FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What term describes the division of percentile rankings into four categories?

1. Mean

2. Median

3. Quartile

4. Decile

The correct answer is: Quartile

The term that describes the division of percentile rankings into four categories is known as "quartile." Quartiles are specific points in a data set that divide the data into four equal parts, meaning that each quartile contains 25% of the data points. When data is organized in ascending order, the first quartile (Q1) represents the 25th percentile, the second quartile (Q2) is the median or the 50th percentile, and the third quartile (Q3) corresponds to the 75th percentile. This division allows for better understanding of data distribution and helps in identifying how various segments of the data relate to each other. In contrast, the mean is the average of the data, and the median is the middle value of a sorted data set. Deciles divide the data into ten equal parts, each representing 10% of the data. Hence, quartiles are specifically advantageous for dividing data into four parts, providing clear segments for interpretation.