Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics (5733)Statistics and ProbabilityEasy

A high school counselor is analyzing the test scores of 10 students on a recent math exam. The scores are: 78, 85, 92, 78, 95, 88, 78, 90, 85, 82. What is the mode of these test scores?

  1. A92
  2. B86
  3. C85
  4. D78
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. 78

The mode is the number that appears most frequently in a data set. In this set, 78 appears three times, which is more than any other score.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. 92 appears only once.
  • B. 86 is the mean, not the mode.
  • C. 85 appears twice, but 78 appears more frequently.

Mode

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set.

  • A data set can have one mode (unimodal), multiple modes (multimodal), or no mode.
  • It is a measure of central tendency.
  • It is most useful for categorical or discrete data.

Memory trick: Mean is average, Median is middle, Mode is most.

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