DA0-002 Data Analysis Practice Question
A data analyst calculates the mean, median, and mode of a dataset. Which of the following measures of central tendency is least affected by extreme outliers?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse measures of central tendency with measures of dispersion, leading candidates to select 'Range' because it sounds like a statistical measure, or to assume the mode is always the most robust since it ignores magnitudes—when in fact the median is the standard robust measure of center tested on DA0-002.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Median
The median is the middle value when data is ordered, so it depends only on the rank position of values, not their magnitude. Extreme outliers, even if arbitrarily large or small, do not change which value sits in the middle unless they cross the 50th percentile. This makes the median a robust measure of central tendency, unlike the mean, which incorporates every value and is pulled toward outliers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Median
Why this is correct
The median depends only on positional order, so extreme values shift it minimally. The mean sums every value and is dragged strongly by outliers, while the mode reflects only the most frequent value and can be unstable in continuous data.
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Range
Why it's wrong here
Range measures spread between maximum and minimum values, so a single extreme outlier inflates it directly; it is not a measure of central tendency at all. It is tempting because range is a simple dispersion statistic, and would be correct if the question asked which measure of variability is most sensitive to outliers.
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Mode
Why it's wrong here
The mode is the most frequent value, so it can sit at any position in the distribution and may be entirely absent in continuous data, whereas the median depends only on rank position and ignores magnitude. The mode is tempting because it is unaffected by outlier values, but it is the least stable measure of central tendency.
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Mean
Why it's wrong here
The mean sums every value, so one extreme outlier shifts it substantially, unlike the median. It is tempting because the mean is the most familiar average and is correct when data are symmetrically distributed without extreme values, such as calculating average transaction amounts in a clean dataset.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DA0-002 exam.