Pass Fail Calculator
One subject against its pass line — the 33% CBSE rule, the compartment case, and the mark that decides.
Pass Fail Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Single-subject gate — multi-subject roll-ups stay on the marks page
- Compartment rules summarized from CBSE's published criteria
In short: 26 of 80 is 32.500000% — below the line. The 33% CBSE pass rule on an 80-mark paper lands at 26.4, and the line rounds up to 27 because no fractional mark is awarded: 26 fails by exactly 1. CBSE passes Class 10 and 12 at 33% in each subject, theory and practical separately where the paper splits; failing one or two subjects sends a candidate to the compartment exam for just those papers, not the whole year.
Formula
pass line = ceil(pass% × total ÷ 100) ··· margin = marks − line
The gate is a mark count, not a percentage feeling: convert the pass percentage to a whole-mark line by ceiling, then subtract. The 33% rule is CBSE's for both Class 10 and Class 12, applied to each subject and, where a paper splits into theory and practical, to each component separately — 33% of the 20-mark internal is 6.6, which rounds to 7. Fail one or two subjects and CBSE seats you in the compartment exam for those papers; fail more than two and the year repeats. Universities commonly gate at 40% — a convention, quoted as one. The line, not the adjective, is what this page computes.
Worked Example
- Enter the marks this subject awarded.
- Enter the paper's total.
- Set the pass percentage your board uses.
- Read the line and your margin in marks.
Defaults: 26 of 80 against 33% → the line is 27 (26.4 rounded up), so 26 fails by 1. Drive the marks to 27 → 33.750000%, a pass by exactly 0 — the line itself, nothing more. At 52 the same paper reads 65.000000% and clears the line by 25.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Fractional pass lines rounded up, named, shown
- Component-wise (theory/practical) rule explained
Where it stops
- No multi-subject fail-count — run each subject
Practical Use Cases
Board results day
each subject against its line
Compartment decisions
which papers get retaken
University gates
the 40% convention priced
Methodology & Editorial Standards
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Pass Fail Calculator — 8 Expert FAQs
8 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
What is the CBSE pass mark?
33% in every subject, for both Class 10 and Class 12, under the CBSE examination rules. Where a paper splits into theory and practical — Science's 80+20, Physics' 70+30 — the candidate must reach 33% in the components separately as well as 33% overall. One number, applied twice.
Why does 33% of 80 become 27 marks?
33% of 80 is 26.4, and no examiner awards four tenths of a mark, so the requirement rounds up to the first whole mark that satisfies the percentage: 27. Scoring exactly 27 gives 33.750000% — above the line, by design. The ceiling is the honest reading of any fractional pass line.
What happens if I fail one subject?
Under CBSE rules, failing one or two subjects makes you eligible for the compartment examination — you reappear in the failed papers only, the same syllabus, within the board's schedule. Fail more than two and the year must repeat instead. The compartment exists so one bad paper does not cost twelve months of every subject.
Do internal assessment marks count toward the line?
They count toward the subject total — the classic 80+20 split — but CBSE also demands 33% of the internal itself, which is 6.6, rounded to 7 of 20. Both gates apply: the combined subject and each component. Enter the combined marks here and check the components on the certificate.
Is the pass mark 33 everywhere?
No — 33% is CBSE's rule; many universities pass at 40%, and some professional courses gate higher. The field takes any percentage from 1 to 99 so the same page prices a school term, a board paper, or a university module. Set the number your institution actually uses.
I scored exactly on the line — do I pass?
Yes. The line is the minimum satisfying mark: 27 of 80 clears a 33% gate because 27 ≥ 26.4 rounded up. Margins of zero feel nervous but pass — the page prints 'by 0' rather than flattering or frightening you about it.
Does an overall pass require every subject?
At CBSE, yes: each of the five subjects must clear 33% individually. There is no averaging across subjects that rescues a failed paper — a 90% in one subject cannot lend marks to a 30% in another. Run each subject through the page separately.
What is the difference between this and a marks percentage?
The Marks Percentage page prices an aggregate — how high across everything. This page gates one subject — whether it clears its own line. Results day needs both: the gate for each paper, the aggregate for the form.