Determining a “Pass Mark” in eLearning

One of the more common questions our clients ask is, “what should the pass mark be?” when it comes to eLearning.

At school and university, to pass a class or a paper, you must achieve at least 50%. Who said 50% should be the pass mark? And why should I, who admittedly only scored 58% in chemistry in my final school year, be deemed as competent in the subject?

Take a student pilot, for example. If we applied the same universal pass mark of 50% to every test and practical they complete, would we find this acceptable?

Next time as you scope out the requirements of your next eLearning module, consider a pass mark of 100%. It will not be too tough on the learners if:

1. The content adequately covers the learning objectives of the module
2. The assessment is written and set at the right level.

A pass mark of less than 100% may inadvertently encourage the “that’s good enough” mentality within your organisation.