Back to Exercises

Understanding Statistics

Develop the skills to interrogate statistical claims you encounter in news headlines, pharmaceutical ads, corporate earnings reports, and political campaigns. These exercises train you to spot the specific techniques -- from axis manipulation to cherry-picked comparisons to survivorship bias -- that make misleading numbers look convincing. You will learn to ask the right questions before accepting any statistical claim at face value.

intermediate18 minProbability & Statistics
Question 1 of 617% Complete

A tech startup's CEO announces: 'Our average employee earns $145,000 per year -- well above the industry median of $72,000.' A data journalist obtains the actual payroll: the company's median salary is $61,000. The CEO and three co-founders each earn over $1.2 million, while 72 other employees earn between $48,000 and $78,000. How should you interpret this?