Mode
- CBSE · NCERT Class 10, Ch 13 Statistics
The mode of a set of numbers is the value that appears most often.
The mode is found by counting, not by adding. Look for the value that turns up the most times. A set can have one mode, more than one, or none if every value appears just once.
The mode is handy when the values are not really numbers to add, such as shoe sizes sold in a shop. The shop wants the most common size, not the mean size.
A small example
Shoe sizes sold in a day: 6, 7, 7, 8, 7, 9, 6, 7, 8. Count each: size 6 twice, size 7 four times, size 8 twice, size 9 once. Size 7 appears most often, so the mode is 7.
Where marks go
Class 10 Chapter 13 gives a rule linking the three measures: 3 Median = Mode + 2 Mean. Question 16 of the CBSE Maths Standard sample paper for 2026-27 gives the mean as 35.5 and the median as 32. It asks for the mode.
The Maths Standard marking scheme for 2026-27 uses Mode = 3 Median - 2 Mean = 3 × 32 - 2 × 35.5 = 96 - 71 = 25. It is a 1-mark multiple-choice question with no part marks. Swapping the mean and median in the rule gives a wrong value, and the mark goes. For grouped data, see modal class.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
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