Test Score Interpretation, Appendix Flashcards
Question ID #11720: A student obtains a score of 41 on a test that has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 6. If all of the scores in the distribution are transformed so that the test now has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 12, the student’s score in the new distribution would be:
Select one:
A.
91.
B.
82.
C.
41.
D.
20.5.
The correct answer is B.
To correctly answer this question, you need to recognize that the student’s original score was one and a half standard deviations below the mean. A score of 82 is one and a half standard deviations below the mean of the new distribution and is equivalent to a score of 41 in the original distribution.
Answer A: A score of 91 in the transformed distribution would be slightly less than one standard deviation below the mean, which does not correspond to the score in the original distribution.
Answer C: A score of 41 in the transformed distribution would be almost five standard deviations below the mean, which does not correspond to the score in the original distribution.
Answer D: 20.5 represents an answer choice that involves some calculation, as it is half of the original score, but does not represent a meaningful calculation for transforming the score that is one and half standard deviations below the mean in the new distribution.
Question ID #12410: Assuming a normal distribution, which of the following represents the highest score?
Select one:
A.
A z-score of 1.5
B.
A T-score of 70
C.
A WAIS-IV Full Scale IQ score of 120
D.
A percentile rank of 88
The correct answer is B.
For the exam, you want to be familiar with the relationship of z-scores, T-scores, WAIS-IV IQ scores, and percentile ranks in a normal distribution so that you can answer questions like this one. A T-score of 70 is two standard deviations above the mean.
Answer A: A z-score of 1.5 is one and one-half standard deviations above the mean.
Answer C: A WAIS-IV IQ score of 120 is slightly over one standard deviation above the mean.
Answer D: A percentile rank of 88 is slightly over one standard deviation above the mean.
Question ID #12411: Stanford-Binet and Wechsler IQ scores are:
Select one:
A.
percentile ranks.
B.
ipsative scores.
C.
standard scores.
D.
stanine scores.
The correct answer is: C.
Stanford-Binet and Wechsler IQ scores are standard scores that indicate an examinee’s performance in terms of standard deviations from the mean obtained by examinees in the norm group.
Answer A: Percentile ranks are a type of norm-referenced score. They express an examinee’s raw score in terms of the percentage of examinees in the norm sample who achieved lower scores.
Answer B: An ipsative score indicates the relative strength of an examinee’s status or performance on the various scales of the test.
Answer D: Stanines scores are another type of norm-referenced score. Stanine scores divide a distribution of scores into nine parts and have a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of approximately 2.
Question ID #12412: Tina received a percentile rank of 48 on a test, while her twin brother, Terry, received a percentile rank of 98. Their teacher realizes she made an error in scoring their tests and adds four points to Tina’s and Terry’s raw scores. (The other students’ tests were scored correctly.) When she recalculates Tina’s and Terry’s percentile ranks, the teacher will find that:
Select one:
A.
Tina’s percentile rank will change by more points than Terry’s.
B.
Terry’s percentile rank will change by more points than Tina’s.
C.
Tina’s and Terry’s percentile ranks will change by the same number of points.
D.
Tina’s and Terry’s percentile ranks will not change.
The correct answer is A.
Percentile ranks maximize differences in the middle of the raw score distribution and minimize differences at the extremes. This general rule means that Tina’s percentile rank (which is near the middle of the distribution) will be affected more by the four-point addition to her raw score than Terry’s percentile rank (which is extremely high). Tina’s percentile rank will change by more points than Terry’s.
Answers B, C, and D: These responses present incorrect information - Tina’s percentile rank will be affected more by the four-point addition to her raw score than Terry’s percentile rank.
Question ID #13459: Eigenvalues are associated with:
Select one:
A.
internal consistency reliability.
B.
criterion-referenced interpretation.
C.
the multitrait-multimethod matrix.
D.
principal component analysis.
The correct answer is D.
An eigenvalue indicates the total amount of variability in a set of tests or other variables that is explained by an identified component or factor. Eigenvalues can be calculated for each component “extracted” in a principal component analysis.
Answer A: Internal consistency reliability is used as an index of reliability to assess whether individual test items correlate highly with the total test score.
Answer B: Criterion-referenced interpretation involves interpreting scores in terms of a prespecified standard, such as a percentage score.
Answer C: The multitrait-multimethod matrix is used to assess a test’s convergent and discriminant validity.
Question ID #13569: Which of the following scores is NOT a norm-referenced score?
Select one:
A.
Percentile rank
B.
T-score
C.
Pass or fail
D.
Grade-equivalent score
The correct answer is C.
When using norm-referenced interpretation, an examinee’s score indicates how well he or she did on the test relative to examinees in the norm group. Pass or fail is a criterion-referenced score. It indicates whether a person has or has not mastered the test content and does not measure performance in terms of other examinees. A “pass” score obtained by one examinee does not indicate how many other examinees passed or failed it.
Answer A: Percentile ranks are norm-referenced scores. A percentile rank indicates the percent of examinees in the norm group who obtained a lower score.
Answer B: A T-score is a type of standard score, and standard scores are norm-referenced scores that indicate how well an examinee did in terms of standard deviation units from the mean score of the norm group.
Answer D: A grade-equivalent score is a norm-referenced score. It allows a test user to compare an examinee’s test performance to that of students in different grade levels.
