If there is an even number of values when computing the median, how is the median determined?

• A. If Even Number Of Values, Take The Middle Value
• B. If Even Number Of Values, Discard The Smallest Value
• C. If Even Number Of Values, Average The Two Middle Values
• D. If Even Number Of Values, Take The Maximum Value

Answer: (C)

When there is an even number of values, there isn’t a single middle value. The median should sit between the two central values so that half the data lies at or below it and half at or above it. To find it, sort the data, take the two central values, and compute their average. This places the median exactly between those two middle values.

For example, with six numbers arranged in order, the middle two are the third and fourth values; averaging them gives the median. This approach keeps the median representative of the dataset’s center.

Taking just one middle value would ignore the other central value, discarding the smallest would distort the data’s center, and using the maximum would clearly not reflect the dataset’s typical value.