CPJE Scoring Guide

The CPJE, developed by the California Board of Pharmacy, tests your ability to practice pharmacy safely and communicate effectively in a clinical setting while adhering to laws and regulations unique to California. This article details CPJE scoring methodology, minimum passing scores, and how results are received.

How Is the CPJE Scored?

The California State Board of Pharmacy reports a CPJE result as a scaled score from 0 to 99. You must achieve a score from 75 to 99 to pass. Any score within the range of 0 to 74 will result in not passing. Scaled scores should not be interpreted as percentages. For example, a scaled CPJE score of 75 does not mean that you answered 75% of the questions correctly, nor does it mean that 75% of examinees will pass.

The California State Board of Pharmacy administers several exam versions, each with varying degrees of difficulty. Scaled scoring mitigates disparities between exam versions by raising or lowering the passing threshold based on an exam’s relative difficulty. 

How Are CPJE Scaled Scores Determined? 

CPJE passing scores are determined through a process called criterion-referencing. First, the California State Board of Pharmacy gathers pharmacists from a diverse range of schools and specializations into a Competence Committee. This committee is tasked with formulating a “minimum acceptable level of competence for safe practices” that candidates must meet to qualify for pharmacist licensure. Once these criteria are set, a psychometric consulting firm accounts for the pharmacists’ behaviors and develops a passing score that corresponds with the minimum competence criterion. Finally, the California State Board of Pharmacy calibrates the passing score to equal 75. 

Each unique exam form has a raw passing score, which is translated into a scaled passing score. To use a metaphor provided by the California State Board of Pharmacy:

“This is analogous to the way one adjusts numeric values in describing the boiling temperature when using Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales. The water still boils at the same temperature, regardless of the temperature scale that is used to measure the absolute temperature.”

Why Does the CPJE Use Scaled Scores?

CPJE results are reported as scaled scores to ensure fairness. The California Board of Pharmacy administers exams at different difficulty levels. Scaled scoring lessens disparity by lowering the raw passing scores of more difficult exams and raising the raw passing scores of easier exams.