Question

Difficulty: EasyMeasures of Dispersion and Position (Range, IQR, Standard Deviation, Percentiles)

In a group of 200 student test scores, a score of SS is located at the 75th percentile of the distribution. Which of the following statements must be true?

  1. A
    Score SS is equal to 75.
  2. B
    Approximately 75 students scored at or below SS.
  3. Approximately 150 students scored at or below SS.Answer
  4. D
    Score SS is 75 percent greater than the average score of the distribution.
  5. E
    The standard deviation of the test scores is equal to 75.

Answer

Approximately 150 students scored at or below SS.
The 75th percentile of a distribution indicates that approximately 75%75\% of the data points lie at or below that value. For a group of 200 students, 75%75\% of 200 is calculated as 0.75×200=1500.75 \times 200 = 150. Therefore, approximately 150 students achieved a score at or below SS.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Understand the definition of a percentile rank
The 75th percentile means that approximately 75%75\% of all observations in the dataset are less than or equal to that score.
By definition, the pp-th percentile represents the value below which pp percent of the observations fall.
2
Calculate 75% of the total number of students
0.75×200=1500.75 \times 200 = 150 students.
The dataset contains 200 total student scores, so 75%75\% of 200 yields the number of students at or below score SS.

Key Concept

Percentile Position
Estimated Time:45s
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