FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

How is the mean score calculated?

1. Add all scores and divide by the number of scores

2. Select the highest score in the group

3. Count the number of scores and divide by two

4. Identify the most frequently occurring score

The correct answer is: Add all scores and divide by the number of scores

The mean score is calculated by taking the sum of all individual scores and dividing that total by the number of scores in the dataset. This method gives a balanced representation of the average score, as it incorporates every individual score into the calculation. By using this approach, the mean effectively provides a central value, which is essential for understanding the overall performance of a group. While other options may represent different statistical measures, such as the highest score (which is the maximum value), a count divided by two (which does not provide a meaningful statistic), or identifying the mode (the most frequently occurring score), they do not accurately reflect the method for calculating the mean.