1.3 Scoring, Test-Day Rules, and Remote Proctoring

Content knowledge gets you to the keyboard. Scoring rules and test-day logistics decide whether that knowledge is allowed to count.

How the score is built

HPCC reports a scaled score from 200 to 800. The passing scaled score is 500. Scaling exists so that a slightly harder form and a slightly easier form still mean the same thing: 500 is comparable across windows. Raw percent-correct is not a published passing rule, and you should not convert “I need 70%” into a personal cut score.

HPCC sets the standard with a modified Angoff process (subject-matter experts judge the probability that a minimally competent hospice/palliative RN would answer each scored item correctly) and then equates forms so difficulty differences do not move the pass line. The 15 pretest items do not enter the scaled score. Only the 135 scored items do.

Your report will include domain percent-correct. That breakdown is feedback only. You do not need to “pass Pain” and “pass Practice Issues” as separate hurdles. A very high Pain percent cannot rescue a scaled score under 500, and a weak Practice Issues percent does not fail you if the overall scaled score is 500 or higher. Use domain percents to target remediation if you retest; do not treat them as hidden passing rules.

You receive pass/fail on screen at the end of the appointment. PSI emails the detailed score report within 24 hours. Do not leave the session assuming a freeze-frame of the on-screen result is your official record; keep the PSI email.

The scheduled break (beginning March 2026)

Starting with the March 2026 window, HPCC offers one scheduled break for both test-center and LRP testers. The operational rule that catches people is not the existence of the break—it is the lock: you cannot return to previous questions after the break. If you have 20 flagged items in the first half, resolve them before you start the break. LRP testers must rescan the room after the break even if they do not take the break. Skipping coffee does not skip the rescan.

Plan the exam as two locked segments, not as one long quiz you can hop around for three hours after a hallway walk.

Test center versus Live Remote Proctoring

Choose the channel that matches your hardware, ID, and interruption risk—not the one that sounds more convenient in the abstract.

Test-center details

Bring two forms of identification. The primary ID must be a government-issued photo ID whose name matches the PSI confirmation. A mismatch between a married name on a license and a former name on the appointment is a preventable denial. Secondary ID follows PSI’s published list for that appointment type. Arrive 15 minutes early; late arrival can forfeit the seat and, because refunds are not allowed, that forfeiture is expensive.

LRP details that actually fail candidates

Google Chrome is the only supported browser. iPad, Chromebook, and other tablets will not work. RAM must be at least 8 GB; HPCC recommends 16 GB. Only one monitor is allowed. The camera must complete a 360-degree room scan; desktops generally need an external camera to do that. Headphones and earbuds should not be used. Employer laptops with locked-down firewalls are a frequent failure mode; HPCC recommends a personal computer and requires administrative rights if you insist on a work device.

On exam day you must launch within 30 minutes of the scheduled time. Missing that launch window is treated as a missed appointment, not as a casual late start.

If you are locked out of the HPCC/PSI account and cannot start, HPCC can help only Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A Saturday 7:00 a.m. LRP appointment plus a forgotten password is a failed attempt unless you already wrote down credentials. Outside those hours you will be allowed to retest in the same window if seats remain; otherwise HPCC waives the transfer fee into the next window. That waiver is for account lockout outside HPCC hours, not for “my internet dropped because someone started streaming.”

Conduct: major versus minor LRP violations

An LRP proctor who sees an irregularity issues a warning. A major violation terminates the examination immediately. Major examples HPCC lists include someone else in the room, explicit behavior or materials, covering the camera, browsing other websites, and photographing or recording the screen. Minor examples include talking, environment changes, poor device placement, looking away, or leaving the camera frame. A candidate may receive up to two minor warnings before termination. Treat “I will just check a text” as a termination risk, not as a gray area.

Electronic devices other than the testing computer—phones, smartwatches, second laptops—are not permitted. If your computer fails the system check and you cannot fix it, HPCC’s LRP FAQ states you forfeit the exam fee and must reapply. Run the system check on the actual machine, in the actual room, on the actual network, days before the appointment—not 20 minutes prior.

Some ADA accommodations cannot be delivered over LRP; those candidates should schedule a test center. Switching between center and LRP is allowed through the PSI account if you do it before the appointment, subject to seat availability.