Two students took different math tests. Their raw scores look different, but z-scores help us compare them fairly.
Average score (μ) = 50
Standard deviation (σ) = 10
Alex's score (x) = 70
Alex is 2 standard deviations above average.
Average score (μ) = 80
Standard deviation (σ) = 2
Mia's score (x) = 84
Mia is also 2 standard deviations above average.
Even though Alex scored 70 and Mia scored 84, both students performed equally well compared to their own class averages.