Glossary category
Results and Scoring
How to read trait scores, distributions, percentiles, and the difference between types and dimensions.
Normative vs Ipsative Scoring
Normative scoring compares a person's result with scores from other people or a reference population. Ipsative scoring compares traits within the same person's profile, showing which tendencies are relatively stronger or weaker for that individual. These interpretations answer different questions and should not be substituted for one another.
Percentile Rank
A percentile rank is the percentage of scores in a reference group that fall at or below a given score. If a personality score is at the 80th percentile, it is as high as or higher than about 80% of that norm group. It does not mean 80% correct or 80% of the maximum possible trait.
Personality Traits vs Types
Personality traits describe continuous tendencies, while personality types place people into categories based on a pattern or rule. Traits preserve degrees and small differences; types provide memorable summaries. Many type systems are built by dividing underlying dimensions, so a label should not be mistaken for a natural boundary or a complete description of a person.
Probability Distribution
A probability distribution assigns probabilities or density across possible outcomes. In personality testing, it can represent uncertainty over trait values, profiles, or archetypes after the available answers. A concentrated distribution indicates that the model favors a narrow set of possibilities; a spread-out distribution shows that several interpretations remain plausible.