Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate Exam - Topic 2 Question 42 Discussion

Actual exam question for Databricks's Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate exam

Question #: 42
Topic #: 2

[All Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate Questions]

In which circumstance will there be a substantial difference between the variable's mean and median values?

AWhen the variable is of the categorical type

BWhen the variable is of the boolean type

CWhen the variable contains no outliers

DWhen the variable contains a lot of extreme outliers

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: D

The mean is sensitive to extreme values, often called outliers, which can significantly skew the average away from the true center of the data. The median, however, is a measure of central tendency that is resistant to such outliers because it only considers the middle value(s) when the data is ordered. Therefore, when a variable contains many extreme outliers, there will be a substantial difference between the mean and the median. According to Databricks data analysis materials, this is a fundamental concept when choosing summary statistics for reporting.

by Ardella at Aug 14, 2025, 06:11 AM

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Lashawn

2 months ago

Agreed, D is the right choice here.

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Felix

2 months ago

Wait, are we sure about D? What if the outliers are balanced?

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Edelmira

2 months ago

I think C is also a possibility, but not as likely.

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Devora

3 months ago

A and B don't really apply to means and medians, right?

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Marlon

3 months ago

Definitely D! Extreme outliers can skew the mean a lot.

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Vilma

3 months ago

Wait, could it also be A? I feel like categorical data doesn't really have a mean or median in the same way, but I'm not completely confident.

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Levi

3 months ago

I think we had a practice question about this, and it was definitely about outliers affecting the mean more than the median. So, D sounds familiar.

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Layla

4 months ago

I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like the mean and median would be close if there are no outliers, which makes me lean away from C.

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Elenor

4 months ago

I remember we discussed how outliers can really skew the mean, so I think D might be the right choice.

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Brittani

4 months ago

I feel pretty confident about this question. The key is recognizing that the mean is more influenced by extreme values, while the median is more resistant to outliers. So the circumstances where they would differ substantially are when there are a lot of outliers in the data.

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Elenore

4 months ago

I'm a bit confused on this one. I know the mean and median behave differently, but I'm not sure I fully understand how the variable type or outliers would affect the relationship between them. I'll have to think it through step-by-step.

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Cristina

4 months ago

Okay, I've got a strategy for this. The mean is sensitive to outliers, while the median is more robust. So I'll need to consider how the variable type and presence of outliers could impact the difference between the mean and median.

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Cristy

4 months ago

Hmm, this is a tricky one. I'm not entirely sure about the relationship between the mean, median, and different variable types. I'll need to think through the properties of each option carefully.

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Bea

5 months ago

This question seems straightforward. I think the key is understanding how the mean and median are affected by the data distribution. I'll focus on identifying the circumstances where the mean and median would differ substantially.

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Alaine

5 months ago

Definitely option D, when the variable contains a lot of extreme outliers. The median would be less affected by the outliers compared to the mean.

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Marge

6 months ago

D) When the variable contains a lot of extreme outliers

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