In screening, what does a cutoff score refer to?

• A. The minimum score required to indicate a need for a more thorough assessment
• B. The average score for the population
• C. The threshold above which a more thorough assessment is indicated
• D. The maximum acceptable risk level

Answer: (C)

A cutoff score is the threshold on a screening measure that signals when a more thorough assessment should be pursued. It’s set to balance sensitivity (catching true cases) and specificity (avoiding unnecessary referrals), and it represents the point at which the result indicates probable concern rather than a clean pass. The direction of scoring can vary across tools—some higher scores mean greater risk, others lower scores do—but in every case the cutoff marks the boundary where further evaluation is indicated. This is why the statement describing the threshold above which a more thorough assessment is indicated best captures the concept.