What are some common measures of central tendency and how would you choose which one to use for a given dataset?

During my final year project, I conducted a survey to understand student preferences on online learning platforms. I collected data from 100 students and found that the average rating (mean) for one platform was 4.5, but there were several students who gave it a 1 due to poor experiences. Recognizing this skew, I also calculated the median, which was 4.0. This showed that while some students had extreme opinions, most felt positively about the platform. I presented both the mean and median in my report, explaining why using both provided a clearer picture of student sentiment.

While volunteering at a local community center, I helped organize events and collect feedback from participants. After a recent event, I gathered ratings from 50 attendees. Most rated the event highly, but a few gave it low scores because of logistical issues. I decided to use the median to communicate overall satisfaction to the team, as it accurately represented the central tendency without being affected by outliers. This approach helped us focus on improving aspects that mattered most to the majority, showing how data-driven decisions can enhance future events.

In my first entry-level job as a sales assistant, I was tasked with analyzing monthly sales data. While the mean sales figure was useful for a general overview, I noticed that a few high sales figures skewed the average. I calculated the median sales, which provided a better understanding of typical sales performance among our team, allowing management to set more realistic sales targets. This experience taught me the importance of choosing the right measure of central tendency to provide insights that are both accurate and actionable.