BCBR exam pattern and marking scheme

The numbers, and what each one means for your preparation.

The pass mark comes from the official course page, and the timing, exam dates and registration last dates from the course’s own announcements, which I have put together on the exam dates page. The number of questions, the question types and the marking are what I saw when I gave the exam.

No negative marking

This is the most important line in the table, and many people ignore it. There is no minus mark for a wrong answer, so a wrong answer and a blank both give you zero. A guess can only help you.

So never leave any question blank. Not the confusing ones, not the ones you are tired of, not the last one when time is up. Even if you pick randomly out of four options, you still have a 1 in 4 chance of getting a mark.

Many of us have the habit of leaving questions blank from entrance exams, where wrong answers do get minus marks. In BCBR that habit only loses you marks.

The pass mark is 50, not 100

You need only half the paper. So you don’t have to master all 23 lectures. You need to be sure about half of it, and guess sensibly on the rest.

It also means your practice target is not 100%. Aim to be well above 50, so that even on a bad day you still pass. BCBR Buddy’s readiness score works exactly like this. It checks whether even your worst likely score is above 50, not just your average.

Three hours is not a constraint

At 1.8 minutes per question, nobody fails because of time. You can read every question twice and still finish early.

That is why I did not put any speed drills or countdown pressure in the app. Practising for speed only teaches you to rush, and this exam needs careful reading.

Question types

The paper has normal four-option MCQs and true/false questions. BCBR Buddy has about 87% MCQs and 13% true/false, and the mock test keeps the same mix, so it feels like the real exam.

One thing about the MCQs: “All of the above” and “Both a and b” come often. When two options both look correct, it is usually a hint to look for the option that combines them, instead of picking one.

What to do with all this

• Answer every question. Never leave a blank.
• Aim for a practice score well above 50, not 100%.
• Don’t practise for speed. Practise so you recognise the questions.
• Register for your exam first, then plan backwards from that date. Registration closes about 2-4 weeks before each exam, so the exam you can still register for may not be the next one on the calendar.