Evaluation

• Strength of using the mean

  It is most sensitive as it includes all of the scores/values within the calculation, so it is more representative of the data
• Limitation of using the mean

  Easily distorted by extreme values, making data unrepresentative
• 2 strengths of using the median

  Extreme scores don't affect it as the median stays the same

  Easy to calculate once the values are arranged in order
• Limitation of using the median

  Less sensitive than the mean as not all scores are included in the final calculation
• Strength of using the mode

  Very easy to calculate as you simply count up all of the different values
• Limitation of using the mode

  Crude measure - not representative of the data as a whole
• Strength of using the range

  Easy to calculate
• Limitation of using the range

  Only takes into account the two most extreme values, so it is unrepresentative of the data as a whole
• Strength of using the standard deviation

  More precise than the range as it includes all values within the final calculation
• Limitation of using the standard deviation

  Can be distorted by a single extreme value