mode

1 sub-question across 1 paper, 2 marks total.

Practice mode

Computer Applications Technology 2026

Question 3 — Spreadsheet

3.32 marks

In B3, insert a MODE (or equivalent) function to display the most common cohort size from column B.

Example only — check your file:

Replace B8:B30 with your real data range, excluding headings and B2–B5.

Show answer

(Use MODE.SNGL if you prefer. Replace B8:B30 with your real data range, excluding headings and B2–B5.)

Formula

B3:  =MODE(B8:B30)

B3:  =MODE(B8:B30)

Why this earns the marks

MODE returns the value that occurs most often, which is exactly "most common cohort size" — it's a statistical function built for precisely this question, as opposed to AVERAGE (the typical value) or MAX (the largest value), which answer different questions entirely. 1 mark for the function, 1 for the correct range. Including the heading or B2:B5 would give a wrong answer or a circular reference: the heading is text (not a cohort size at all, so it would corrupt a numeric calculation if MODE tried to include it), and B2:B5 is the answer area itself — a formula in B3 that includes B3's own range is the same self-reference problem explained in the spreadsheets notes.