Norms and their purpose

The assessment of human constructs are often presumed to be normally distributed in a

population. The normal distribution, a term used in psychometrics, is the standard normal and
bell-shaped distribution. It has a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one (Foxcroft &
Modack, 2018). Psychological assessments often generate scores that depict a test-taker’s
performance (Reynolds et al., 2021), but hold little to no meaning. In order for a more
meaningful and relevant interpretation, scores are converted to normal standardised scores
through the process of statistical transformation (Foxcroft & Modack, 2018).
In the search for a description of norms, Foxcroft & Modack (2018) propose that norms can
be considered as a measurement used to assess a test-taker’s score and reveal their standing
relative to a norm group. Shukla (2023) suggests norms to be the average scores of a group or
population that have taken a test. To add to this, scores can be utilised as frameworks of
reference to compare the performance of test-takers to others that they have been grouped
with in terms of identical race, age and gender to name a few.
Scores can be classified as either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced. Norm-referenced
score interpretations compare each test-taker’s performance to the relevant norm group
(Reynolds et al., 2021) and are ranked. These are, for instance, used in intelligence tests,
course placement and job interviews (Hussain et al., 2015). Conversely, criterion-referenced
score interpretations stress what test-takers know or what they are able to do (Reynolds et al.,
2021) and compare it to a set of predetermined criteria. These are frequently implemented in
tests, quizzes and exams whereby test-takers are required to attain a particular level of
performance to pass (Hussain et al., 2015).
Norms allow us to evaluate performance and generate various conclusions concerning
individuals’ mental processes, behaviours, abilities and characteristics (Shukla, 2023). Norms
can change over time due to various factors. For instance, research can be conducted whereby
intelligence concerning a specific population is measured. A few years later, education may
become more accessible to these individuals creating an increase in their knowledge, and
previous tests and norms concerning intelligence for the population would be incorrect and
outdated (Rahman, 2022).
There are several classifications of norms used in psychological assessment. This section
briefly discusses the most common, namely developmental scales, percentiles and standard
scores.
Developmental scales
Developmental scales operate under the philosophy that various human characteristics
gradually increase with increases in age and experience (Foxcroft & Modack, 2018). Mental
age scales and grade equivalents fall under this category.
Mental age scales delineate the level of development for each age group in the sample. The
purpose is to examine the mental age of an individual in comparison to those in the same
developmental stage (Saulat, 2020). It can inform us, for instance, if the development of an 8-
year-old child is up to standard to the reference group of other 8-year-old children (Rahman,
2022).
Grade or age equivalents are similar to mental age scales. However, grade equivalents
examine the development of students per grade rather than per age group (Saulat, 2020).
These norms are mainly used within a school setting when reporting the educational
achievement level of students (Foxcroft & Modack, 2018).
Percentiles and standard scores
Percentiles and standard scores are techniques used to express norms. Percentiles represent
the simplest technique for displaying data for the purpose of comparison (Saulat, 2020). It is
regarded as the percentage of individuals in a norm group who fall below or equal to a
particular score (Saulat, 2020; Foxcroft & Modack, 2018). If an individual received a
percentile score of 60, this signifies that 60 per cent of the normative population achieved a
raw score lower than the individual. Percentiles are often implemented for individual test
performance. The 50th percentile correlates to the median. The 25th and 75th percentiles are
referred to as the first (Q1) and third (Q3) quartiles. They separate the lowest and highest
quarters of a normal distribution (Foxcroft & Modack, 2018).
Standard scores, commonly referred to as z-scores, identify and describe the position of each
score within a distribution. They standardise a distribution implying that different
distributions can be taken and made equivalent and comparable (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2016).
To add to this, they demonstrate an individual’s range from the mean. A score that is equal to
the mean is also equal to a z-score of zero. Positive z-scores signify above average
performance (Foxcroft & Modack, 2018) and are located above the mean (Gravetter &
Wallnau, 2016), whereas negative z-scores suggest below average performance (Foxcroft &
Modack, 2018) and are located below the mean (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2016).
References
Foxcroft, C., & Modack, G. (2018). Introduction to psychological assessment in the South
African context (5th ed.). Oxford University Press Southern Africa

Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2016). Statistics for the behavioral sciences (10th ed.).
Cengage Learning
Hussain, S., Tadesse, T., & Sajid, S. (2015). Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced test in
EFL classroom. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention,
4(10), 24-30.

Reynolds, C. R., Altmann, R. A., & Allen, D. N. (2021). Mastering modern psychological
testing: Theory and methods (2nd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-
59455-8

Saulat, A. A. R. (2020, June 5). Norms in psychological tests and its types. Institute of
Southern Punjab. https://www.scribd.com/document/473154715/Norms-in-
Psychological-Tests-and-its-Types

Shukla, U. (2023, February 15). Norms of psychological tests. Tutorialspoint.

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/norms-of-psychological-tests

Rahman, M. F. (2022) Norms and the meaning of test scores. SlideShare.

https://www.slideshare.net/MushfikFRahman/norms-and-the-meaning-of-test-scores