If data are skewed, which measure of central tendency should be used?

If data are skewed, which measure of central tendency should be used?

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

Answer: (B)

When data are skewed, the median best captures the typical value because it sits at the middle of the ordered data and is not dragged by extreme values. The mean, in contrast, uses every observation, so a few very high or very low values pull it toward the tail and can misrepresent where most data lie. The median therefore stays representative of the central location despite the imbalance. The mode indicates the most frequent value and can be unstable or uninformative with skewed or continuous data. The range describes how spread out the data are, not the central position. In skewed datasets, reporting the median (often with the interquartile range) provides a clearer sense of the typical value.

When data are skewed, the median best captures the typical value because it sits at the middle of the ordered data and is not dragged by extreme values. The mean, in contrast, uses every observation, so a few very high or very low values pull it toward the tail and can misrepresent where most data lie. The median therefore stays representative of the central location despite the imbalance. The mode indicates the most frequent value and can be unstable or uninformative with skewed or continuous data. The range describes how spread out the data are, not the central position. In skewed datasets, reporting the median (often with the interquartile range) provides a clearer sense of the typical value.