On contemporary intelligence tests, the score of 100 represents the average performance for a given age.

• A. The median
• B. The average performance for a given age
• C. The maximum score
• D. The standard deviation

Answer: (B)

Scores on contemporary IQ tests are scaled so that the average performance of people in the same age group is 100. This means 100 is the mean of the normative sample for that age, anchoring the center of the distribution around the typical performance level. The standard deviation around that mean is about 15, which describes how scores tend to spread around the average. So 100 isn’t the maximum nor the measure of dispersion itself; it’s the central value used to define “average.” The other aspects—maximum or standard deviation—refer to different parts of the scoring system. In this framework, the average is the defining reference point for age-specific norms.