Interpreting the Respondent's Scores from the Cattell

The raw scores from the questionnaire are converted into standard scores called "sten scores" (the term comes from "standard ten") which are distributed over 10 equal-interval standard score points from 1 through 10. The standard scores are set according to a national sample with the average score nationally being 5.5; about 2/3 of the national population would score between 4.5 and 6.5. The norms are set such that men's scores are compared with other men's, as are women's with women's.

One would normally consider sten scores of 4 through 7 to be average. Sten scores of 1, 2, 3, and 8, 9, 10 are generally considered to be of greater importance for profile interpretation since they are more extreme and occur far less frequently in a normal population. Numbers 1-3 are considered low and number 8 - 10 are considered high.

For example, look at the "wives' cool vs. warm" chart to the right. Very few women in the sample scored a 1, 9, or 10. If your respondent falls into one of these extreme stens, her attribute of "extremely cool" or "extremely warm" would make her distinctive from the rest of the study. In addition, such an extreme score is likely to influence the rest of her characterization. For example, consider how a "warm" sten of 1 (or of 10) would affect your consideration of a moderately high "bold" score. You might describe a bold yet extremely cool woman as "thick-skinned and pushy," while characterizing a bold and extremely warm woman as "sociable and spontaneous."

Illustration from Keith: "According to a personality test, Keith is a calm ambivert who is about average in independence and average in control and sensitivity. His extreme scores reflect dominant, calm, self-assured and composed attitudes and characteristics. His profile also indicates he is formal, cheerful, bold, impractical, self-sufficient, conservative and open."

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Cattell Table of Contents

Personality Table of Contents