Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 | WGU C784 Applied Healthcare
Statistics Complete Objective Exam Study Guide with
300 High-Yield Practice Questions | Updated 2025–2026
Healthcare Data Analysis Review, Statistical
Methods, Probability, Data Interpretation, Evidence-
Based Decision Making & Competency Mastery
Notes
Question 1:
What is the primary purpose of descriptive statistics in healthcare?
A) To test hypotheses
B) To summarize and describe data
C) To establish causal relationships
D) To make predictions about future data
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To summarize and describe data
Rationale: Descriptive statistics provide a way to summarize and analyze data in a
meaningful way, making it easier to understand the characteristics of a dataset without
making inferences or predictions.
Question 2:
Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme values (outliers)?
A) Mean
B) Median
C) Mode
D) Range
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Mean
Rationale: The mean is calculated by adding all values and dividing by the number of
values, so it is significantly affected by outliers. In contrast, the median and mode are
more robust against extreme values.
Question 3:
In a normal distribution, what percentage of the data falls within one standard
deviation of the mean?
A) 50%
B) 68%
C) 95%
D) 99%
CORRECT ANSWER: B) 68%
Rationale: In a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the data falls within one
standard deviation above and below the mean, according to the empirical rule.
,Question 4:
What is the purpose of inferential statistics?
A) To describe the characteristics of a sample
B) To draw conclusions about a population based on a sample
C) To calculate the median of a dataset
D) To present data visually
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To draw conclusions about a population based on a sample
Rationale: Inferential statistics are used to make generalizations or predictions about a
larger population based on the analysis of a sample from that population.
Question 5:
What type of variable is measured in whole numbers only?
A) Continuous variable
B) Categorical variable
C) Discrete variable
D) Ordinal variable
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Discrete variable
Rationale: Discrete variables are counted in whole numbers, such as the number of
patient visits, whereas continuous variables can take on any value within a range.
Question 6:
Which statistical test is used to compare the means of two independent groups?
A) Paired t-test
B) Independent t-test
C) ANOVA
D) Chi-square test
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Independent t-test
Rationale: An independent t-test is specifically designed to compare the means of two
separate groups to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between
them.
Question 7:
What type of sampling method ensures that every member of the population has
an equal chance of being selected?
A) Convenience sampling
B) Stratified sampling
,C) Random sampling
D) Systematic sampling
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Random sampling
Rationale: Random sampling gives each member of the population an equal
opportunity to be included, reducing selection bias.
Question 8:
What is the primary purpose of a confidence interval?
A) To predict future observations
B) To estimate the population parameter
C) To visualize data
D) To calculate the mode
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To estimate the population parameter
Rationale: Confidence intervals provide a range of values that likely contains the true
population parameter, based on sample data.
Question 9:
Which of the following best defines “p-value”?
A) Probability of observing the results given that the null hypothesis is true
B) Measure of variability in the data
C) The accepted level of significance
D) A type of descriptive statistic
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Probability of observing the results given that the null
hypothesis is true
Rationale: The p-value indicates the strength of evidence against the null hypothesis; a
lower p-value suggests stronger evidence against it.
Question 10:
In hypothesis testing, what does a Type I error refer to?
A) Rejecting a true null hypothesis
B) Failing to reject a false null hypothesis
C) A false positive result
D) Both A and C
CORRECT ANSWER: D) Both A and C
, Rationale: A Type I error occurs when the null hypothesis is incorrectly rejected, leading
to a false positive conclusion.
Question 11:
What type of chart displays the frequency distribution of categorical data?
A) Histogram
B) Pie chart
C) Box plot
D) Line graph
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Pie chart
Rationale: Pie charts visually represent the proportions of categorical data, showing the
relative frequency of each category.
Question 12:
What does a standard deviation measure?
A) The average of a dataset
B) The spread of data around the mean
C) The frequency of values in a category
D) The relationship between two variables
CORRECT ANSWER: B) The spread of data around the mean
Rationale: Standard deviation quantifies how much individual data points deviate from
the mean, indicating variability within the dataset.
Question 13:
Which of the following best describes “outliers”?
A) Data points that conform to the rest of the dataset
B) Extreme values that differ significantly from other observations
C) Values representing the median of a dataset
D) The most frequently occurring value in a dataset
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Extreme values that differ significantly from other
observations
Rationale: Outliers are observations that lie far from the other data points, often
influencing statistical analyses significantly.
Question 14:
Statistics Complete Objective Exam Study Guide with
300 High-Yield Practice Questions | Updated 2025–2026
Healthcare Data Analysis Review, Statistical
Methods, Probability, Data Interpretation, Evidence-
Based Decision Making & Competency Mastery
Notes
Question 1:
What is the primary purpose of descriptive statistics in healthcare?
A) To test hypotheses
B) To summarize and describe data
C) To establish causal relationships
D) To make predictions about future data
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To summarize and describe data
Rationale: Descriptive statistics provide a way to summarize and analyze data in a
meaningful way, making it easier to understand the characteristics of a dataset without
making inferences or predictions.
Question 2:
Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme values (outliers)?
A) Mean
B) Median
C) Mode
D) Range
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Mean
Rationale: The mean is calculated by adding all values and dividing by the number of
values, so it is significantly affected by outliers. In contrast, the median and mode are
more robust against extreme values.
Question 3:
In a normal distribution, what percentage of the data falls within one standard
deviation of the mean?
A) 50%
B) 68%
C) 95%
D) 99%
CORRECT ANSWER: B) 68%
Rationale: In a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the data falls within one
standard deviation above and below the mean, according to the empirical rule.
,Question 4:
What is the purpose of inferential statistics?
A) To describe the characteristics of a sample
B) To draw conclusions about a population based on a sample
C) To calculate the median of a dataset
D) To present data visually
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To draw conclusions about a population based on a sample
Rationale: Inferential statistics are used to make generalizations or predictions about a
larger population based on the analysis of a sample from that population.
Question 5:
What type of variable is measured in whole numbers only?
A) Continuous variable
B) Categorical variable
C) Discrete variable
D) Ordinal variable
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Discrete variable
Rationale: Discrete variables are counted in whole numbers, such as the number of
patient visits, whereas continuous variables can take on any value within a range.
Question 6:
Which statistical test is used to compare the means of two independent groups?
A) Paired t-test
B) Independent t-test
C) ANOVA
D) Chi-square test
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Independent t-test
Rationale: An independent t-test is specifically designed to compare the means of two
separate groups to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between
them.
Question 7:
What type of sampling method ensures that every member of the population has
an equal chance of being selected?
A) Convenience sampling
B) Stratified sampling
,C) Random sampling
D) Systematic sampling
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Random sampling
Rationale: Random sampling gives each member of the population an equal
opportunity to be included, reducing selection bias.
Question 8:
What is the primary purpose of a confidence interval?
A) To predict future observations
B) To estimate the population parameter
C) To visualize data
D) To calculate the mode
CORRECT ANSWER: B) To estimate the population parameter
Rationale: Confidence intervals provide a range of values that likely contains the true
population parameter, based on sample data.
Question 9:
Which of the following best defines “p-value”?
A) Probability of observing the results given that the null hypothesis is true
B) Measure of variability in the data
C) The accepted level of significance
D) A type of descriptive statistic
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Probability of observing the results given that the null
hypothesis is true
Rationale: The p-value indicates the strength of evidence against the null hypothesis; a
lower p-value suggests stronger evidence against it.
Question 10:
In hypothesis testing, what does a Type I error refer to?
A) Rejecting a true null hypothesis
B) Failing to reject a false null hypothesis
C) A false positive result
D) Both A and C
CORRECT ANSWER: D) Both A and C
, Rationale: A Type I error occurs when the null hypothesis is incorrectly rejected, leading
to a false positive conclusion.
Question 11:
What type of chart displays the frequency distribution of categorical data?
A) Histogram
B) Pie chart
C) Box plot
D) Line graph
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Pie chart
Rationale: Pie charts visually represent the proportions of categorical data, showing the
relative frequency of each category.
Question 12:
What does a standard deviation measure?
A) The average of a dataset
B) The spread of data around the mean
C) The frequency of values in a category
D) The relationship between two variables
CORRECT ANSWER: B) The spread of data around the mean
Rationale: Standard deviation quantifies how much individual data points deviate from
the mean, indicating variability within the dataset.
Question 13:
Which of the following best describes “outliers”?
A) Data points that conform to the rest of the dataset
B) Extreme values that differ significantly from other observations
C) Values representing the median of a dataset
D) The most frequently occurring value in a dataset
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Extreme values that differ significantly from other
observations
Rationale: Outliers are observations that lie far from the other data points, often
influencing statistical analyses significantly.
Question 14:
