Simulation creates modeled responses under chosen assumptions. Calibration adjusts a scoring method against a target. Population norming develops a reference from actual participants. These processes can support different parts of test development, but they answer different questions.
What the starp simulation contains
The archived starp simulation has 12,700 completed assessments, each with responses to all 30 initial questions. That produces 381,000 modeled answer outcomes. The model varies ability and question difficulty under a specified response rule.
The scoring table was then tuned so that the mapped scores average exactly 100 across that group, while retaining endpoints of 42 and 144. The underlying modeled answers were not changed during that calibration.
What can be checked directly
You can verify that all scores are integers, that extra correct answers always raise the score, that the endpoints are preserved and that the score sum is 1,270,000. These are concrete checks on the scoring behavior.
You can also compare how alternative mappings distribute the same answer totals. Because the answers stay fixed, differences come from the mapping rather than from a new cohort.
What remains a separate question
The assumptions control which response patterns the model produces. They do not establish how closely the simulation represents a particular human population. Centering the resulting scores does not establish age norms, measurement error or agreement with a professional assessment.
A model can be internally consistent while still requiring external evidence for claims about people. That is a general point about simulations, not a reason to discard them as development tools.
How to read the claim
Calibrated using 12,700 simulated completed assessments describes the process starp used. It explains the origin of the current mapping without asserting a separate clinical study.
For a user, the practical result is a fixed, documented scale and clear answer explanations. Interpret the score within that method, and look for different evidence if you need a population comparison or a formal assessment.