ABCTE Professional Teaching Knowledge Practice Exam

At what percentile is a student who is at 2+ standard deviations?

1. 75th percentile

2. 85th percentile

3. 90th percentile

4. 95th percentile

The correct answer is: 95th percentile

A student who is at 2+ standard deviations above the mean typically falls into a higher percentile, indicating that their score is significantly above average compared to their peers. In a normal distribution, about 95% of the data falls within 2 standard deviations from the mean. This means that only about 5% of the scores are higher than those at 2 standard deviations above the mean. As a result, this student is at the 95th percentile, signifying that they have outperformed 95% of the students. This understanding of the relationship between standard deviations and percentiles is crucial for interpreting test scores and relative performance in educational settings.