CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data AnalysisEasy
A data analyst is evaluating customer feedback scores. The scores range from 1 to 10, and the analyst wants to understand the central tendency, but the data is heavily skewed with many low scores and a few very high scores. Which measure of central tendency would be LEAST appropriate for representing the typical score in this dataset?
- AMode
- BMedian
- CMean
- DTrimmed mean
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Mean
The mean is highly sensitive to outliers and skewed data, making it a poor representation of central tendency in datasets with extreme values. The median and mode are more robust to skewness.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The mode identifies the most frequent score, which can be useful even in skewed data.
- B. The median is robust to outliers and skewness, making it appropriate for this dataset.
- D. A trimmed mean removes a percentage of the highest and lowest values, making it more robust to outliers than a simple mean.
Mean (Arithmetic Mean)
The average of a set of numbers, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the count of values.
- Sensitive to outliers and skewed distributions.
- Best for symmetrically distributed data.
- Represents the 'balance point' of the data.
Memory trick: Mean, Median, Mode: What's the Middle Story?