In order to be accepted into a certain top university, applicants must score within the top 5% on the SAT exam. Given that the exam has a mean of 1000 and a standard deviation of 200, what is the lowest possible score a student needs to qualify for acceptance into the university?
A) 1400
B) 1330
C) 1250
D) 1100

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To score within the top 5% of SAT takers, a student's score would need to be greater than or equal to the 95th percentile. Using a standard normal distribution table, we can find that the z-score associated with the 95th percentile is approximately 1.645. Using the formula: z = (X - μ) / σ, we can solve for the minimum score needed: 1.645 = (X - 1000) / 200, which simplifies to X = 1330. Therefore, the minimum score required to qualify for acceptance into the university is 1330.

In Order to Be Accepted into a Certain Top University