When we refer to a “population” in Hire Success reports, we’re referring to every member of a group. This is the opposite a “sample,” which is a fraction or percentage of a particular group. For instance, we may refer to a population as all the people who have taken a particular test. This helps you understand where a particular candidate, or test-taker, placed in comparison with all other people who have taken your test so that you get a sense of whether this person has a below-average, average or above-average level of skill or ability.