Which statistical measure represents the middle score in a distribution?

The median is the statistical measure that accurately represents the middle score in a distribution. It is determined by arranging the data points in ascending order and identifying the middle value. In cases where there is an even number of observations, the median is calculated by averaging the two central numbers. This makes the median particularly useful in understanding the central tendency of the data, as it is less affected by outliers or extreme values compared to the mean.

This characteristic ensures that the median provides a clearer picture of what is typical in a dataset, especially in distributions that are skewed. In contrast, the mean represents the average of all data points, while the mode refers to the most frequently occurring value. Quartiles, on the other hand, divide the data into four equal parts, which is useful for understanding data distribution but does not specifically denote the middle score.