Help with score calculation please!

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thescribe
Posts: 62
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:05 am

Help with score calculation please!

Post by thescribe »

Hi all, I'm posting this here as our regional forum is very quiet :D

I have read a ton of posts about the calculation of standardised scores and where that may or may not put you on the list but, I'll admit, it's all Greek to me! I'm hoping someone here who understands how it works will be able to look at some numbers and give their considered opinion?

My son took the test for Bournemouth School. Based on previous years, I estimate approx 500 boys took the test.

The papers were English, Verbal Reasoning and Maths GL papers.

This is what the letter from the school says:

The scores have been standardised, taking into account any age weighting. All papers have a range between 69 and 141 marks. The average score for each test was 100. Overall required Standard = 294

Bournemouth School has 150 places. The top 120 scores get a place automatically, the following 30 get allocated in the usual way. (Score, distance from school etc).

My son scored a 341 OOC - what chance does he have of being in the top 120 do you think?

I hope you don't mind me asking for some kind soul to help, I've been trying to figure it out for myself and I think I've broken my brain! :lol: :lol:
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by ToadMum »

Taking the mean as 300 and assuming a standard deviation of 15, you would expect about 16% of the total number of candidates to score more than 345, so 341 (or 113.67 for the purposes of a scale centred on 100) should fall round about the 20% mark, or 100th(ish), I think.
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thescribe
Posts: 62
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:05 am

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by thescribe »

ToadMum wrote:Taking the mean as 300 and assuming a standard deviation of 15, you would expect about 16% of the total number of candidates to score more than 345, so 341 (or 113.67 for the purposes of a scale centred on 100) should fall round about the 20% mark, or 100th(ish), I think.
Thank you!! :D
Finsbury
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 3:37 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by Finsbury »

I agree with Toad Mum. I can add some stats in case this is useful.

You need to be top 24 per cent (ie 76th percentile plus).

113 is around 8oth percentile and 113.67 probably nearer 81st.

Looking at it the other way round to achieve top 23 percent you need to score 111 not 113.

Have a look at the nfer website.

All this assumes the usual method of standardisation, with a 100 mean average and 85 - 115 representing 2/3 of the sample, which is the usual way of doing it.
Twinmumdorch
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:16 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by Twinmumdorch »

I really wish I understood statistics. My twins took the same papers with one scoring 333 and one scoring 307. Does the 307 score put one right at the bottom of the cohort? Where would 333 fall? So confused. :(
Finsbury
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 3:37 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by Finsbury »

IF (big IF) this is three papers using a standardised scoring system then the mean average score (ie the usual average score) should be 300 ie 100 per paper.

So the twin scoring 307 is scoring 102.33 per paper which would place them at just above half way (probably 55/100 or 55th percentile).

The twin scoring 333 on a standardised basis will have scored an average of 111 per test. This would place them in roughly the top 23% of the sample for that test, based on the usual distribution of students marks on a standardised basis.

Whether they have achieved the 'scores' required will depend on how the results and admissions work for that school.

Some schools require a certain hurdle score to be achieved (and then revert to catchment distances for everyone achieving those scores).

Others (eg Latymer) rank their students in order of standardised scores and take the top X (by number) to fill their places (subject to limited exceptions within their admissions criteria).

If you look on the school website for their admissions policy then that should tell you what approach they are taking.
Twinmumdorch
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:16 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by Twinmumdorch »

They had to gain 294 to be eligible to apply. Then they offer to all in catchment - last year approx 130. Then they offer out of catchment in rank order. I am hoping the 333 will be high enough and if they run out of places for the twin with 307 we would have to go to appeal. The school have a multiple birth policy that if the admission of twins spans the threshold of the PAN they will admit the other. When I asked for clarification it only applied if twin 2 was number 181 for admission.
Twinmumdorch
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:16 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by Twinmumdorch »

Forgot to say we are out of catchment so 333 will be compared with all ooc scores, hence I need it to rank high.
chimera-ma
Posts: 304
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 3:57 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by chimera-ma »

I've found the NFER website very helpful for understanding where my DS's scores place him percentile-wise.

Here is a link:

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research/centre-f ... -ranks.cfm
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Help with score calculation please!

Post by mystery »

Yes, but what I cannot understand is how this same graph can be applied to the kent results both before and after the dramatic change in the scores in 2014.
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