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How To's: How to Use Norm Tables
Raw test scores are seldom meaningful in and of themselves. One way to give meaning to an individual's test score is to compare it to the scores of others in an appropriate reference group. The norm group then becomes the standard for comparison.
Norm tables enable you to compare your job candidate's performance to that of a sample of individuals performing work similar to that being applied for. A percentile indicates the individual's relative position in a group. For example, a person with a test score at the 40th percentile has received a score higher than 40% of the people in the norm group — 40% of the people in the norm group received lower scores.
To use norms, first find the most appropriate comparison group. An example of a typical norm table is shown below:
Look down the column of raw scores until the score or score interval is found, then read across to the percentile column. The percentile represents the percentage of people in the norm group who received lower scores. Thus, the percentiles describe how well the candidate ranks in comparison to others. Percentiles range from 1 to 99, with a percentile of 50 being average.
General Norm
| Percentile | Test |
| 99 | 160 & up |
| 98 | 155 - 159 |
| 95 | 144 - 154 |
| 90 | 137 - 143 |
| 85 | 133 - 136 |
| 80 | 124 - 132 |
| 70 | 117 - 123 |
| 60 | 110 - 116 |
| 50 | 103 - 109 |
| 40 | 97 - 102 |
| 30 | 87 - 96 |
| 20 | 83 - 86 |
| 15 | 76 - 82 |
| 10 | 67 - 75 |
| 5 | 52 - 66 |
| 2 | 44 - 51 |
| 1 | 0 - 43 |
| N | 641 |
| M | 108.89 |
| SD | 26.33 |
