Which statement best defines a standard score?

Which statement best defines a standard score?

• A. The raw score
• B. The percentile rank
• C. An indication of the distance between the raw score and the mean of the norm in terms of the standard deviation
• D. The maximum possible score

Answer: (C)

A standard score shows where a test score sits relative to the average of a norm group, expressed in units of the standard deviation. It’s computed by subtracting the norm mean from the raw score and then dividing by the norm standard deviation. This standardizes scores so you can compare performance across tests or subtests that use different scales. Interpreting it, a score of zero sits at the mean; a positive value is above average, and a negative value is below average. The larger the magnitude, the farther away from the mean in standard deviation units the score lies. This is different from the raw score (the actual number correct), and from percentile ranks (which indicate the percentage of people below a score but don’t convey distance from the mean in SD terms). It’s also not the maximum possible score.

A standard score shows where a test score sits relative to the average of a norm group, expressed in units of the standard deviation. It’s computed by subtracting the norm mean from the raw score and then dividing by the norm standard deviation. This standardizes scores so you can compare performance across tests or subtests that use different scales. Interpreting it, a score of zero sits at the mean; a positive value is above average, and a negative value is below average. The larger the magnitude, the farther away from the mean in standard deviation units the score lies. This is different from the raw score (the actual number correct), and from percentile ranks (which indicate the percentage of people below a score but don’t convey distance from the mean in SD terms). It’s also not the maximum possible score.