Statistical Measures Made Simple

Understanding data doesn't have to be complicated - there are just four key measures you need to master. Each one tells you something different about a set of numbers, and together they give you the complete picture.

The mean is what most people call the "average." Simply add up all your numbers and divide by how many numbers you have. If your test scores are 60, 70, and 80, your mean is (60+70+80) ÷ 3 = 70.

The mode is dead easy - it's just the number that appears most often in your data set. In the numbers 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, the mode is 3 because it shows up twice whilst the others only appear once.

The median is the middle value when you arrange all numbers in order from smallest to largest. For odd amounts of numbers, pick the one right in the centre. For even amounts, find the average of the two middle numbers.

Range shows how spread out your data is by subtracting the smallest number from the largest. It's always "biggest minus smallest" - never the other way round! A small range means your numbers are close together, whilst a large range means they're spread far apart.

Quick Tip: Remember the order - arrange your numbers from smallest to largest before finding the median, and you'll never go wrong!