Question 1016579
A tighter distribution (smaller standard deviation) means the scores are more closely distributed about the mean. 
If you're higher than the mean, you want a smaller deviation because that would mean you're closer to the highest score, if not the highest score.
Equivalently, if you're lower than the mean, you would be closest to the lowest score, if not the lowest.
So if your grade is below the mean, you want a larger standard deviation because that will move you further from the lowest score.