Quick answer
A score of 130 where the mean is 100 and SD is 15 gives z = 2 — about the 98th percentile.
How it works
A z-score says how many standard deviations a value is above or below the mean. On a normal curve, z = 0 is the 50th percentile, z = 1 is about the 84th, z = 2 about the 98th.
Formula
z = (value − mean) ÷ standard deviation
Assumptions & limitations
- Percentile assumes a normal distribution.
Frequently asked questions
Is a high z-score good?
It depends on context — high is great for test scores, but not necessarily for things like error rates.