The short answer: you need a scaled score of 500 to pass the NHIE. But there's a little more worth understanding about how that number works, because "500" isn't the same as "answer 500 questions right."
How the 200–800 scale works
The NHIE uses scaled scoring that runs from 200 at the low end to 800 at the high end. A 500 is the passing line, and it corresponds to roughly 70% of scored questions answered correctly. The reason the score is scaled rather than a raw percentage is fairness: different versions of the exam vary slightly in difficulty, and scaling adjusts for that so no one is penalized for drawing a harder form.
How many questions you really need
Because only 175 of the 200 questions are scored, and because the conversion is scaled, the exact number of correct answers needed to hit 500 can shift a little from one exam form to another. As a working target, aim to consistently score above 70% on full-length practice tests before you book the real thing. If you're sitting comfortably above that line in practice, you've built in a margin for test-day nerves.
When you'll find out
You don't wait days wondering. The NHIE is computer-based, and you receive your score report before you leave the testing center.
What happens if you don't pass
You can retake the exam, but two things apply: a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts, and the full $225 fee each time. That's why "just barely ready" is an expensive gamble — a few more weeks of targeted practice is far cheaper than a second attempt.
The smart way to clear 500
Since Property Inspection is 70% of the exam, that's where most of your points live. Weight your study there, drill the categories you miss most, and take full-length timed tests so the real exam isn't your first 4-hour sitting.