Stanines represent a range of scores rather than precise points.

• A. Stanines are a precise percentile value.
• B. Stanines provide a single fixed score.
• C. Stanines represent a range of scores rather than precise points.
• D. Stanines equal the mean of the distribution.

Answer: (C)

Stanines are a nine-point scale that groups raw scores into nine broad bands. This means each stanine represents a range of scores rather than a single precise point. In practice, your performance falls into one of these bands, which tells you roughly where you stand in the distribution without pinning you to an exact percentile or raw score. The idea is to provide a simple, comparable way to interpret results across different tests or populations, since the boundaries are designed to partition the distribution into general levels (lower, below average, average, above average, high) rather than exact values. So the statement that stanines represent a range of scores rather than precise points captures this essence: they convey general position in the distribution, not a specific score.