Pass / Fail from a Threshold

Excel Formulas › Education & Grading

All versionsIF

Flag whether a score meets a passing cutoff with IF — the simplest grading decision, extendable to multiple bands or a points-needed-to-pass calculation.

Quick formula: pass or fail against a cutoff:
=IF(score >= passing_score, "Pass", "Fail")
If the score meets or beats the cutoff, return Pass; otherwise Fail.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

IF

The example

Cutoff 70.

AB
1ScoreResult
274Pass
363Fail

The formula

The formula:

=IF(B2 >= 70, "Pass", "Fail") // score ≥ cutoff

How it works

How it works:

  1. IF(score >= cutoff, "Pass", "Fail") compares the score to the passing threshold.
  2. Use >= so a score exactly on the cutoff passes.
  3. Add conditions for more outcomes: Pass / Borderline / Fail with nested IF or IFS.
  4. Compute points needed to pass a course from remaining weight with a short rearrangement.

How many points to pass? If the final is worth 30% and the course needs 70 overall, the score required on the final is (70 - earned_so_far) / final_weight. Wrapping that in MAX(0, …) and MIN(…, 100) tells a student exactly what they need — or that passing is no longer possible.

Try it: interactive demo

Live demo

Score and passing cutoff.

Result:

Variations

Three bands

Borderline tier:

=IFS(score>=70,"Pass", score>=65,"Borderline", TRUE,"Fail")

Points needed on final

To reach the cutoff:

=MAX(0, (target - earned) / final_weight)

Count who passed

Class tally:

=COUNTIF(results, "Pass")

Pitfalls & errors

>= vs >. Decide whether the exact cutoff passes — use >= to include it.

Order IFS bands. Highest threshold first, or a lower band catches everyone.

Quote the text. "Pass"/"Fail" are text strings — keep them in quotes.

Practice workbook

📊
Download the free Pass / Fail from a Threshold practice workbook
A pass/fail sheet with the three-band, points-needed, and count-passed variants, plus 4 challenges with answers. No sign-up required.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a pass/fail formula in Excel?
Use =IF(score >= passing_score, "Pass", "Fail"). Use >= so a score on the cutoff passes.
How do I add a borderline category?
Use IFS with thresholds high to low: =IFS(score>=70,"Pass", score>=65,"Borderline", TRUE,"Fail").
How do I find the score needed on a final to pass?
Use =MAX(0, (target - earned_so_far) / final_weight) to get the required final score.

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Related formulas: Yes/no from a test · Nested IF · Letter grade from score

Function references: IF