C784 Applied Healthcare Statistics Practice Exam 2026 |WGU
1. A researcher is studying the impact of a new medication on blood pressure. In
this study, the medication dosage is which type of variable?
A. Dependent variable
B. Independent variable
C. Confounding variable
D. Control variable
Answer: B
Rationale: The independent variable is the one manipulated or categorized by the
researcher to determine its effect on the outcome (dependent variable).
2. A hospital records the ‘Patient Satisfaction’ using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is
‘Very Dissatisfied’ and 5 is ‘Very Satisfied’. What scale of measurement is this?
A. Nominal
B. Ratio
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: D
Rationale: Ordinal scales involve data that can be ranked or ordered, but the mathematical
difference between ranks is not necessarily equal.
,3. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by outliers in a dataset?
A. Median
B. Mean
C. Mode
D. Range
Answer: B
Rationale: The mean uses every value in the dataset; therefore, extremely high or low
values (outliers) will pull the average toward them.
4. What does a p-value of 0.03 indicate if the alpha level is set at 0.05?
A. Fail to reject the null hypothesis
B. The sample size is too small
C. The results are due to chance
D. Reject the null hypothesis
Answer: D
Rationale: When the p-value is less than or equal to the alpha level (significance level), the
result is statistically significant, and the null hypothesis is rejected.
5. In a normal distribution, what percentage of the data falls within one
standard deviation of the mean?
A. 50%
B. 95%
C. 68%
D. 99.7%
Answer: C
Rationale: According to the Empirical Rule, approximately 68% of data in a normal
distribution falls within one standard deviation of the mean.
, 6. A study reports a correlation coefficient (r) of -0.85 between exercise and
heart rate. How should this be interpreted?
A. Strong positive correlation
B. Weak negative correlation
C. Strong negative correlation
D. No correlation
Answer: C
Rationale: A value of -0.85 indicates a strong inverse relationship, meaning as one variable
increases, the other significantly decreases.
7. What type of error occurs when a researcher rejects a true null hypothesis?
A. Type II Error
B. Type I Error
C. Sampling Error
D. Measurement Error
Answer: B
Rationale: A Type I error is a ‘false positive’—concluding there is an effect when there
actually isn’t one.
8. Which of the following is an example of a nominal scale variable?
A. Temperature in Celsius
B. Weight in Kilograms
C. Ranking in a race
D. Eye Color
Answer: D
Rationale: Nominal variables are categorical names with no inherent numerical value or
order.
1. A researcher is studying the impact of a new medication on blood pressure. In
this study, the medication dosage is which type of variable?
A. Dependent variable
B. Independent variable
C. Confounding variable
D. Control variable
Answer: B
Rationale: The independent variable is the one manipulated or categorized by the
researcher to determine its effect on the outcome (dependent variable).
2. A hospital records the ‘Patient Satisfaction’ using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is
‘Very Dissatisfied’ and 5 is ‘Very Satisfied’. What scale of measurement is this?
A. Nominal
B. Ratio
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: D
Rationale: Ordinal scales involve data that can be ranked or ordered, but the mathematical
difference between ranks is not necessarily equal.
,3. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by outliers in a dataset?
A. Median
B. Mean
C. Mode
D. Range
Answer: B
Rationale: The mean uses every value in the dataset; therefore, extremely high or low
values (outliers) will pull the average toward them.
4. What does a p-value of 0.03 indicate if the alpha level is set at 0.05?
A. Fail to reject the null hypothesis
B. The sample size is too small
C. The results are due to chance
D. Reject the null hypothesis
Answer: D
Rationale: When the p-value is less than or equal to the alpha level (significance level), the
result is statistically significant, and the null hypothesis is rejected.
5. In a normal distribution, what percentage of the data falls within one
standard deviation of the mean?
A. 50%
B. 95%
C. 68%
D. 99.7%
Answer: C
Rationale: According to the Empirical Rule, approximately 68% of data in a normal
distribution falls within one standard deviation of the mean.
, 6. A study reports a correlation coefficient (r) of -0.85 between exercise and
heart rate. How should this be interpreted?
A. Strong positive correlation
B. Weak negative correlation
C. Strong negative correlation
D. No correlation
Answer: C
Rationale: A value of -0.85 indicates a strong inverse relationship, meaning as one variable
increases, the other significantly decreases.
7. What type of error occurs when a researcher rejects a true null hypothesis?
A. Type II Error
B. Type I Error
C. Sampling Error
D. Measurement Error
Answer: B
Rationale: A Type I error is a ‘false positive’—concluding there is an effect when there
actually isn’t one.
8. Which of the following is an example of a nominal scale variable?
A. Temperature in Celsius
B. Weight in Kilograms
C. Ranking in a race
D. Eye Color
Answer: D
Rationale: Nominal variables are categorical names with no inherent numerical value or
order.
