1.3 Scoring, Percentiles, and Cutoffs

There is no single “passing score” number

Unlike many licensure exams that publish one cut score (for example, “75% to pass”), the NMAT reports norm-referenced results. Your job is not only to “not fail” a fixed bar but to earn a percentile rank (PR) that meets your target medical school’s requirement—and that PR is evaluated against the cutoff prescribed by the school or by CHED, whichever is higher.

CEM states that scores are official and guaranteed free of discrepancies, and that CEM does not entertain rechecking of NMAT answer sheets. Different forms use different questions; raw scores are converted through a process that accounts for form difficulty so reported scores remain comparable. Memorizing a rumor about “how many items correct equal 90 PR” is less useful than understanding the score products schools actually read.

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Standard scores (SS) on each subtest

Each of the eight subtests is expressed as a standard score (SS):

Interpretation in plain language:

• An SS near 500 is roughly average relative to the norm group CEM uses for scaling.
• An SS around 600 is about one standard deviation above that mean.
• An SS around 400 is about one standard deviation below.

Because each subtest is separately scaled, your profile can show, for example, strong Biology and weaker Perceptual Acuity. That profile still rolls into composites, but it also helps you decide what to repair before a retake.

Why equating matters

Each administered form measures the same basic skills and concepts with different questions. One form might be slightly easier or harder than another. Equating / scaled conversion adjusts raw performance so that a reported SS is meant to be comparable across forms and administrations. That is why CEM emphasizes that you should not treat a neighbor’s “I got 22/30 so you need 22/30” story as a universal conversion table.

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Composites: APT, SA, and GPS

CEM reports three composite layers built from the subtests:

Percentile rank (PR)

The NMAT GPS is reported with a corresponding percentile rank (PR) ranging from 1− to 99+, with a midpoint of 50. CEM defines the PR as indicating the percentage of NMAT examinees who have NMAT scores the same as or lower than the examinee.

Critical distinctions:

• PR is not “percent of questions you got right.”
• A 50 PR means you scored at or above about half of the examinee distribution referenced in the reporting scale—not that you answered half the items correctly.
• 99+ is the top reported band; 1− is the bottom band. Small raw differences near the extremes can still move reported ranks because the distribution is competitive.

How schools use the PR

Medical schools evaluate your PR against their cutoff. That cutoff is the minimum that qualifies you as a bona fide applicant for that school’s process. CHED’s commonly referenced standard minimum for MD-program eligibility is the 40th percentile rank, but many schools set higher bars. Always verify the current requirement of each school on your list—admissions pages and application packets change.

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Reading a score report like an admissions tool

When electronic results post, use them as a decision dashboard:

1. GPS + PR — Primary number schools cite.
2. APT vs SA — Did aptitude or content drive the composite? A high SA with low APT (or the reverse) tells you what to retrain.
3. Eight SS values — Find the lowest subtests; those become the spine of a retake plan.
4. School list mapping — Cross-check PR against each target school’s published or historical cutoff and against the two-year validity rule for your intended entry year.

Exam scenario

Carlo receives GPS PR 55. School A lists a minimum around the CHED-linked 40th percentile; School B historically expects something closer to the 80s. Carlo is eligible to apply to School A on the NMAT dimension but is not competitive at School B. His subtest SS shows Chemistry ~420 and Quantitative ~610. A retake plan that only drills more quantitative series will waste time; he needs chemistry content recovery and full-length timing so the composite PR can rise enough for School B before his admission year.

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Release timeline: electronic copy vs Examinee Report Form

Additional operational notes from CEM guidance:

• Keep email and mobile number current so you receive shipping notices.
• Courier timelines can differ for NCR vs provinces; CEM is not responsible for delay damages, but you may contact the Secretariat if the ERF has not arrived about two weeks after the scheduled release.
• After failed delivery attempts, documents can return to CEM; reshipping uses the official ERF request process.
• CEM will not disclose individual scores over the phone or ordinary email for confidentiality.
• Extra ERF copies involve a separate paid request process (fee + shipping as published).

“Business days” caution

20 CEM business days is not the same as 20 calendar days. Holidays and weekends extend the wait. If you need a score for a school deadline, choose an administration date with buffer—or plan a retake path that still fits the two-year admission rule.

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What CEM will not do: rechecks and “secret” form differences

• No rechecking of answer sheets upon examinee request.
• Forms differ in items but are built to measure the same skills; scaled scores are the comparison language, not raw counts swapped between friends who sat different dates.
• Your obtained scores in a given examination year are treated as sufficient basis for evaluating applications; CEM encourages aiming for your best scores to widen school options.

Common misconceptions to drop

How this feeds your study target

Set a PR target from your school list, not from social-media averages alone. If the most selective school you will actually apply to historically expects a high PR, training to “just above 40” is a strategic error even though 40 may be the national reference minimum. Later chapters build content and aptitude skill; this section sets the scoreboard those skills must move.