T-Score vs. Z-Score: What’s the Difference?

You may want to read these articles first:

What is a t-statistic?
What is a z-score?

Watch the video or read the article below:

T-Score vs. Z-Score: Overview

A z-score and a t score are both used in hypothesis testing. Few topics in elementary
statistics cause more confusion to students than deciding when to use the z-score and
when to use the t score. Generally, in elementary stats and AP stats, you’ll use a
z-score in testing more often than a t score.

T-score vs. z-score: When to use a t

score
The general rule of thumb for when to use a t score is when your sample:

 Has a sample size below 30,

 Has an unknown population standard deviation.
You must know the standard deviation of the population and your sample
size should be above 30 in order for you to be able to use the z-score. Otherwise, use
the t-score.
When to use a t-score vs. z-score.

The above chart is based on (from my experience), the “rule” you’re most likely to find
in an elementary statistics class. That said, this is one of those rules that isn’t set in
stone, so you should always check with your textbook/teacher to make sure they aren’t
suggesting something different.

In real life though, it’s more common just to use the t-distribution as we usually don’t
know sigma (SoSci, 1999).

“When a sample has more than 30 observations, the normal

distribution can be used in place of the t distribution.” (Meier et.al,
p. 191).
Note the use of the word can in the above quote; The use of the t-distribution is
theoretically sound for all sample sizes, but you *can* choose to use the normal for
sample above 30.

T-Score vs. Z-Score: Z-score

Technically, z-scores are a conversion of individual scores into a standard form. The
conversion allows you to more easily compare different data; it is based on your
knowledge about the population’s standard deviation and mean. A z-score tells you
how many standard deviations from the mean your result is. You can use your
knowledge of normal distributions (like the 68 95 and 99.7 rule) or the z-table to
determine what percentage of the population will fall below or above your result.

The z-score is calculated using the formula:

z = (X-μ)/σ

Where:
 σ is the population standard deviation and
 μ is the population mean.
The z-score formula doesn’t say anything about sample size; The rule of thumb applies
that your sample size should be above 30 to use it.

T-Score vs. Z-Score: T-score

Like z-scores, t-scores are also a conversion of individual scores into a standard form.
However, t-scores are used when you don’t know the population standard deviation;
You make an estimate by using your sample.

T = (X – μ) / [ s/√(n) ].

Where:
 s is the standard deviation of the sample.
If you have a larger sample (over 30), the t-distribution and z-distribution look pretty
much the same. Therefore, you can use either. That said, if you know σ, it doesn’t make
much sense to use a sample estimate instead of the “real thing”, so just substitute σ
into the equation in place of s:

T = (X – μ) / [ σ/√(n) ].

This makes the equation identical to the one for the z-score; the only difference is
you’re looking up the result in the T table, not the Z-table. For sample sizes over 30,
you’ll get the same result.
Mean, Median, Mode: What They Are, How to
Find Them
Contents (Click to skip to that section):

1. All about the…

 Mean
 Find the mean in easy steps (video)
 Find the Mean on the TI 89 Graphing CalculatorFind the mean
on the TI-89
 Mode
 Median
2. How to find the mean, median and mode by hand.
3. Find the mean, median and mode with Technology:
 SPSS
  TI89
 TI83

Overview
Stuck on how to find the mean, median, & mode in statistics?

1. The mean is the average of a data set.

2. The mode is the most common number in a data set.
3. The median is the middle of the set of numbers.
Of the three, the mean is the only one that requires a formula. I like to think of it in the
other dictionary sense of the word (as in, it’s mean as opposed to nice!). That’s because,
compared to the other two, it’s not as easy to work with.

Hints to remember the difference

Having trouble remembering the difference between the mean, median and mode?
Here’s a couple of hints that can help.

 “A la mode” is a French word that means fashionable and it also refers to a

popular way of serving ice cream. So “Mode” is the most popular or fashionable
member of a set of numbers. The word MOde is also like MOst.
 The “Mean” requires you do arithmetic (adding all the numbers and dividing)
so that’s the “mean” one.
 “Median” has the same number of letters as “Middle”.
Still aren’t sure what the difference is between the three? Watch the video or read the
mean, median and mode definitions below for a full explanation of each term.
What are the mean, median and mode?
Definitions.
1. The Mean
Definition
Advantages and Disadvantages
Mean vs. Median
Mean vs. Average
Specific “Means” commonly used in Stats
Other Types

Definition
In statistics, the mean is the average of a set of data. In real life, you usually say the
“average” of something (e.g. average pay, average height, or average weight), but in
stats, we call it a mean. Essentially, they are the same thing. (There is a tiny difference,
which you probably don’t care about, but if you do, read the mean vs. average section).

To find the mean, sum all the numbers and then divide by the number of items in the
set. For example, to find the mean of the following set of numbers: 21, 23, 24, 26, 28,
29, 30, 31, 33
1. First add them all together:
21 + 23 + 24 + 26 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 33 = 245
2. Then divide your answer by the number of items in your set. There are 9
numbers, so:
245 / 9 = 27.222

Dividing the sum by the number of items to find the mean.

Note: The word “mean” can have other interpretations outside of statistics. For
example, when the weather servicereports that a “mean daily temperature” is 75
degrees, that number was obtained by taking the sum of the high daily temperature
and the low daily temperature and dividing by 2. This is what is called a “Midrange“.
While this can be a cause of confusion, remember that in statistics, the mean is the
average.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The mean can be heavily influenced by outliers— numbers that are very small or very
large. Take the example of 10, 10, 20, 40, 70. If we add 1500 to the set, the mean
becomes 10 + 10 + 20 + 40 + 70 + 1500 / 6 = 275, which is a poor reflection of the
center of the set. The median on the other hand is less affected by outliers; the middle
of this set is 30 (in between the 20 and 40). In general, if you have outliers, use the
median as a measure of central tendency. If you have a large data set with no outliers,
use the mean.
Mean vs Median
Both are measures of where the center of a data set lies, but they are
usually different numbers. For example, take this list of numbers: 10,10,20,40,70.

 The mean (average) is found by adding all of the numbers together and dividing
by the number of items in the set: 10 + 10 + 20 + 40 + 70 / 5 = 30.
 The median is found by ordering the set from lowest to highest and finding the
exact middle. The median is just the middle number: 20.
Sometimes the two will be the same number. For example, the data set 1,2,4,6,7 has
an average of 1 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 7 / 5 = 4 and a median (a middle) of 4.

Mean vs Average: What’s the

Difference?
When you first started out in mathematics, you were probably taught that an average
was a “middling” amount for a set of numbers. You added up the numbers, divided by
the number of items you can and voila! you get the average. For example, the average
of 10, 5 and 20 is:
10 + 6 + 20 = 36 / 3 = 12.
The you started studying statistics and all of a sudden the “average” is now called the
mean. What happened? The answer is that they are exactly the same word (they are
synonyms).

That said, technically, the word mean is short for the arithmetic mean. We use
different words in stats, because there are multiple different types of means, and they
all do different things.

Specific “Means” commonly used in

Stats
You’ll probably come across these in your stats class. They have very narrow meanings:

 Mean of the sampling distribution: used with probability distributions,

especially with the Central Limit Theorem. It’s an average of a set of distributions.
 Sample mean: the average value in a sample.
 Population mean: the average value in a population.
Other Types
There are other types of means, and you’ll use them in various branches of math. Most
have very narrow applications to fields like finance or physics; if you’re in elementary
statistics you probably won’t work with them.

These are some of the most common types you’ll come across.

1. Weighted mean.
2. Harmonic mean.
3. Geometric mean.
4. Arithmetic-Geometric mean.
5. Root-Mean Square mean.
6. Heronian mean.
1.

Weighted Mean
2.
These are fairly common in statistics, especially when studying populations.
Instead of each data point contributing equally to the final average, some data
points contribute more than others. If all the weights are equal, then this will equal
the arithmetic mean. There are certain circumstances when this can give incorrect
information, as shown by Simpson’s Paradox.

3.
4.

Harmonic Mean
5.
6.

7.
The harmonic formula.

8.
To find it:
9.
A. Add the reciprocals of the numbers in the set. To find a reciprocal, flip
the fraction so that the numerator becomes the denominator and the
 denominator becomes the numerator. For example, the reciprocal of 6/1 is
1/6.
B. Divide the answer by the number of items in the set.
C. Take the reciprocal of the result.
This is used quite a lot in physics. In some cases involving rates and ratios it gives a
better average than the arithmetic mean. You’ll also find uses in geometry, finance
and computer science.

10.

Geometric Mean
11.

This type has has very narrow and specific uses in finance, social sciences and
technology. For example, let’s say you own stocks that earn 5% the first year, 20%
the second year, and 10% the third year. If you want to know the average rate of
return, you can’t use the arithmetic average. Why? Because when you are finding
rates of return you are multiplying, not adding. For example, the first year you
are multiplying by 1.05.

12.
13.

Arithmetic-Geometric Mean
14.
This is used mostly in calculus and in machine computation (i.e. as the basic for
many computer calculations). It’s related to the perimeter of an ellipse. When it
was first developed by Gauss, it was used to calculate planetary orbits. The
arithmetic-geometric is (not surprisingly!) a blend of the arithmetic and
geometric averages. The math is quite complicated but you can find a relatively
simple explanation of the math here.

15.
16.

Root-Mean Square
17.
It is very useful in fields that study sine waves, like electrical engineering. This
particular type is also called the quadratic average. See: Quadratic Mean / Root
Mean Square.
 18.
19.

Heronian Mean
20.
Used in geometry to find the volume of a pyramidal frustrum. A pyramidal
frustrum is basically a pyramid with the tip sliced off.

21.

How to Find the Mean

The mean is found by adding the numbers in a data set and then dividing by the
number of items. For example, to find the mean of 1, 2, and 3:

1. 1 + 2 + 3=6
2. 6 / 3 = 2.

Example problem 1: Find the mean for the following set of numbers: 1, 5, 6, 8, 3, 5,
11, 19, 21, 34.

Step 1: Add up all of your numbers:

1 + 5 + 6 + 8 + 3 + 5 + 11 + 19 + 21 + 34 = 113.
Adding the numbers on a calculator is the first step to find the mean.

Step 2: Count the number of items in your set. There are 10 numbers in the set: 1, 5,
6, 8, 3, 5, 11, 19, 21, 34.

Step 3: Divide the number you calculated in Step 1 by the number you found in Step 2.
Mean = 113 / 10.
Dividing the sum by the number of items to find the mean.

The mean for this data set is 11.3.

Example problem 2: Find the mean for this set of numbers: 101, 135, 156, 156.1,
190.5:
Step 1: Sum (add up) all of your numbers:
101 + 135 + 156 + 156.1 + 190.5 = 738.6.

Did you know Google has a built in calculator? Just type your numbers into Google.

Step 2: Count the number of items in your set. There are 5 numbers in the set.

Step 3: Divide the number you calculated in Step 1 by the number you found in Step 2.
Mean = 738.6 / 5 = 147.72.
The mean for this data set is 147.72.
That’s it!

Find the Mean on the TI 89 Graphing

Calculator
Watch the video or read the steps below:
Example problem: Find the mean of the following set of data: 12, 23, 78, 98, 121,
342, 88, 7, 27.

Step 1: Get to the HOMEscreen by pressing the HOME button. You can also access the
home screen from the APPS menu. Click APPS and then use the arrow keys to scroll to
the HOME icon. Press ENTER.

Step 2: Press the CATALOG key (located below the APPS key).

Step 3: Press the ALPHA key (a white key to the left of the Apps key, then the number
5. This is you actually entering the letter ‘M’ which will bring you to the letter “M” in
the catalog.

Step 4: Scroll down to “mean(” and press ENTER.

Step 5: Press the 2nd key (a light blue key at the top left) then the ( key. This enters a
curly bracket.

Step 6: Enter your data set and separate each number by a comma; the comma key is
above the 9 key. In our example, you’ll enter 12, 23, 78, 98, 121, 342, 88, 7, 27.

Step 7: Press the 2nd key, then the ).

Step 8: Press ENTER. Your answer may be given as a fraction: 796/9 (that’s the exact
answer). To get a decimal answer, press the ♦ diamond key then ENTER to
get 88.4444.
Lost your guidebook? You can download a new one from the TI website here.

Find more help with statistics on our YouTube channel.

2. What is the Mode?

The mode is the most common number in a set. For example, the mode in this set of
numbers is 21:
21, 21, 21, 23, 24, 26, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33

3. What is the Median?

The median is the middle number in a data set. To find the median, list your data
points in ascending order and then find the middle number. The middle number in this
set is 28 as there are 4 numbers below it and 4 numbers above:
23, 24, 26, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33

Note: If you have an even set of numbers, average the middle two to find the mean. For
example, the mean of this set of numbers is 28.5 (28 + 29 / 2).
23, 24, 26, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34

How to find the mean, median and

mode by hand: Steps
How to find the mean, median and
mode: MODE
 Step 1: Put the numbers in order so that you can clearly see patterns .
For example, lets say we have 2, 19, 44, 44, 44, 51, 56, 78, 86, 99, 99.
The mode is the number that appears the most often. In this case: 44, which
appears three times.

How to find the mean, median and mode:

MEAN
 Step 2: Add the numbers up to get a total.
Example: 2 +19 + 44 + 44 +44 + 51 + 56 + 78 + 86 + 99 + 99 = 622. Set this
number aside for a moment.
 Step 3: Count the amount of numbers in the series.
In our example (2, 19, 44, 44, 44, 51, 56, 78, 86, 99, 99), we
have 11 numbers.
 Step 4: Divide the number you found in step 2 by the number you found in step
3.
In our example: 622 / 11 = 56.5454545. This is the mean, sometimes called
the average.

Dividing the sum by the number of items to find the mean.

How to find the mean, median and mode:

MEDIAN
If you had an odd number in step 3, go to step 5. If you had an even number, go to
step 6.

 Step 5: Find the number in the middle of the series.

This is the median. 2, 19, 44, 44, 44, 51,56, 78, 86, 99, 99.
 Step 6: Find the middle two numbers.
For example, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16, 17. The median is the number that
comes in the middle of those middle two numbers (7 and 8), so that number
would be 7.5 in this case. (To do this mathematically, add the two numbers
together and divide by 2).
Tip: You can have more than one mode. For example, the mode of 1, 1, 5, 5, 6, 6 is
1, 5, and 6.

Like the explanation? Check out the Practically Cheating Statistics

Handbook, which has hundreds more step-by-step solutions, just like this one!

SPSS Mean mode median

In order to find the SPSS mean mode median, you’ll need to use the Frequency tab. It
seems a little counter-intuitive, but the Descriptive Statistics tab does not give you the
option to find the mode or the median.

SPSS has a very similar interface to Microsoft Excel. Therefore, if you’ve used Microsoft
Excel before, you will quickly adapt to SPSS.

SPSS Mean Mode Median: Steps

Watch the video or read the steps below:

Sample question: Find the SPSS mean mode median for the following data set:
20,23,35,66,55,66

Step 1: Open SPSS. In the “What would you like to do?” dialog box, click the “type in
data” radio button and then click “OK.” A new worksheet will open. Note: If you have
opted out of the first help screen, you may not see this option. In that case, just start at
Step 2.

Step 2: Type your data into the worksheet. You can type the data into one column or
multiple columns if you have multiple data sets. For this example, type 20, 23, 35, 66,
55, 66 into column 1. Do not leave spaces between the data (i.e. don’t leave any empty
rows).

Step 2: Click “Analyze,” hover over “Descriptive Statistics” and then click
“Frequencies.”

Step 3: Click “Statistics” and then check the boxes “mean”, “mode” and
“median.” Click “Continue” twice (select “none” as the chart type in the second
window).
Note: In some versions of SPSS, you may only have to click “Continue” once and it may
not give you an option for chart type.

The frequency results will appear as output. The top part of the output will display the
mean, mode and median.

If you scroll down, the frequency table will also show you the mode. The mode is defined
in statistics as the number with the highest frequency (for this sample data set, the
number appearing the most is 66, with two results in the frequency column).

Mean Median Mode TI 89

TI-89

This article and short video explains how to use your calculator to enter a list of data
and quickly find the mean, median, and mode on the TI 89. The mean is the average
of a data set, the median is the “middle” of the data set (the number that would fall in
the middle if you were to write the numbers in order) and the mode is the number
that appears most often.

Mean Median Mode TI 89 Steps

Watch the video or read the steps below:

Sample problem: Find the mean, mode, and median for the following list of numbers: 1,
9, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 2.

Step 1: Press APPS then scroll to Stats/List Editor (scroll with the arrow keys at the
top right of the keypad). Press ENTER.
If you don’t see the Stats/List editor, you need to download it. Follow the
instructions here.

Step 2: Clear any data in the list editor by pressing F1 then 8.

Step 3: Press ALPHA 5 ENTER. This names your list “m.” Make sure m appears in the
field: if 5 appears, it means the Alpha key didn’t work: try it again. Note: you can
name the list anything you like.

Step 4: Enter your numbers, one at a time. Follow each entry by pressing the ENTER
key. For our group of numbers, enter
1 ENTER
9 ENTER
2 ENTER
3 ENTER
7 ENTER
8 ENTER
9 ENTER
2 ENTER

Step 5: Press F4, then ENTER (for the 1-var stats screen).

Step 6: Tell the calculator you want stats for the list called “m” by entering ALPHA 5
into the “List:” box. The calculator should automatically put the cursor there for you.
Press ENTER ENTER.

Step 7: Read the results for the mean. The mean is the first in the list (an x with a bar
on top),= 5.125.

Step 8: Read the results for the median:The median is about half way down the list:
scroll with the down arrow and look for MedX = 5.

Step 9: Find the mode: Return to the list editor. Press F3 2 ENTER ENTER to access
“sort list”. Make sure “m” is in the “List:” box and the order is “Ascending.” Press
ENTER. Your data is now sorted. Just count which number appears the most: that’s
your mode.

Tip: You can name your list anything you want, but keep it simple and don’t use
common variables like t,x,y, or z.

That’s it!
Lost your guidebook? You can download a new one from the TI website here.

TI 83 Mean, Median, and Mode

Finding the TI 83 mean or TI 83 median from a list of data can be accomplished in
two ways: by entering a list of data, or by using the home screen to type the
commands. Using the list feature is just as easy as entering the data onto the home
screen, and it has the added advantage that you can use the data for other purposes
after you have calculated your mean, mode and median (for example, you might want
to create a TI 83 histogram).

Steps for the Mean, Median and Mode

on the TI 83
Watch the video for the mean and median or read the steps underneath (for the mode,
see this note):

Example problem: Find the mean and the median for the height of the top 20 buildings
in NYC. the heights, (in feet) are: 1250, 1200, 1046, 1046, 952, 927, 915, 861,
850, 814, 813, 809, 808, 806, 792, 778, 757, 755, 752, and 750.
Step 1: Enter the above data into a list. Press the STAT button and then press ENTER.
Enter the first number (1250), and then press ENTER. Continue entering numbers,
pressing the ENTER button after each entry.

Step 2: Press the STAT button.

Step 3: Press the right arrow button to highlight “Calc.”

Step 4: Press ENTER to choose “1-Var Stats” and then type in the list name. For
example, to enter L1 press [2nd] and [1].

Step 5: Press ENTER again. The calculator will return the mean, x̄. For this list of data,
the TI 83 mean is 884.05feet (rounded to 3 decimal places).

Step 6: Arrow down until you see “Med.” This is the TI 83 median; for the above data,
the median is 813.05 feet.