How the APC Written Assessment is scored
The APC Written Assessment does not use a raw percentage. Here is how the Rasch scaled scoring model works, what the 500 pass mark means, and how your results are reported.
Published 2026-09-18, updated 2026-10-05.
The Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) Written Assessment — the second stage of the Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway (APEP) — uses a highly specific statistical model for scoring. It does not grade you with a simple raw percentage, such as needing 70% to pass.
The passing threshold
The absolute passing standard is a scaled score of 500. If your combined scaled score across the three core clinical areas — Musculoskeletal, Neurological and Cardiorespiratory — is 500 or above, you pass. Below 500, you fail.
How scaled scoring works (the Rasch framework)
The APC uses the Rasch measurement framework to calculate your scaled score, ensuring fairness across different testing cohorts.
- Paper difficulty adjustment: because the exam draws from a large bank of questions, no two candidates sit exactly the same paper. The Rasch model statistically adjusts your score for the difficulty of the specific questions you were given.
- Fixed standard, not a curve: you are not competing against other candidates. Your performance is measured against a fixed competency standard representing a safe, entry-level Australian physiotherapist. If everyone in your cohort meets the standard, everyone passes.
Key marking rules
- No negative marking: there are zero penalties for incorrect answers or skipped questions. If you do not know an answer, make an educated guess — eliminate the distractors and choose.
- Total performance matters: pass/fail is based on your total accumulated scaled score. A strong Musculoskeletal performance can buffer a weaker Cardiorespiratory performance, provided your overall score reaches 500.
How results are reported
The APC emails results within six weeks of the exam: an overall Pass or Fail with your scaled score, which the Information Booklet says reflects your overall performance across the paper. Keep the number. It tells you how far from 500 you landed, which is the most useful fact you have when planning the next step, whether that is the Capability Assessment or another sitting.
If you do not pass
There is no limit on the number of times you can attempt the Written Assessment. The APC requires a 14-day wait before you apply again and charges the full fee for every sitting: A$2,017 until 20 October 2026 and A$2,078 from 21 October 2026. Because the exam runs four times a year, a resit in practice means the next scheduled date. Our guide to the format, cost and dates has the current calendar.
Questions people ask
- What is the pass mark for the APC Written Assessment?
- A scaled score of 500. The APC converts raw marks to a scaled score with the Rasch measurement framework so that papers of different difficulty are judged against the same standard.
- Is there negative marking in the APC Written Assessment?
- No. Incorrect and blank answers score the same, so every question should be answered.
- Is the APC Written Assessment graded on a curve?
- No. You are measured against a fixed standard of safe entry-level practice, not ranked against the other candidates sitting the same day.