Nor mal Is Only Approximate: ACT Scores. Composite scores on the ACT for the
2019 high school graduating class had mean \(20.8\) and standard deviation
\(5.8\). In all, \(1,914,817\) students in this class took the test. Of these,
227,221 had scores higher than 28 , and another 54,848 had scores exactly 28.
ACT scores are always whole numbers. The exactly Normal \(N(20.8,5.8)\)
distribution can include any value, not just whole numbers. What is more,
there is no area exactly above 28 under the smooth Normal curve. So ACT scores
can be only approximately Normal. To illustrate this fact, find
a. the percentage of 2019 ACT scores greater than 28 , using the actual counts
reported.
b. the percentage of 2019 ACT scores greater than or equal to 28 , using the
actual counts reported.
c. the percentage of observations that are greater than 28 using the
\(N(20.8,5.8)\) distribution. (The percentage greater than or equal to 28 is the
same because there is no area exactly over 28.)