BeginnerStatistical Functions
Find the typical order size with MEDIAN
Use the median to describe a set of orders that one huge deal has skewed.
MEDIAN
5 min15 points
MEDIAN
Returns the middle value — the one an outlier can't drag around.
Syntax
MEDIAN(number1, [number2], ...)
Statistical Functions.
Practise MEDIAN2 interactive exercises, free, no account needed
A worked example
=MEDIAN(C2:C9)
Returns $1,888
The middle value once the orders are sorted.
Where it goes wrong
With an even count it averages the two middle values, so the result may not be a figure that appears in your data.
Consider instead: AVERAGE, when the distribution is even and every value should pull its weight.
What the exercises catch
Each of these is a wrong turn the practice exercises recognise and name. They are the misconceptions, not the answers.
- That is the number the sales director already has, and the Northgate order drags it to roughly four times what anyone actually ordered. The median is what you were asked for.Find the typical order size with MEDIAN
- Your range stops a row early, so the last order is excluded and the middle lands in the wrong place. Check where the data ends.Find the typical order size with MEDIAN
Practise MEDIAN
Knowing what a function does and being able to write it from memory are different skills. These close the gap.