rank order

n. A list arranged according to the ordinal position of each item in relation to other items. Commonly used in nonparametric statistics, rank order implies that items within a list have been numerically (i.e., first, second, third, fourth) or qualitatively (i.e., worst, bad, good, better, best) sequenced. Rank order lists provide information on the relative position of an item within a larger grouping but do not provide information on the meaning of individual scores or the amount of difference between ranks. Because rank order indicates magnitude but not equal intervals, meaningful mathematical calculations are limited. – BJM