If scores pile up at one end of the distribution or the other, it is said to be a ________________.

If scores pile up at one end of the distribution or the other, it is said to be a ________________.

• A. Skewed Distribution
• B. Normal Distribution
• C. Bimodal Distribution
• D. Uniform Distribution

Answer: (A)

Scores piling up at one end indicates skewness. When data are skewed, they aren’t symmetric; many scores cluster toward one extreme and the tail stretches out toward the other end. If most scores cluster near the low end with a tail of higher scores, that’s positive (right) skew. If many scores are near the high end with a tail toward the low end, that’s negative (left) skew. This differs from a normal distribution, which is symmetric and bell-shaped, with no pronounced pile-up at either end. A bimodal distribution has two distinct peaks, and a uniform distribution shows frequencies spread evenly across the range. In skewed distributions, the mean tends to be pulled in the direction of the tail, so it may not match the median.

Scores piling up at one end indicates skewness. When data are skewed, they aren’t symmetric; many scores cluster toward one extreme and the tail stretches out toward the other end. If most scores cluster near the low end with a tail of higher scores, that’s positive (right) skew. If many scores are near the high end with a tail toward the low end, that’s negative (left) skew. This differs from a normal distribution, which is symmetric and bell-shaped, with no pronounced pile-up at either end. A bimodal distribution has two distinct peaks, and a uniform distribution shows frequencies spread evenly across the range. In skewed distributions, the mean tends to be pulled in the direction of the tail, so it may not match the median.