What is 27/38 in CELPIP Reading?

During your mock exams, you will receive a "raw score" based on how many multiple-choice questions you answered correctly. A highly specific but common question is: what is 27 out of 38 in CELPIP reading?

1. The raw score to CLB conversion

Paragon Testing publishes an approximate chart rather than an exact formula, because the score needed varies slightly with the difficulty of your test form. On that official chart, Level 7 covers 24–28 correct answers and Level 8 starts at about 28, so a raw score of 27 out of 38 in Reading is CELPIP Level 7 (CLB 7), one or two answers short of CLB 8. See the full CELPIP Reading score chart.

2. What do you need for a CLB 9?

If you are aiming for the "magic" CLB 9 to maximize your Express Entry points, a 27 is just slightly too low. To comfortably secure a CLB 9 in Reading, you should aim for a raw score of at least 31 to 33 out of 38. This means you have very little room for error and must master the final, most difficult reading passage (Reading for Viewpoints).

3. Unscored items

Remember that your real test may contain unscored "dummy" questions used for research. Your raw score on practice tests is a great benchmark, but on the real exam, your focus should simply be on getting as many right as possible without worrying about the exact math.