Statistical and Numerical Methods of Processing Examination Results by Computer
J.D. Lee · International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology · 1973
Summary The need to examine the average, the standard deviation and the distribution of a set of raw examination marks is discussed. A small computer program is described which reads a set of marks and names and calculates and prints the average mark, the standard deviation, a histogram and a list of names and marks in order of merit. Further marks lists are printed (a) with the average mark modified to a predetermined value, (b) with both the average mark and the standard deviation adjusted (Zscores) and (c) Tscores in which the order of merit is transformed into numerical scores assuming a normal distribution. The several forms of marks lists are produced automatically in one run, and should encourage users to examine their own methods, and choose the one most appropriate for their purpose. The program is written in FORTRAN, requires a minimum of 10 K of core, and should be easily implemented on most computers.