Quantitative Literacy Practice Exam 2025 - Free Quantitative Practice Questions and Study Guide

Question: 1 / 400

How is standard deviation calculated?

By finding the mean of a data set

By taking the square root of the average of squared deviations from the mean

Standard deviation is a measure of the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values. To calculate it, you first determine the mean (average) of the data set. Next, for each data point, you subtract the mean and then square the result. This gives you the squared deviations. After calculating all the squared deviations, you take the average of these values. Finally, the standard deviation is the square root of this average of squared deviations.

This process captures how spread out the values in the dataset are around the mean, providing insight into the overall distribution. The square root is taken to bring the measure back to the same unit as the original data since squaring the deviations will result in larger values that could misrepresent the variability when interpreted in context. Thus, option B accurately describes the correct method for calculating standard deviation.

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By calculating the median and mode

By finding the ratio of two standard values

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