WGU C784 APPLIED HEALTHCARE
STATISTICS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
2026/2027
1. A researcher is measuring the levels of satisfaction of patients in a hospital using a scale of
‘Very Dissatisfied’, ‘Dissatisfied’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Satisfied’, and ‘Very Satisfied’. What scale of
measurement is being used?
A. Nominal
B. Interval
C. Ordinal
D. Ratio
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The scale is ordinal because the categories have a logical order
or rank, but the exact differences between the ranks are not mathematically defined.
2. In a dataset representing the recovery times (in days) of 100 patients, the mean is 15 days
and the median is 10 days. Which of the following best describes the distribution of the data?
A. Symmetric
B. Positively skewed
,C. Negatively skewed
D. Bimodal
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: When the mean is greater than the median, the distribution is
typically positively skewed (skewed to the right).
3. A clinical trial reports a p-value of 0.03 for a new medication’s efficacy compared to a
placebo. Using a significance level of alpha = 0.05, what should the researchers conclude?
A. Accept the null hypothesis; the placebo is more effective.
B. Fail to reject the null hypothesis; there is no significant difference.
C. Reject the null hypothesis; the medication is significantly effective.
D. The results are inconclusive because the p-value is too high.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Since the p-value (0.03) is less than the alpha (0.05), we reject
the null hypothesis and conclude the result is statistically significant.
4. What is the relationship between the variance and the standard deviation of a dataset?
A. The variance is the square root of the standard deviation.
B. The standard deviation is the square of the variance.
C. The standard deviation is the square root of the variance.
, D. There is no mathematical relationship between them.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Standard deviation is defined as the square root of the variance,
measuring the average distance of data points from the mean.
5. A study finds a correlation coefficient (r) of -0.85 between exercise frequency and resting
heart rate. How should this relationship be interpreted?
A. Weak positive correlation
B. Strong positive correlation
C. Strong negative correlation
D. Weak negative correlation
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: An r value of -0.85 indicates a strong relationship where one
variable increases as the other decreases.
6. In a normal distribution, approximately what percentage of data points fall within two
standard deviations of the mean?
A. 68%
B. 95%
C. 75%
D. 99.7%
STATISTICS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
2026/2027
1. A researcher is measuring the levels of satisfaction of patients in a hospital using a scale of
‘Very Dissatisfied’, ‘Dissatisfied’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Satisfied’, and ‘Very Satisfied’. What scale of
measurement is being used?
A. Nominal
B. Interval
C. Ordinal
D. Ratio
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: The scale is ordinal because the categories have a logical order
or rank, but the exact differences between the ranks are not mathematically defined.
2. In a dataset representing the recovery times (in days) of 100 patients, the mean is 15 days
and the median is 10 days. Which of the following best describes the distribution of the data?
A. Symmetric
B. Positively skewed
,C. Negatively skewed
D. Bimodal
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: When the mean is greater than the median, the distribution is
typically positively skewed (skewed to the right).
3. A clinical trial reports a p-value of 0.03 for a new medication’s efficacy compared to a
placebo. Using a significance level of alpha = 0.05, what should the researchers conclude?
A. Accept the null hypothesis; the placebo is more effective.
B. Fail to reject the null hypothesis; there is no significant difference.
C. Reject the null hypothesis; the medication is significantly effective.
D. The results are inconclusive because the p-value is too high.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Since the p-value (0.03) is less than the alpha (0.05), we reject
the null hypothesis and conclude the result is statistically significant.
4. What is the relationship between the variance and the standard deviation of a dataset?
A. The variance is the square root of the standard deviation.
B. The standard deviation is the square of the variance.
C. The standard deviation is the square root of the variance.
, D. There is no mathematical relationship between them.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Standard deviation is defined as the square root of the variance,
measuring the average distance of data points from the mean.
5. A study finds a correlation coefficient (r) of -0.85 between exercise frequency and resting
heart rate. How should this relationship be interpreted?
A. Weak positive correlation
B. Strong positive correlation
C. Strong negative correlation
D. Weak negative correlation
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: An r value of -0.85 indicates a strong relationship where one
variable increases as the other decreases.
6. In a normal distribution, approximately what percentage of data points fall within two
standard deviations of the mean?
A. 68%
B. 95%
C. 75%
D. 99.7%
