1.2 Scoring, Points, Passing Score & Retakes

1.2 Scoring, Points, Passing Score & Retakes

Quick Answer: Commercial CSWA requires 70% of 240 points (168 points). Points come from five weighted categories; Assembly alone is 120. Wrong numeric mass/CoM or failed mates typically score zero for the whole item—not partial credit. Retakes need a 14-day wait and a new exam credit each attempt.

Understanding the CSWA scoreboard changes how you practice. This is not a curve-graded classroom quiz. SOLIDWORKS awards predetermined point values per item; you either hit the accepted answer (or accepted choice) or you do not. Near-miss models that look “basically right” still fail if Mass Properties reports 12.47 g when the key is 12.53 g because a fillet radius was off by 0.5 mm.

Passing Scores: Commercial vs Academic Language

Trap: Do not mix targets. If you bought a commercial credit, aim for 168. If your school runs CSWA-Academic with a published 165 line, use that. This guide defaults commercial candidates to 168 and notes the academic 165 variant so you are not surprised in a classroom setting.

Pass-rate language (do not invent precision)

SOLIDWORKS publishes no CSWA pass rate. No figure appears on the commercial Design Associate page, the CSWA-Academic page, the certification program catalog, or the certification FAQ. The number in wide circulation—roughly 64%—is published by SolidProfessor, a third-party training vendor, as an industry average alongside the pass rate for its own prep course. Treat it as a vendor statistic, not an exam-owner statistic, and do not repeat it as though Dassault Systèmes stood behind it.

The practical consequence: there is no official base rate to anchor on, and no published curve or cohort adjustment. Your personal probability is driven by assembly mates, unit discipline, and timed modeling practice—not by a headline fraction. Plan to clear 168 points on your own merits.

How Points Are Actually Earned

All-or-nothing item scoring

For modeling items, the exam client usually accepts:

• A numeric entry (mass, volume, center-of-mass coordinate), or
• A multiple-choice selection among listed numeric values or statements.

If your model’s mass is wrong, the entire 15-point or 30-point item is typically lost. There is no partial credit for completing five of six features correctly when the sixth feature (or wrong material) corrupts Mass Properties. That is why CSWA rewards verification habits (rebuild, Mass Properties, measure) as much as feature knowledge.

Category math you should internalize

Exam scenario: You are excellent at parts but weak at mates. Missing three assemblies (90 points) leaves 150 even with a perfect remaining 150 from other categories—below 168. Assembly weakness is a failing strategy, not a “later chapter” luxury.

Conversely, missing all drafting (15) still leaves 225 available. Drafting is still worth studying because 15 points is the difference between 160 and 175 when you are near the cut, but it is a terrible sole focus.

Answer Format Rules That Affect Scoring

Units: MMGS discipline

Many CSWA modeling problems instruct you to work in MMGS (millimeter, gram, second). If you leave the template in IPS (inch, pound, second) and type a mass without converting, your number will not match the key even if the geometry is perfect.

Before you sketch on a part item:

1. Open Document Properties → Units (or set units when the problem states them).
2. Confirm MMGS (or whatever the stem requires).
3. Confirm decimal precision for mass/length display—problems commonly expect two decimal places.
4. Assign the specified material so density is correct before Mass Properties.

Numeric precision

Answers are frequently graded to two decimal places (for example, mass 245.67 g or CoM X = 12.30 mm). Rounding early in intermediate calculations, using wrong density, or measuring relative to a moved origin are classic zero-point outcomes.

Center of mass relative to the default origin

Part items often ask for the center of mass relative to the default part origin, not a random sketch midpoint. If you moved the body, used an incorrect base plane, or mirrored about the wrong plane, CoM coordinates drift even when mass looks plausible.

Materials are scoring inputs

Mass = density × volume (in consistent units). Selecting 1060 Alloy when the problem specified AISI 1020 changes mass without any sketch error. Always re-read the material line after you finish features.

What “No Partial Credit” Means in Practice

Practice until Mass Properties is a ritual, not a panic button in the last 30 seconds of a question.

Retake Policy (Hard Logistics)

SOLIDWORKS’s official CSWA page states:

• There is a minimum 14-day waiting period between every attempt of the CSWA exam.
• A CSWA exam credit must be purchased for each exam attempt.

Implications:

1. You cannot “retry tomorrow.” A failed Thursday attempt blocks retesting until the 14-day clock clears.
2. Failure is expensive. Another ~$99 (or your local credit price) is due for each new attempt.
3. Credits are not free retries. Academic vouchers and commercial purchases both map to attempt rights—know whether your school covers one attempt or more.
4. Use the wait. The 14 days should be a deliberate remediation plan: assembly mate drills, timed part rebuilds, unit checklists—not idle calendar time.

Recommended post-fail review loop

1. Write down which category felt weak (part vs assembly vs drafting)—do not only remember “I failed.”
2. Rebuild two assembly practice models under a timer until mates + Mass Properties are automatic.
3. Rebuild two advanced multi-feature parts with forced unit/material verification.
4. Re-take a full timed sample under three-hour conditions before spending the next credit.

Scoring Strategy Implications (Preview of 1.3)

• Protect the 120 assembly points in both study hours and exam order decisions.
• Never leave a modeling item without Mass Properties verification against the problem’s unit system.
• Near the cut score, 5-point drafting items are cheap insurance—budget a few minutes for them instead of spending 40 minutes polishing a hopeless advanced part.
• Remember academic variants may use 165 or split 90-minute parts; commercial candidates still plan for a single 180-minute continuous session and 168 points.

Credential Side of Scoring

Passing unlocks the electronic certificate and digital badge. Directory listing is optional and controlled in your certification account after you pass. Scoring itself is binary for credential purposes: pass or not—there is no published “CSWA with honors” band on the standard Mechanical Design associate exam. Focus on clearing 168 (or your academic threshold) with clean modeling, not on maximizing an unpublished percentile.