What is the primary purpose of a norm-referenced test?

• A. Determine where a student stands in relation to peers
• B. Measure mastery of a specific concept
• C. Predict future grades
• D. Track growth over time

Answer: (A)

The main idea is comparing a student’s performance to a reference group. Norm-referenced tests are designed to place individuals within the distribution of a normative sample, so the results show where a student stands relative to peers (often via percentile ranks or standard scores). This is why their primary purpose is to determine how a student compares to others, not whether they have mastered a specific objective or how they will perform in the future. In contrast, measuring mastery of a specific concept is about reaching defined standards (criterion-referenced), predicting future grades focuses on forecasting performance rather than current relative standing, and tracking growth over time requires multiple measurements to show change rather than a single position within a peer group.