The standard elite ('PC') stat array is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8: 25 points. The standard nonelite ('peasant') stat array is 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10: 15 points.
i'll just take a quick second to add that i love the standard array: it gives every character a slight weakness (or quirk), a couple of strengths (potentially augmented by racial adjustments), and is in no way unbalanced or power-gaming (it's only 25 points!). i can see where it might get boring (similarly statted characters all the time) if you're in a campaign with frequent deaths and numerous characters, but if you're playing in a campaign that has duration and consistency, it's the way to go. great for the dm too, designing npc's who are (ability score-wise) the equal of pc's, not ubervillains or walk-overs. james wyatt designed all the npc's in CotSQ with this standard array!
there. that was more than a quick second, wasn't it?
I think a lot of people prefer to use higher stats than the standard array. I know my group does. Having lots of stats > 14 just seems to capture the imagination.