On standardized assessments, which measure is defined as the score that occurs most frequently?

On standardized assessments, which measure is defined as the score that occurs most frequently?

• A. Mean
• B. Median
• C. Mode
• D. Range

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested is understanding measures of central tendency, specifically which measure captures the most frequently occurring score. The score that occurs most often is called the mode. It identifies the value(s) that appear with the highest frequency in a data set. For example, if a set of test scores includes 60, 65, 65, 70, and 85, the score 65 appears more times than any other, so it is the mode. The mean is the average of all scores, found by summing them and dividing by how many there are. The median is the middle score when the data are ordered from lowest to highest. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores, which tells you about spread rather than central tendency. Sometimes there can be more than one mode if two scores tie for the highest frequency, or no mode if every score occurs only once.

The main idea tested is understanding measures of central tendency, specifically which measure captures the most frequently occurring score. The score that occurs most often is called the mode. It identifies the value(s) that appear with the highest frequency in a data set. For example, if a set of test scores includes 60, 65, 65, 70, and 85, the score 65 appears more times than any other, so it is the mode. The mean is the average of all scores, found by summing them and dividing by how many there are. The median is the middle score when the data are ordered from lowest to highest. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores, which tells you about spread rather than central tendency. Sometimes there can be more than one mode if two scores tie for the highest frequency, or no mode if every score occurs only once.