned the content this time. That's the reason I was seeking the fail score for mechanical in April 2016. To see if that exam had a higher cut score than the two exams I took in 2015.

If the cut score lies in the 45-47 range, I feel good.