If an individual takes a test, and if you know an individual's raw score, the mean of the group of individuals who took the test, and the standard deviation of the group, you can tell the relative position of the individual within his or her group.

Standard Deviation

A statistical measure that quantifies the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values, indicating how much the values differ from the mean.

Raw Score

The initial, unadjusted score obtained from a test or assessment, prior to any transformations or scaling.