SSC CGL Tier 2 Statistics - Last Minute Study Notes

Measures of Central Tendency

One of the main objectives of a statistical analysis is to obtain a value that describes the
characteristics of the entire data. Such a value is called a central tendency. Measures of central
tendency also facilitate the comparison between data by reducing the mass of data to one single value.
Measures of Central Tendency are -

Mean

The most widely used measure of central tendency is the mean. Mean is computed by adding all the
values of the variable and dividing that by the total number of values, i.e. the sum of all observations
divided by the total number of observations.

For eg:- Find the mean of the even numbers between 1 to 11.
The even number between 1 to 11 are 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
The sum of these numbers is 30 and the total number of values is 5. There the mean is,

Median

The median refers to the middle value in a distribution. In the case of median, one half of the values
of the distribution are equal to or less than the median and the other half are equal to or greater than
the median. It splits the observation into two halves. The score in the middle when the observations
are ordered from the smallest to the largest. If the total number of observations n is an odd number,
then the number on the position is the median. If n is an even number, then the average of the two

numbers on the and positions is the median.

For eg:- Find the median of 5, 6, 11, 10, 4, 9, 7

4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11; Thus, Median = 7

Mode

The modal value or the mode is that value in a series of observations which occurs with the greatest
frequency. It is the value that occurs most often in the data. If two numbers tie then the observation
will have two modes and is called Bimodal
For eg:- Find the mode of 2, 6, 3, 9, 5, 6, 2, 6
2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 6, 6, 9; Thus, Mode = 6

Relationship between Mean, Median and Mode

Mode = 3 Median - 2 Mean or
Mean - Mode = 3 (Mean - Median)

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Scales of Measurement:-

1. Nominal Scale – That can simply be broken down into categories

2. Ordinal Scale – That can be categorized and can be placed in order or ranking
3. Interval Scale – That can be ranked but has no absolute zero point
4. Ratio Scale – That allows to compare and has meaningful zero values

For Nominal scale, the mode is the only measure that can be used. For Ordinal Scale, the mode and
the median may be used. For Interval – Ratio Scale, the mean, median and mode all can be used.

Partition Values

If the samples are arranged in ascending or descending order, then the measures of central tendency
divides the observations in two equal parts. Similarly, there are other measures which divide a series
into equal parts which are quartiles, deciles and percentiles.

Quartiles

Quartiles divides a series into 4 equal parts i.e. Q1, Q2 and Q3. Q1 is known as first or lower Quartile
covering 25% observations. Q2 is known as second Quartile is the same as Median of the series. Q3 is
known as third or upper Quartile covering 75% observations.

Where,
l = lower limit of median class; i = class interval
cf = total of all frequencies before median class
f = frequency of median class; n = total number of observations

Deciles

Similar to Quartiles, deciles divides a series into 10 equal parts i.e. D1, D2, D3,............D10.

And so on…..

Where,
l = lower limit of median class; i = class interval
cf = total of all frequencies before median class
f = frequency of median class; n = total number of observations

Percentiles

Percentiles divide a series into 100 equal parts i.e., P1, P2, P3,…..P99, P100 etc.

Where,
l = lower limit of median class; i = class interval
cf = total of all frequencies before median class
f = frequency of median class; n = total number of observations

Measures of Dispersion

The measures of central tendency give us one single figure that represents the entire data. Ut the
average alone cannot sufficiently describe the set of observations, unless all the observations are the
same. It is necessary to see the how the data varies from the central value and how it is scattered
around it. It is necessary to describe the dispersion of the observations. Following are the important
measures of dispersion -

Range
Range is the simplest method of studying dispersion. It is the difference between the value of the
smallest item and the value of the largest item included in the distribution.

Range = Largest value- Smallest value

Range =

Where,
L is the largest value
S is the smallest value

Iner-Quartile Range

Inter-Quartile Range is the difference between the third Quartile and the first Quartile. It is also
known as the range of middle 50% values.

Inter-Quartile range = Q3 – Q1
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Percentile Range

It the difference between the 90th and 10th percentile. It is also known as the range of middle 80%
values.

Percentile range = P90 – P10

Quartile Deviation

Quartile deviation gives the average amount by which two quartiles differ from the median. It is the
average difference between the third Quartile and the first Quartile. It is an Absolute measure of
dispersion.

Quartile Deviation =

Coefficient of Quartile Deviation =

Mean Deviation

Mean deviation, also known as the average deviation, is the average difference between the items in a
distribution and the median or mean of that series. It is the mean of the deviations of the values from
a fixed point.

Mean Absolute Deviation =

Where,
n = Number of observations
= Mean

Standard Deviation

The standard deviation measures the absolute dispersion; the greater the standard deviation, the
greater will be the magnitude of the deviation of values from their mean. It is defined as the square
root of the mean of the squared deviations of individual values around their mean. If the values of the
observations are same, then standard deviation is zero and it is least affected by fluctuations.

Where,
σ = Standard Deviation
S2 = Variance
sum of the square of deviations from the mean
N = total number of observations
Measures of dispersion assist in the description of the width of the distribution, but they don’t give
any information about the shape of the distribution. There are further statistics that give information
about the shape of the distribution. They are:
• 1st moment Mean (describes central value)

1st-moment = , is equal to zero

• 2nd moment Variance (describes dispersion)

, gives information on the spread or scale of the distribution of numbers

• 3rd moment Skewness (describes asymmetry)

, gives information on the Skewness of the distribution

• 4th moment Kurtosis (describes peakedness)

, gives information on the Kurtosis of the distribution

Skewness
While measures of dispersion show us the variation of a set of values around a central value,
skewness shows us the asymmetry of the data set. It tells us about the direction of variation of data. It
is a measure of symmetry i.e. the values to the right and left of the central value.

A distribution can be positively skewed, negatively skewed, or there can be 0 skewness.

• Symmetrical Distribution - When the values of mean, median and mode are equal, there is
no skewness. Such a distribution is called a symmetrical distribution. The spread of the
frequencies is the same on both sides of the centre point of the curve.
• Positively Skewed Distribution - In a positively skewed distribution, the value of the mean
is maximum and that of the mode is the least, while the median lies in between, i.e. Mean >
Median > Mode.
• Negatively Skewed Distribution - In a negatively skewed distribution, the value of the
mode is maximum and that of the mean is the least, while the median lies in between, i.e.
Mode > Median > Mean.

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Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Skewness =
If the value of Mode is not defined, the formula can be written as,

Pearson’s Coefficient of Skewness =

It ranges between -3 to 3.

Bowley’s Coefficient of Skewness =

Where,
Md = Median

Kelly’s Coefficient of Skewness =

Where,
P90 = 90th Percentile; P50 = 50th Percentile; P10 = 10th Percentile

Kurtosis
Kurtosis is the degree of peakedness of a distribution. It measures the relative peakedness or flatness
of a distribution compared to the normal distribution. A tall thin distribution is Leptokurtic, a flat
distribution is said to be Platykurtic and a normal distribution is called Mesokurtic.

• When Kurtosis > 0, the peak of a curve becomes relatively high and that curve is called
Leptokurtic. The positive Kurtosis indicates a flat distribution with long tails
• When Kurtosis < 0, the curve is flat-topped, then it is called Platykurtic. The negative Kurtosis
indicates a peaked distribution with short tails
• A normal curve is neither very peaked nor very flat-topped, so it is taken as a basis for
comparison. The normal curve is called Mesokurtic. For a normal distribution, kurtosis is
equal to 3.
The measure of Kurtosis, known as Percentile coefficient of kurtosis is:

Kurtosis =
Where,

Q.D is semi-interquartile range, Q.D =

P90 = 90th Percentile;

P10 = 10th Percentile

SSC CGL Tier 2 Statistics Expected Questions

1.Of the 3 numbers whose average is 22, the first is 3/8th the sum of other 2. What is
the first number?
1) 16
2) 20
3) 22
4) 18

Solution:
Let the three numbers be a, b and c. We know that the average of the three numbers is 22. Therefore,
a+b+c/3 = 22
Let this be equation 1
It is also given that a = ⅜ (b+c), substituting this in equation 1, we get
⅜ (b+c) + b +c = 22
b + c = 48
Therefore, a = ⅜ * 48
a = 18

2. The average of three consecutive odd numbers is 52 more than 1/3rd of the largest of
these numbers. What is the smallest of these numbers?

1) 79
2) 75
3) 81
4) 77

Solution:
Consider the smallest number to be x. Since these are consecutive odd numbers, let the other two
numbers be x+2 and x+4. According to the given conditions,
x+x+2+x+4/3 = 52+⅓(x+4)
By solving the above equation we get,

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x = 77

3. A batsman scores 98 runs in the 17th match of his career. His average runs per
match increased by 2.5. What is his average before the 17th match?

1) 58
2) 60.5
3) 63
4) 55.5

Solution:
Let in first 16 innings his average was ‘x’. So, runs scored after 16 innings=16x.
In 17th inning his score is 98,so total score after 17th innings will be=16x+98.thus average after 17
innings will be = (16x+98)/17.
It is given that his overall average increases by 2.5,thus,we get an equation - -
(16x+98)/17=x+2.5
16x+98=17x+42.5
x = 55.5

4. What is the average of all numbers between 100 and 200 which are divisible by 13?

1) 147.5
2) 145.5
3) 143.5
4) 149.5

Solution:
The numbers between 100 and 200 that are divisible by 13 are - 104, 117, 130, 143, 156,169,182,195.
Therefore, their average is,
104+117+130+143+156+169+182+195/8 = 149.5

5. The average marks of 50 students in an examination was 65. It was later found that
the marks of one student had been wrongly entered as 83 instead of 38. The correct
average is?

1) 63.9
2) 64.5
3) 64.7
4) 64.1

Solution:
Let the total marks of the students be x. We know,
x/50 = 65
x = 65*50 = 3250
To obtain the correct total marks, we subtract 83 from the total marks and add 38. Thus the total
marks are 3205. Thus,
The correct average = 3205/50 = 64.1

6. In a one day match of 50 overs in an innings the team A had a run rate of 5.3 runs per
over. Team B is playing and 5 overs are left and the required run rate to tie the match is
7.2 per over to match the score of Team A. What is team B's score?

1) 265
2) 238
3) 254
4) 229

Solution:
Given that team A had a run rate of 5.3 runs per over in 50 overs. Therefore, total runs made by team
A are
5.3 * 50 = 265
Thus, team B needs 265 runs to tie the match. The required run rate to reach this target in 5 over is
7.2. Therefore, team B needs 36 (7.2 * 5) runs. Team B’s current score is,
265 - 36 = 229

7. Average of all even numbers between 104 and 148 is __________.

1) 128
2) 130
3) 124
4) 126

Solution:
Even numbers between 104 and 148 are - 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130,
132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146. Thus their average is,
106+108+110+112+114+116+118+120+122+124+126+128+130+132+134+136+138+140+142+144+14
6/21 = 126

8. The average weight of P, Q and R is 71 kg. If the average weight of P and Q be 66 kg

and that of Q and R be 76.5 kg, then the weight (in kg) of Q is.
1) 60
2) 72
3) 81
4) 75

Solution:
Given that,
P+Q+R/3 = 71
P+Q/2 = 66
Q+R/2 = 76.5

P+Q = 132, Therefore,

132+R = 213
R = 81
Therefore,
Q + 81/2 = 76.5
Q +81 = 153
Thus, Q = 72

9. The average weight of L, M and N is 93 kg. If the average weight of L and M be 89 kg

and that of M and N be 96.5 kg, then the weight (in kg) of M is ________.

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1) 92
2) 86
3) 101
4) 95

Solution:
L+M+N/3 = 93
L+M/2 = 89
M+N/2 = 96.5
L+M/2 = 89, Therefore,
L+M = 178. Therefore,
178+N/3 = 93
178+N = 279
N = 101
Thus,
M+101/2 = 96.5
M+101 = 193
M = 92

10. Average of all even numbers between 222 and 250 is __________.

1) 234
2) 232
3) 236
4) 230

Solution:
All even numbers between 222 and 250 are - 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242, 244,
246, 248. Their average will be -
224+226+228+230+232+234+236+238+240+242+244+246+248/13 = 236