C-354 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

What Is Actually Verified About the C-354 Passing Score

Searching for the C-354 passing score usually ends in frustration, and the reason is simple: for Hydraulic Systems 2 (C-354), the issuer, the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), has not published a numerical passing criterion that we could verify. Not a percentage, not a scaled score, not a count of questions that must be answered correctly.

That is an uncomfortable answer, but it is the honest one, and it matters because this credential is easy to confuse with others that share the same code. Everything on this page refers only to the SACA micro-credential in hydraulics. Cut scores, fees and pass rates from unrelated "C-354" credentials do not apply here, and we will not borrow them.

Here is what the verified record does tell us:

• The credential is C-354 Hydraulic Systems 2, issued by SACA.
• The issuer's micro-credential catalogue lists a starred C-354 entry carrying an "In Development" footnote, and a second distributor's listing independently retains that status.
• The description names six preparation components focused on connecting, adjusting, operating and analyzing heavy-duty industrial hydraulic circuits.
• Secondary directory entries describe an oral/written exam, but those are directory fields, not a release notice or an issuer guarantee.

For a broader orientation before going deeper, see What Is C-354 Certification? and the plain-language explainer What Is C-354?

Why No Cut Score Has Been Published

Several things are unsettled at the same time, and together they explain the missing number.

The credential's status is "In Development"

The catalogue footnote attached to the C-354 entry signals that the offering has not been finalized in the way a mature exam has. In practice that means the usual documents that carry a passing standard, such as a finalized candidate handbook, a released assessment or a current exam-version date, have not been verified for this code. A cut score is normally one of the last items fixed, and it typically appears in those documents.

No confirmed launch or booking path

We could not verify a launch date, a current booking path, or an exact-code commercial testing-provider arrangement for C-354. Without a live testing process, there is no live scoring rule to cite. If you are trying to plan around a test date, C-354 Exam Dates 2026 walks through what can and cannot be confirmed about scheduling.

Scoring-related details remain unverified

Beyond the passing criterion itself, the following are all unconfirmed for C-354: the number of questions and practical tasks, the scored versus unscored split, the item format, separate written and practical durations, and the reference materials allowed. Open-book, calculator, adaptive, at-home proctoring, accommodation and retake rules specific to C-354 are likewise unverified. Because a passing standard only makes sense relative to these parameters, the absence of one is consistent with the absence of the others.

The pass rate is not publicly disclosed

People often try to infer a cut score from a pass rate. That route is closed: SACA does not publicly disclose a C-354 pass rate. Our C-354 Pass Rate 2026 article explains what can responsibly be said and what cannot.

The Six Topics a Passing Candidate Must Command

While the threshold is unknown, the subject matter is not. The issuer's description lists six preparation components. These are unweighted topic lines, not a formal exam blueprint, so no topic can be called "the biggest" or "worth the most points." Treat them as a checklist of competence areas for working with heavy-duty industrial hydraulic circuits. For a topic-by-topic walkthrough, see C-354 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.

Because the description frames the work as connecting, adjusting, operating and analyzing circuits, expect understanding to be tested as applied reasoning rather than isolated vocabulary. That is also why a single passing percentage would be an incomplete picture even if one existed. For difficulty context, see How Hard Is the C-354 Exam?

How SACA Tests: Silver, Gold and What They Imply for Scoring

SACA's general certification policy offers a useful lens, with an important caveat: it is general policy, not a confirmed C-354 procedure. Under that general model, certification is delivered through the SACA portal and authorized member or testing-center proctors, and it comes in two levels.

The practical takeaway: if C-354 follows the Gold model, "passing" may not be a single score at all. It could be a written result combined with a proctor's observation of you connecting and adjusting real hydraulic equipment. Secondary directories describe C-354 as an oral/written exam, which also hints at more than a plain multiple-choice score, but that is a directory field and not an issuer statement.

None of the reviewed sources establishes a launched C-354 examination. Treat any claim of a specific, currently administered C-354 scoring scheme with caution until SACA publishes it.

Verified vs. Unverified: A Quick Reference Table

For the money side, C-354 Certification Cost 2026 explains why no candidate fee can be quoted, and C-354 Requirements 2026 covers eligibility questions. One note on prerequisites: the C-354 description builds on Hydraulic Systems 1, but that does not by itself prove a formal prerequisite, and a course titled "Hydraulic Systems 2" may instead prepare students for a different SACA credential, so a syllabus or course fee should never be read as C-354 exam terms.

Preparing for a Pass Without a Published Number

When the target is unknown, the right strategy is to remove the dependence on it. Aim for demonstrable competence across all six topics so that any reasonable standard, whether written, practical or both, is within reach.

Sequence the topics by dependency

This is the one place we will talk scheduling, and it is tied directly to the hydraulics. Some topics build on others, so order them accordingly:

Pumps and pressure control come first because every other component's behavior is described relative to system pressure and flow. Counterbalance valves and cushions come later because they depend on understanding load-induced pressure and speed control. The final stretch should be whole-circuit analysis, since the credential's emphasis on connecting, adjusting, operating and analyzing circuits rewards integrated reasoning. Our C-354 Study Guide 2026 expands on this approach.

Practice with circuit reasoning, not memorization

Work through scenarios: a cylinder that slams at end of stroke, a load that drifts down under a holding valve, a pump that stays at high pressure when idle. Each maps to one of the six topics. Timed question practice on the main practice test site can help you check your understanding, and you can drill terminology with the C-354 Cheat Sheet. Whenever you practice, treat the scores you earn as feedback about your own readiness, not as a prediction of an official threshold.

How to Spot Fake Passing Scores

Because the real figure is unpublished, the internet is full of confident-sounding substitutes. Watch for these patterns:

• A bare percentage with no source. If a page says "you need X% to pass" without linking to SACA, treat it as invented.
• Scores borrowed from other credentials. The code C-354 is shared by several unrelated credentials. A scaled score, fee or pass rate that belongs to one of them has nothing to do with the SACA hydraulics credential.
• Course syllabi presented as exam rules. A school's Hydraulic Systems 2 class may use its own grading scale, which says nothing about C-354.
• Weighted domain charts. No official percentage weights have been verified, so any pie chart of "domain weights" is speculation.
• Salary promises tied to a score. Earnings depend on role and employer, not on a published cut score. See C-354 Salary Guide 2026 and C-354 Jobs for what can responsibly be said.

If you are weighing whether to invest effort given all this uncertainty, Is the C-354 Certification Worth It? lays out the reasoning, and C-354 Training covers preparation options. When SACA publishes a finalized handbook, the first thing to look for is a section stating the passing criterion, the item counts and the retake policy; until then, check the issuer's pages directly rather than third-party summaries.

Frequently Asked Questions