In a calculation of central tendency, the most frequently occurring value is .............

Appeared in: DSSSB - 28 August 2019 (Shift-1)

Explanation

The mode is defined as the value that appears with the highest frequency in a dataset.
It is the only measure of central tendency that can be used for nominal (categorical) data, such as blood types or patient diagnoses.
A dataset can have one mode (unimodal), two modes (bimodal), or more (multimodal).

Option B: The range is a measure of statistical dispersion or spread, not central tendency. It describes the difference between the maximum and minimum values.
Option C: The median is the middle value in an ordered dataset. It represents the 50th percentile, but not necessarily the most frequent value.
Option D: The mean is the arithmetic average of all values in a dataset. It is calculated by summing the values and dividing by the count of values, not by frequency.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Measures of Central Tendency as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
In nursing and public health, the mode is useful for identifying the most common symptom, diagnosis, or risk factor in a patient population (e.g., the most frequent cause of hospital-acquired infections).
Hospital administrators use the mode to manage resources, such as identifying the most frequently prescribed medication to ensure adequate stock levels.
What if? If a dataset of patient ages on a pediatric ward is {2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 16}, the mean age is 5.5, which is skewed by the 16-year-old outlier. The median (3.5) and mode (3) provide a better representation of the typical age of patients in that ward.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'central tendency' and 'most frequently occurring value'.
This is a factual recall question that requires knowing the definitions of basic statistical terms.
Define each option in your mind: Mean (average), Median (middle value), Mode (most frequent), Range (spread).
Match the definition provided in the question stem ('most frequently occurring value') with the correct statistical term.
Select the option that perfectly matches the definition, which is 'Mode'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QMOzcQb_GpHXq1Wpwrqdu9

E6 NursingResearch Suresh Sharma 5e Part 2 p. 134-136

E6 NursingResearch Sukhpal Kaur pp. 440-442, 448-450

Practise the full DSSSB - 28 August 2019 (Shift-1)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.