Interpreting scores

[jacek21]

I'm confused about the scoring system.
If the scores are from 200-600, then the average is around 400. But I have a score barely above average (447) yet it says 97% PR. How do you interpret these cores? What's a good score (out of 600 and PR-wise)?
How different are the preliminary scores compared to the official scores?

Thanks.

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[ciestar]

I actually have the same question. I took them today and my PR composite was 89.

 

[pharmdx92]

PR is out of 99%. You are compared to previous cycles that took the PCAT and adjusted to that scale. You guys did great with a 97 and 89 so don't worry.

 

[bigpapalapagus]

I think it also has to do with standard deviation. 68% score within one standard deviation, 95% score within two standard deviations, 99.5% score within three standard deviations. So depending on the SD, that is where the percentage can come from. For arguments sake, say 20 is the SD. Two SD (440 points) would be a 95%, and a 447 is a little higher than 440 and 97% is a little higher than 95%. SD is probably really close to 20 points. But 200 and 600 for ranges are unrealistic numbers to actually achieve. At the same time, there has to be a "perfect" score at both ends.

 

[pharmerjohn]

I think it also has to do with standard deviation. 68% score within one standard deviation, 95% score within two standard deviations, 99.5% score within three standard deviations. So depending on the SD, that is where the percentage can come from. For arguments sake, say 20 is the SD. Two SD (440 points) would be a 95%, and a 447 is a little higher than 440 and 97% is a little higher than 95%. SD is probably really close to 20 points. But 200 and 600 for ranges are unrealistic numbers to actually achieve. At the same time, there has to be a "perfect" score at both ends.

That's a very good explanation. You certainly got your stats down! 200 and 600 are extreme outliers, but as the scores get farther and farther away from Z = 0 and towards the end of each tails of the normal curve, the difference between raw scores of, say, 580 to 600 could be as little as 5 questions, whereas it could be as many as 25 or more questions between 400 and 420.

 

[arri]

That's a very good explanation. You certainly got your stats down! 200 and 600 are extreme outliers, but as the scores get farther and farther away from Z = 0 and towards the end of each tails of the normal curve, the difference between raw scores of, say, 580 to 600 could be as little as 5 questions, whereas it could be as many as 25 or more questions between 400 and 420.

Ya'll definitely got your stats down!!! hahaha I feel like I'm reading a PCAT stats problem right now LOL!!