What does a high standard deviation indicate about a dataset?

A high standard deviation indicates that the scores within a dataset are widely spread out from the mean. This measure reflects the degree of variation or dispersion among the values in the dataset. When the standard deviation is large, it signifies that there is a significant variation in the data points, suggesting that they are not clustered closely around the average value.

In contrast, a low standard deviation would suggest that the data points are more concentrated around the mean, showing less variability. Therefore, understanding the concept of standard deviation is crucial for analyzing data distribution, as it provides insights into the spread of values in relation to the mean.