Question

If Ashley is in the 85th percentile and the mean of her test scores is 180 with a standard deviation of 15, which of the following scores would Ashley most likely get on a standardized test?
A. 196
B. 185
C. 210
D. 246

Answer 1

B would be the most appropriate response for this. We don't need to worry about Ashley being in the 85th percentile, that is just extra information they have provided us. What we need to look at is her mean test score is 180, so that is the average score she normally gets on her tests, but then they say she has a standard deviation of 15 which means her scores are normally no lower than 165 and no higher than 195 because she normally doesn't deviate or change her score more than 15 points for her normal 180. So if you take 180 minus 15 you get 165 and if you take 180 plus 15 you get 195, therefore we can determine that the most appropriate answer would be between 165 and 195. The only option that fits in this category is B 185