Dictionary / I passed my exam
How to Say "I passed my exam" in French
J'ai réussi mon examen
/ʒe ʁe.y.si mɔ̃.n‿ɛɡ.za.mɛ̃/
Literally: I have succeeded my exam
J'ai
I have
réussi
succeeded in
mon examen
my exam
Good to know
J'ai réussi is neutral. J'ai eu mon examen is the common spoken shorthand and means the same thing. J'ai été reçu is a little more formal and slightly old-fashioned.
Correct
J'ai réussi mon examen
What people say wrong
J'ai passé mon examen
I sat the exam, says nothing about passing
The mistake to avoid. Passer un examen means to sit one. It says nothing at all about the result. So j'ai passé mon examen announces only that you turned up, which is a strange thing to be pleased about and a deflating thing to say to a relieved parent. To say you passed, use réussir; to say you failed, rater or échouer. This is the same false-friend pattern as assister and attendre, and it catches people in the one conversation where they most wanted to be understood.
In context
J'ai réussi mon examen !
I passed my exam!
Je passe mon permis la semaine prochaine.
I'm taking my driving test next week.
Il a raté son examen de maths.
He failed his maths exam.