EFFECTS OF SCORE TRANSFORMATION

Score transformation in statistics refers to the process of converting raw scores into a different scale to facilitate comparison,
interpretation, or further statistical analysis.

1. Z-Score Transformation (Standardization)

In statistics, the standard score is the number of standard deviations by which the value of a raw score (i.e., an observed
value or data point) is above or below the mean value of what is being observed or measured. Raw scores above the mean
have positive standard scores, while those below the mean have negative standard scores.

It is calculated by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by
the population standard deviation. This process of converting a raw score into a standard score is
called standardizing or normalizing. Standard scores are most commonly called z-scores.

A z-score indicates how many standard deviations an individual data point is away from the mean of the original distribution.
A positive z-score indicates a value above the mean, while a negative z-score indicates a value below the mean.

𝒙−𝝁
z=
𝝈

where:
x is the original score,
μ is the mean of the population,
σ is the standard deviation of the population.
Sample Question:
In a statistics exam, the mean score was 75 with a standard deviation of 8. If a student scored 90 on the exam, what is their Z-score?
Steps to Solve:
Mean (μ): 75
Standard deviation (σ): 8
Student's score (X): 90
Answer:
The Z-score for the student's score of 90 is 1.875. This means the student's score is 1.875 standard deviations above the mean score of
the exam.
The Z-score of 1.875 tells us how far, in standard deviation units, the student's score is from the mean.
Standard Normal Distribution Basics:

• The standard normal distribution is a normal distribution with a mean (μ) of 0 and a standard deviation (σ) of 1.

• Z-scores represent the number of standard deviations a data point is from the mean.

Visual Representation:

• If you look at a standard normal distribution curve, the area under the curve to the left of Z = 1.875 represents the proportion of
scores that are less than 1.875 standard deviations above the mean.

• The curve is symmetric, so about 68% of the data falls within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% within 2 standard
deviations, and about 99.7% within 3 standard deviations.
Calculating the Proportion (Percentile Rank):

• Using standard normal distribution tables or a calculator, we can find the cumulative probability for a Z-score of 1.875.

• The cumulative probability for Z = 1.875 is approximately 0.9693 (or 96.93%).

• This means the student's score is higher than about 96.93% of all scores in the distribution.
 2. Percentile Ranks

A percentile rank is a statistical measure that describes the percentage of scores within a norm group. It represents the relative
standing of an individual’s score compared to others in the same group.

In simpler terms, a percentile rank shows how a person’s score ranks among a larger group of scores. For example:

• A percentile rank of 90 means that 90% of the scores in the comparison group are lower than the given score, and 10% are
higher.

• A percentile rank of 75 means that 75% of the scores are lower, and 25% are higher.

This statistic is easy to interpret and helps to:

• Compare students’ performance across different groups

• Identify students’ strengths and weaknesses relative to their peers

• Provide a benchmark for evaluating student progress over time

In summary, percentile rank is a measure of an individual’s score position.

Sample question:

In a math test, the scores are normally distributed with a mean of 70 and a standard deviation of 12. If a student scored 82 on the test,
what is the percentile rank of the student's score?
Mean (μ): 70

Standard deviation (σ): 12

Student's score (X): 82

𝒙−𝝁
z=
𝝈

Z = 82−70/12 = 12/12 = 1

The Z-score is 1.

Use the standard normal distribution table or a calculator to find the cumulative probability for a Z-score of 1.

The cumulative probability for Z = 1 is approximately 0.8413 (or 84.13%).

The cumulative probability represents the proportion of scores below the given score.

Therefore, a Z-score of 1 corresponds to the 84.13th percentile.

The percentile rank of the student's score of 82 is approximately 84.13. This means the student scored higher than approximately
84.13% of the other students who took the test.
 3. T Score transformation

A t-score is a statistic used in hypothesis testing and confidence interval construction. It measures the distance of a sample
mean from the population mean in terms of the number of standard errors.

Key Characteristics:

• A ratio of the difference between the sample mean and the population mean to the standard error of the mean (SEM)

• Standardized to have a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1, similar to the z-score

• Used to determine the significance of the difference between a sample mean and a known population mean or between
two sample means

• The t-score is used with small to moderate sample sizes (typically < 30) when the population standard deviation is
unknown or difficult to estimate

Sample question:

In a study, a sample of 25 students was selected to determine the average score on a new exam. The sample mean score (𝑥̅ )
was found to be 78, with a sample standard deviation (s) of 10. The population mean (μ) is known to be 75. Calculate the
t-score for the sample mean.

Sample mean (𝑥̅ ): 78

Population mean (μ): 75

Sample standard deviation (s): 10

Sample size (n): 25

78−75
t=
𝟏𝟎/√𝟐𝟓

t = 1.5
The t-score for the sample mean of 78 is 1.5. This means the sample mean is 1.5 standard errors above the population mean.