What is the most frequently occurring score in a distribution called?

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution is referred to as the mode. In statistical terms, the mode is the value that appears most often in a data set. Understanding the mode is crucial when analyzing data distributions, especially in situations where one wants to identify the most common observation or response.

The mode can be particularly useful in categorical data where you want to find the category with the highest frequency. Unlike the mean, which is the average of all scores, or the median, which is the middle score when all values are ordered, the mode provides a straightforward measure of the most typical case in a data set. The range, on the other hand, measures the spread of scores by calculating the difference between the highest and lowest values but does not provide any information about frequency.

In summary, the mode uniquely characterizes the most representative score in a distribution, making it an essential concept in statistical analysis.