Each year, thousands of high school students bound for college take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). This test measures the verbal and mathematical abilities of prospective college students. Student scores are reported on a scale that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 800. Summary results for the scores are published by the College Entrance Examination Board in College Bound Seniors. In one high school graduating class, the mean SAT math score is 528 with a standard deviation of 105; the mean SAT verbal score is 475 with a standard deviation of 98. A student in the graduating class scored 740 on the SAT math and 715 on the SAT verbal.
a. Under what conditions would it be reasonable to use z-scores to compare the standings of the student on the two tests relative to the other students in the graduating class?
b. Assuming that a comparison using z-scores is legitimate, relative to the other students in the graduating class, on which test did the student do better?