Which is interpreted as the percentage of scores in a reference group that fall below a particular raw score?

Which is interpreted as the percentage of scores in a reference group that fall below a particular raw score? (a) Standard scores

(b) Percentile rank

(c) Reference group

(d) None

✅ Correct option: (b) Percentile rank

Explanation:

A percentile rank indicates the percentage of scores in a reference group that fall below a particular score. For example, if a student scores at the 75th percentile, it means that the student performed better than 75% of the individuals in the reference group. Percentile ranks are commonly used in educational testing, psychological assessments, and competitive examinations because they provide an easily understandable comparison among individuals. Unlike raw scores, percentile ranks show relative standing rather than absolute performance. Standard scores, such as z-scores, indicate how far a score is from the mean in standard deviation units, not percentages. A reference group is simply the population used for comparison. Therefore, the correct answer is percentile rank.

10 Related PPSC Facts:

Percentile ranks show relative position. They range from 0 to 100. 50th percentile equals the median. Used in standardized tests. Percentile rank is not equal to percentage score. Based on a reference group. Higher percentile means better relative performance. Useful for comparisons. Percentiles are ordinal in nature. Common in educational assessment.