What is the major drawback of using percentile ranks to describe students' performance on a standardized test?
A)Percentiles prevent comparisons between students' own performance and that of classmates-comparisons that standard scores allow.
B)Percentiles tend to underestimate how much students have actually learned.
C)Because most students get fairly low scores, they become easily discouraged and their self-efficacy decreases.
D)Students in the middle range can be quite similar in achievement and yet have scores that are somewhat dissimilar.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Percentile ranks can make students with similar achievement levels appear to have more significant differences in their scores because of how percentiles are distributed, especially in the middle range where small differences in raw scores can result in relatively larger differences in percentile ranks.

What Is the Major Drawback of Using Percentile Ranks to Describe