What is the value in sharing the percentile score?

The results for a certification exam were revealed in percentage and percentile. The results for one of the attendees was: 75%, 90th percentile.

What is the value in sharing the percentile score?
A . The percentile score provides value by assessing the attendee’s score against the average score for that exam
B . While the exam score is an objective score, the percentile is a relative score that assesses the attendee’s score against the highest possible score
C . By ranking, it provided additional insight on how the attendee performed in comparison to other attendees
D . The percentile score does not add any additional value in assessing the attendee’s performance

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

The percentile score provides value by ranking the attendee’s score among all the scores of the exam takers. A percentile score of 90 means that the attendee scored higher than 90% of the exam takers, and only 10% scored higher than the attendee. This gives a relative measure of how the attendee performed in comparison to other attendees, and how competitive or exceptional the score is. The percentile score does not depend on the average or the highest possible score of the exam, but only on the distribution of the scores of the exam takers.

Reference:

• Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 4: Interpret and Report Results

• Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9

• What is a Percentile? – Statistics By Jim