Z-scores indicate which of the following?

Z-scores indicate which of the following?

• A. The probability of a score in a distribution.
• B. The precise location of a score in a distribution, indicating how far and in what direction it deviates from the mean.
• C. The raw score value.
• D. The sum of squared deviations from the mean.

Answer: (B)

Z-scores express where a score sits in a distribution in units of standard deviation. By subtracting the mean and dividing by the standard deviation, a z-score tells you exactly how far a score is from the mean and in which direction. Positive values mean the score is above the mean, negative values mean it’s below, and the larger the magnitude, the farther it is from the mean, in standard deviation units. This standardization lets you compare scores from different distributions and relate them to the standard normal curve, where each z-score corresponds to a specific position and probability area. Remember, a z-score is not a probability by itself, though you can use it to look up the associated probability. It’s also not the raw score, nor the sum of squared deviations from the mean (that figure relates to variance).

Z-scores express where a score sits in a distribution in units of standard deviation. By subtracting the mean and dividing by the standard deviation, a z-score tells you exactly how far a score is from the mean and in which direction. Positive values mean the score is above the mean, negative values mean it’s below, and the larger the magnitude, the farther it is from the mean, in standard deviation units. This standardization lets you compare scores from different distributions and relate them to the standard normal curve, where each z-score corresponds to a specific position and probability area. Remember, a z-score is not a probability by itself, though you can use it to look up the associated probability. It’s also not the raw score, nor the sum of squared deviations from the mean (that figure relates to variance).