Standard scores are defined as scores measured in what units?

• A. Standard deviation units, often using raw score and demographic parameters like gender/age/grade.
• B. Raw scores only with no transformation.
• C. Percentile ranks only.
• D. Z-scores exclusively.

Answer: (A)

Standard scores are scores expressed in units of standard deviation. They place an individual’s raw score within a normative distribution, typically one that accounts for demographic factors like age, grade, or gender, and describe how far that score is from the mean in SD units. That combination—transformation to SD units and anchoring to normative data—is what makes standard scores meaningful across different groups and test forms.

Raw scores with no transformation aren’t standard scores, so option describing raw scores alone isn’t correct. Percentile ranks convey relative position but in percentiles, not standard deviation units. Z-scores are a type of standard score, but standard scores aren’t limited to just z-scores; other SD-based scales are common too, so the statement that they are exclusively z-scores isn’t accurate.