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June's percentile rank on a science exam is 78. This means that

A. June achieved a score of 78% on the exam.
B. June answered 78% of the questions correctly on the exam.
C. June scored the same as 78% of the other students in the class.
D. June's score was greater than 78% of the other students' scores.

User ChickenFur
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

June's percentile rank of 78 on the science exam means she scored higher than 78% of the other students, as opposed to getting 78% of the questions correct or achieving a score of 78% on the exam.

Step-by-step explanation:

When discussing percentile rank, it's essential to understand that it refers to the position of a score in a group of scores. In June's case, her percentile rank of 78 on a science exam means that she scored higher than 78% of the other students who took the exam. This is illustrated by the following options:

  • A. June achieved a score of 78% on the exam. (Incorrect because this describes a percentage score, not a percentile rank.)
  • B. June answered 78% of the questions correctly on the exam. (Incorrect for the same reason as A.)
  • C. June scored the same as 78% of the other students in the class. (Incorrect because a percentile rank indicates how many students she scored better than, not how many she scored the same as.)
  • D. June's score was greater than 78% of the other students' scores. (Correct, as this is what percentile rank implies.)

A higher percentile indicates a higher ranking among peers. For instance, if the 70th percentile for a number of correct answers was 16 out of 20 on a math test, it means that 70% of students scored 16 answers correctly or less. Thus, being above the 70th percentile is desirable because it suggests a higher-than-average performance.

User Keammoort
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