American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Practice Exam

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How is the mean calculated in a dataset?

  1. Sum of scores divided by the number of scores

  2. Highest score minus the lowest score

  3. Middle value when scores are arranged in order

  4. Most frequently occurring score

The correct answer is: Sum of scores divided by the number of scores

The mean is calculated by taking the sum of all the scores in a dataset and dividing that total by the number of scores. This method provides a measure of central tendency that reflects the average value of the dataset. It is particularly useful when the values are reasonably distributed without extreme outliers, as it accounts for every score in the dataset and provides a comprehensive overview of the data's overall tendency. The other options represent different statistical measures. The highest score minus the lowest score represents the range, which indicates the spread of the data but does not calculate any average. The middle value when scores are arranged in order refers to the median, which is useful for understanding the central value in a dataset that may have outliers. The most frequently occurring score defines the mode, which identifies the most common value but does not account for the overall distribution of all the scores. Each of these measures serves distinct purposes in data analysis, but for calculating the mean specifically, the sum of the scores divided by the number of scores is the correct approach.