Do you know “Zed?

”
• Term for z-score
• Standardized scores
• Also known as “Altman Z-score”
(named after the developer of z-score,
Edward Altman)
• “Standard Normal Table”
 Standardization, z Scores,
and the Normal Curve
• Z-distribution – normal
distribution of standardized
scores
• Also called standard normal
distribution

68.26%

95.44%

99.74%
• SD

• X=Sample Raw 71 74 77.5 81 84 84.5 88

Scores -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
• Z- scores
 • So what are z-scores?
• Number of standard deviations away from the mean of a particular score
• Can be positive or negative
• Positive = above mean
• Negative = below mean
( X - µ)
• Z-distribution
z=
s
• Mean = 0
• Standard deviation = 1 (per intervals)
POPULATION MEAN SAMPLE MEAN
 Sample Scenario:
TRANSFORMING RAW SCORES TO Z-SCORES

( X - µ)
z=
s

Z score=76-70/ 3= 2 Z score=76-70/ 12= 0.5

or
What if the
raw score is
not stated?
Find the raw score for an exam when the
z score is 1.8, the average mean for the
test is 70, and the standard deviation is 15.

Answer:
x= µ + (Zσ) or mean+(z score*SD)
x= 70 + (1.8)(15)= 97
So the raw score is 97.
 FINDING RAW SCORES
Transforming z Scores into Raw Scores IN
Z-SCORES

Raw score: 8.5

What is the mean if the raw score is 97, SD
15, and z-score is 1.8?

Answer: What if the mean

Mean= raw score - (z-score * SD)
= 97 – (1.8*15) is not stated?
= 97 – 27
= 70
FINDING AREA
For example:

Zoe (z-score = 1.25)

The value in the table is
.8944 which is the
probability.
Roughly 89.44% of people
scored worse than her on
the ACT (.8944 x 100).

Mike (z-score = 1.0)

The value in the table is
.8413 which is the
probability. Roughly
84.13% of people scored
worse than him on the SAT
(.8413x100).
 Find the area under the
standard normal distribution
curve between z=0 and z= -1.55

-1.55

Area is 0.4394
 Find the area below under the
standard normal distribution
curve to the left of -0.75 (not
exactly -0.75!)

-0.75

Area (half of the curve)= 0.5

Get the area of 0 to -0.75 = 0.2734

Below the mean is 0.5- 0.2734= 0.2266

 Find the area under the standard
normal distribution curve
between z=1.23 and z= 1.90

1.23 1.90

Subtract first 0 from 1.23

Area is 0.4713 – 0.3907
= 0.806
Transforming z Scores
into Percentiles
• z scores tell you where a value fits
into a normal distribution.
• Based on the normal distribution,
there are rules about where scores
with a z value will fall, and how it
will relate to a percentile rank
• You can use the area under the
normal curve to calculate
percentiles for any score
Using z Scores to
Make Comparisons
• If you know your score on an
exam, and a friend’s score on an
exam, you can convert to z
scores to determine who did
better and by how much.
• z scores are standardized, so
they can be compared!
How to locate in NDC?

1.00 1.25
For example:

Zoe (z-score = 1.25)

The value in the table is
.3944 which is the
probability.
Roughly 39.44% of
people scored worse
than her on the ACT
(.3944 x 100).

Mike (z-score = 1.0)

The value in the table is
.3413 which is the
probability. Roughly
34.13% of people scored
worse than him on the
SAT (.3413x100).
 The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is
made up of four multiple choice sections:
Reading, Writing, Math with Calculator, and SAT Scores
Math without Calculator. Performance on
these sections determines a student’s
overall SAT scores.
 SAT Scores
• Set of standardized scores in scale is used by the Educational Testing Service
(Princeton, New Jersey) to report the results of the
Scholastic Assessment Test, standardized scores with:
μ = 500 and σ = 100 are called SAT scores.
SAT Scores
SAT Scores
SAT Scores
 It is important that intelligence tests be
standardized on a regular basis because
the overall level of intelligence in a
population may change over time.

IQ = mental age ÷ (chronological age × 100)

IQ Scores
Take note: Mental age is based on your intellectual
development, while chronological age is based on
the calendar date on which you were born
Most Commonly Used IQ Tests
Binet-Simon Scale and was the
first recognized IQ test

Further developed into

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
(developed by Terman).
Most Commonly Used IQ Tests
 IQ Scores
IQ = (mental age ÷ chronological age) × 100

Sample Scenario: A 10-year-old child is reported having a mental age of 11 based from
her Stanford-Binet 5 IQ Test. What is her IQ score?
(11 ÷ 10) × 100 = 110
 IQ Scores
IQ = (mental age ÷ chronological age) × 100

Sample Scenario: A 19-year-old student is reported to obtain a mental age of 17 based

from his Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale. What is his IQ score?
(17 ÷ 19) × 100 = 89.47
 IQ Scores
The Flynn effect (named after James R. Flynn)refers to the observation that scores on
intelligence tests worldwide have increased substantially over the past decades (Flynn, 1999)