CV

CA Foundation · Quantitative Aptitude (Maths, LR, Stats)

Measures of Central Tendency & Dispersion

Chapter 4 · 6 formulas · 4 exam-critical pointers

Core concepts

  1. 01Mean: arithmetic average; sensitive to extremes.
  2. 02Median: middle value of ordered data; robust to outliers.
  3. 03Mode: most frequent value.
  4. 04Dispersion measures: range, mean deviation, standard deviation, variance.
  5. 05Empirical relation: Mode = 3 Median − 2 Mean (for moderately skewed).

Flowchart

Central Tendency | +-- Mean (AM, GM, HM) +-- Median +-- Mode Dispersion | +-- Range +-- MD +-- SD / Variance +-- CV (relative)

Exam-critical pointers

  • AM ≥ GM ≥ HM for positive numbers (equality when all equal).
  • SD unaffected by change of origin, affected by change of scale.
  • For symmetrical distribution: Mean = Median = Mode.
  • CV used to compare variability of two datasets with different units.

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