Which statement about stanines is most accurate?

• A. Stanines can be misunderstood because they are a precise percentile value.
• B. Stanines are a direct measure of IQ.
• C. Stanines can be misunderstood because individuals do not understand that they represent a range of scores.
• D. Stanines reflect the mean of the distribution.

Answer: (C)

Stanines are a nine-point standard scale that groups raw scores into broad bands. Because there are only nine categories, each stanine covers a range of possible scores rather than a single precise percentile. This means a given stanine value signals general position within the distribution, but it does not pin down an exact percentile. That helps explain why some misunderstand stanines as exact percentages—they are not precise percentiles; they are ranges that summarize where a score sits overall.

They are not a direct measure of IQ, and they don’t reflect the mean of the raw score distribution in a precise, one-to-one way. Instead, they provide a simple, standardized way to compare performance by location within the distribution, with 5 representing roughly the middle and the extremes indicating far below or above average.