LMS shows incomplete after passing the quiz: 3 fixes

The LMS doesn't count “passed”

SCORM Cloud records a course that sends “passed” as completed and passed; we tested this on SCORM Cloud in September 2026. Moodle is different: a new SCORM activity defaults to “Require status: Completed”, so “passed” never completes it, and neither does “failed”.

1. If the LMS needs “completed”, report it

   In Storyline, open Publish → LMS / LRS → Reporting and Tracking, and on the LMS tab set “Report status to LMS as:” to “Completed/Incomplete”. In Rise it is “Report completion status as:” under Publish → LMS → Reporting. In Captivate Classic, set “Status Representation” to “Incomplete ---> Complete”. The LMS then never shows passed or failed, so do this only if completion is all you report on.

2. Or change the rule in Moodle

   A Moodle admin can tick both Passed and Completed under Require status, in the activity's completion settings. Either one then completes the activity.

The learner left before the results slide

A Storyline course tracked by a quiz sends passed or failed only when the learner reaches the results slide it is tracked by. We tested a Storyline 360 SCORM 2004 quiz course on SCORM Cloud that has no results slide: two questions answered correctly, then the course's own Exit Course button. SCORM Cloud recorded a score of 100 and the status incomplete.

1. Make sure the results slide is tracked

   In Storyline, open Publish → LMS / LRS → Reporting and Tracking. On the Tracking tab, under “When the learner completes a quiz”, the results slide at the end of your quiz should be listed (if not, use “+ Add tracked quiz”). Make sure learners always reach that slide after the last question. In Rise, choose “Track using quiz result” and pick the quiz under “Use results from:”.

The score was under the pass mark, or the quiz has no score

“Passed/Incomplete” turns a fail into incomplete. With that reporting option, a fail is sent as “incomplete”, not “failed”. On SCORM Cloud, a Storyline quiz with this option and a score of 16% stayed incomplete. If learners are sure they passed, check that the pass mark they were told matches the one in the quiz, and the mastery score in the manifest.

The tracked quiz has no score. If the course is tracked by a quiz result but no scored results slide is linked to that tracking, the result is never worked out. Learners then stay incomplete whatever they do. Alder treats this as a blocker. Fix it with the step above.

Check the zip before you upload it again (free)

Find the cause, then check the new zip the same way before you upload it.

1. Drop the zip and choose your LMS

   Open Alder, drop the published zip, and pick your LMS under “Uploading to”. For Moodle, Alder checks the reporting option straight away: a course that reports “passed” gets a note before you run anything.

   

2. Pass the quiz in the test player

   Launch the course, pass the quiz, and go on to the results slide. Then press “I'm done”.

3. Read “Finished?” and “Passed?” separately

   “What an LMS would record” shows completion and pass or fail as two answers. If “Finished?” says no, Alder explains why: a score without a status, a results slide that was never reached, or a reporting option that turns a fail into incomplete. Run it a second time with a failing score to see what a fail looks like.

   

4. Try another option before you republish

   For a Storyline or Rise course, Tracking settings (under “Make other changes”) shows the reporting option as read from the package. Change it, check the change, and test again in the player. Editing and testing are free; downloading the edited zip needs Pro, or you can make the same change in your authoring tool.

LMS notes

• Moodle sources: the activity form (the “Completed” default) and the completion rules (only ticked statuses count), in Moodle's own code; also edzlms's list of Moodle causes.
• SCORM Cloud counts “passed” as complete, so a course can work there and still stay incomplete in Moodle.

Why it happens

A learner passes the quiz, sees the congratulations screen, and the LMS still says incomplete or in progress. The course and the LMS are judging two different things. SCORM 1.2 has one status field (cmi.core.lesson_status), and “passed” and “completed” are different values in it.

Still not working?

• Not sure which reporting option fits your LMS: Storyline “Report status to LMS as”: which option to pick.
• The other causes of a course that never completes, in the order to check them: SCORM course not marking complete.