How Regents Exams Are Scored: Raw Scores, Scale Scores, and the Number You Actually Need

Almost every New York student knows you need a 65 to pass a Regents exam. Far fewer understand what that 65 actually measures — and the gap causes a lot of needless anxiety. Here is how Regents scoring really works.

Raw score vs. scale score

There are two different numbers in play. Your raw score is simply the number of points you earn — one per correct multiple-choice answer, plus points for constructed responses. But the grade that lands on your transcript is the scale score, reported from 0 to 100. New York converts your raw score into a scale score using an official conversion chart.

The key thing to understand: the scale score is not a straight percentage of the points you earned.

The conversion chart changes every exam

Different versions of an exam vary slightly in difficulty. To keep the passing standard meaning the same thing every June, August, and January, NYSED runs a process called standard setting and publishes a fresh conversion chart for each administration — released only after the exam.

The practical result: on many exams, a raw score below 65% of the available points still converts to a scale 65. The curve tends to be more generous on exams with harder constructed-response sections. But the exact mapping is different every time, so you can never count on a specific cushion in advance. The only safe strategy is to maximize raw points.

What 65 and 85 mean

• 65 — the passing scale score on every Regents exam, and the level that counts toward a diploma.
• 85 and above — widely treated as the "mastery" threshold, and it can count toward advanced diploma designations.

Appeals and safety nets

A score just below passing is not always the end of the road. Students who score 60–64 on a required exam may, under specific conditions, be eligible to appeal so the score counts as passing. Some students also qualify for alternative graduation pathways. These rules come with conditions and change over time, so treat your school counselor as the authority for your own situation.

How to read your practice scores

• Treat a practice score as a compass, not a GPS. It shows direction — improving or not — more reliably than it predicts an exact exam grade.
• Aim for a comfortable cushion above 65. Because the real curve is unknown until exam day, a margin is your insurance.
• Score yourself by topic. Knowing you miss 40% of plate-tectonics questions is far more useful than a single overall percentage.
• Always review the misses. Understanding why the right answer is right is what actually moves the next score.

NY Regents Quiz scores your full-length mock exams by NYS topic, shows your weak areas, and gives an instant explanation on every question — so each practice run tells you exactly what to fix next. Browse the subjects and start free.

NY Regents Quiz is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with the New York State Education Department. Scoring rules, conversion charts, and graduation requirements can change — always confirm current details with your school counselor or NYSED.