GRE General TestQuantitative ReasoningEasy
A data analyst is examining the sales figures for a product over three months. The sales for January were $5,000, February were $7,500, and March were $6,000. What is the average monthly sales figure for this product?
- A$5,500
- B$7,000
- C$6,167
- D$6,500
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. $6,500
To find the average monthly sales, sum the sales for all months and then divide by the number of months.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This would be the average if the total sales were $16,500.
- B. This would be the average if the total sales were $21,000.
- C. This is the result if $18,500 was divided by 3, which is not the correct sum.
Arithmetic Mean (Average)
The arithmetic mean, or average, is a measure of central tendency calculated by summing all values in a dataset and dividing by the number of values.
- Most common type of average.
- Sensitive to outliers (extreme values).
- Represents the 'equal distribution' value if all items were the same.
Memory trick: Central Tendency: Think of finding the 'heart' of your data.