- The Number: 60% on 45 Questions
- What 60% Actually Means in Practice
- Passing Score vs. Pass Rate: Don't Confuse Them
- The Four Domains Behind Your Score
- Format Rules That Shape How You Reach 60%
- Your Score Report and Certificate
- Voucher Math: Why a Failed Attempt Costs You
- Scheduling Your Prep Around the Four Domains
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CodeHS Web Design Level 1 requires a 60% passing score on a 45-question, 90-minute multiple-choice exam.
- Each purchased voucher covers one attempt; retakes are unlimited but each one needs another voucher.
- No exam reference sheet is provided, so HTML and CSS syntax must come from memory.
- Results arrive within 36 hours on school days, with an overall score and topic-level performance report.
The Number: 60% on 45 Questions
The CodeHS Web Design Level 1 Certification (the exam this site calls CHS-WDES1) sets its bar at a 60% passing score. The exam consists of 45 multiple-choice questions delivered online in a 90-minute window. That is the whole scoring story at the top level: hit 60% overall and you pass; fall short and you do not.
If you are still orienting yourself, the basics of the credential are covered in What Is CHS-WDES1 Certification?. This article stays focused on the one question candidates ask most: what exactly do I need to score, and what does that demand of me in practice?
What 60% Actually Means in Practice
Sixty percent of 45 questions is 27 questions. Because CodeHS publishes the percentage rather than a raw-score conversion, treat 27 correct answers as the practical working target and aim well above it. Two reasons to build in a cushion:
- CodeHS has not published a scored versus unscored item split. If the exam contains items that do not count toward your score, you cannot tell which ones they are while testing, so you should treat every question as live.
- Questions are randomly selected. Your exam may not match another candidate's, so you cannot rely on a friend's recollection of what was "easy."
A sensible personal target is to consistently clear that line on practice material before you spend a voucher on the real attempt. Our CHS-WDES1 practice tests are built for exactly that kind of benchmarking.
Pacing at a glance
Ninety minutes for 45 questions works out to roughly two minutes per question. Most HTML and CSS recall questions go faster than that, which leaves slack for questions that ask you to read a code snippet and predict its rendered result.
| Item | CodeHS Web Design Level 1 |
|---|---|
| Questions | 45, multiple choice |
| Time limit | 90 minutes, one sitting |
| Passing score | 60% |
| Questions needed (60% of 45) | 27 |
| Average time per question | About 2 minutes |
| Reference sheet | None provided |
Passing Score vs. Pass Rate: Don't Confuse Them
These are two different things, and mixing them up leads to bad conclusions. The passing score is the threshold an individual candidate must reach. A pass rate would be the share of all test-takers who clear it. The 60% figure is the former. It is not a statement that 60% of candidates pass.
No official pass rate for this certification has been verified, so any site quoting a precise percentage is guessing. We cover what can and cannot be said in CHS-WDES1 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows, and for a realistic read on challenge level, see How Hard Is the CHS-WDES1 Exam?.
The Four Domains Behind Your Score
Your overall percentage is built from performance across four official exam-topic groups. These are the complete top-level headings from the issuer's exam overview. They are unweighted topic groups, not a percentage blueprint and not a count of course modules, so do not assume equal or proportional shares of the 45 questions.
Domain 1: Intro to the Internet
The conceptual foundation: how the web works and the vocabulary surrounding it. These questions tend to reward clear definitions rather than coding.
- Know the core terms well enough to tell near-synonyms apart
- Treat this as the fastest domain to bank points
Domain 2: HTML
Page structure and markup. Expect questions that show a snippet and ask what it produces or which tag or attribute is correct.
- Practice reading markup and predicting output
- Memorize common tags and attributes, since no reference sheet is allowed
Domain 3: CSS
Styling with selectors, properties, and values. Syntax precision (braces, semicolons, selector forms) is where careless errors cost points.
- Be fluent in selector syntax and common properties
- Know how rules combine and which one wins
Domain 4: Advanced HTML and CSS
This group expressly includes frameworks, user interfaces, accessibility, and multi-file paths. It is the broadest bucket and the one most likely to separate a 55% from a 70%.
- Understand how files link and how relative paths resolve across multiple files
- Review accessibility principles, not just visual styling
- Be comfortable with framework and user interface concepts
For a deeper breakdown of each area, read CHS-WDES1 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas. Bootstrap and responsive design appear in the published Web Design (Picasso) curriculum as preparation material, but CodeHS does not list them as a separate exam domain or promise exhaustive coverage, so treat them as support for Domain 4 rather than a guaranteed topic list.
Format Rules That Shape How You Reach 60%
Several exam conditions directly affect how you earn your points. Knowing them in advance removes avoidable surprises.
- No reference sheet. Web Design is explicitly an exception: no examination reference sheet is provided. Every tag, attribute, and CSS property you need must be recalled.
- Allowed aids. CodeHS suggests paper, a pencil, and a calculator. Sketching a layout or tracing nested elements on paper is a legitimate way to work through a code-reading question.
- Prohibited behavior. External websites, collaboration, copying or sharing exam questions, and running code in another website or program are not permitted. You cannot paste a snippet into a browser to see what it does.
- Focus Mode. It blocks navigation to other CodeHS pages. It is not described as a system-wide browser lockdown, but the exam also uses an Honor Code, so treat outside resources as off limits regardless.
- One sitting. The exam must be completed in a single session, so plan an uninterrupted 90 minutes.
- Proctoring. Testing can happen at home or school, monitored by a teacher or authorized proctor through the CodeHS Certifications app and Proctor Dashboard.
Key Takeaway
Because you cannot run code during the exam, your preparation must include predicting rendered output by reading markup and CSS alone. Practice this mentally and on paper until it feels routine.
Accommodations
Extended-time and read-aloud accommodations are supported. Other requests go through platform review, so ask your teacher or proctor early rather than the day of the exam.
Your Score Report and Certificate
Results are released within 36 hours on school days. You receive an overall score plus a topic-level performance report, which is the most useful part if you need to retake. It shows which of the four domains held you back, so you can target your review instead of restarting from scratch.
Successful candidates receive a downloadable certificate. Earned certificates expire after 10 years. For the career angle of holding it, see Is the CHS-WDES1 Certification Worth It? and CHS-WDES1 Jobs. We deliberately avoid quoting salary numbers here because none have been verified for this specific credential; our CHS-WDES1 Salary Guide explains what can honestly be said.
Voucher Math: Why a Failed Attempt Costs You
The passing score interacts with how CodeHS sells access. Each purchased voucher permits one attempt. There is no numerical limit on retakes, but every additional attempt requires another purchased voucher. Schools and districts typically buy vouchers by direct quote from CodeHS, and no public numeric fee has been verified, so we do not quote a price.
Two practical consequences follow:
- Unused school or district vouchers expire at the end of the contract term and do not roll over between school years. If your teacher purchased a block, find out the deadline and test within that window.
- A near-miss is not free to fix. Falling a few questions short of 27 means another voucher, so it is worth confirming readiness on practice material first.
Pricing details and how to think about the cost are in CHS-WDES1 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and eligibility is covered in CHS-WDES1 Requirements 2026. Briefly: there are no certification prerequisites. Web Design (Picasso) or Web Design and Development is recommended preparation, not an eligibility requirement.
Scheduling Your Prep Around the Four Domains
You do not need an elaborate system. The one structural idea worth using is to front-load the domains where points come cheapest and save the broadest domain for when you have the most review time left. The plan below assumes you are starting with some exposure to HTML and CSS.
Intro to the Internet and HTML
- Lock down the vocabulary in Domain 1 quickly; it is low-effort, high-return
- Drill tag and attribute recall without looking anything up
CSS
- Practice selector syntax and common properties until typing them from memory is automatic
- Do paper-only exercises predicting how styled markup will render
Advanced HTML and CSS
- Work through multi-file path scenarios, accessibility principles, and framework and user interface concepts
- Give this domain the most time; it is the broadest
Timed practice and gap repair
- Take full 45-question, 90-minute practice runs on the practice test site
- Use your weakest domain results to decide what to revisit before spending a voucher
For a fuller plan, see the CHS-WDES1 Study Guide 2026, and for a quick last-day refresher, the CHS-WDES1 Cheat Sheet. CodeHS also lists a matching Level 1 Certification Practice course in its practice catalog; that is a study resource, not an additional exam domain. If you are trying to line up timing, check CHS-WDES1 Exam Dates 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
The passing score is 60%. On a 45-question exam, that corresponds to answering 27 questions correctly. CodeHS publishes the percentage, so treat 27 as a working target and aim comfortably above it.
No. 60% is the score an individual candidate must reach. It is not the share of candidates who pass. No official pass rate has been verified for this certification, so treat any quoted figure with suspicion.
There is no numerical limit on retakes, but each attempt requires its own purchased voucher. Each voucher permits one attempt only, and unused school or district vouchers expire at the end of the contract term without rolling over.
Results are released within 36 hours on school days. You receive an overall score and a topic-level performance report, and successful candidates can download a certificate, which expires after 10 years.
No reference sheet is provided, and external websites, collaboration, and running code in another website or program are prohibited. CodeHS suggests paper, a pencil, and a calculator, so you can work problems out by hand.
Hitting 60% on this exam comes down to accurate recall of HTML and CSS syntax, careful code reading, and enough practice that the four domains feel routine. Build to a comfortable margin above 27 correct answers on timed practice, and the real attempt becomes a confirmation rather than a gamble.