<p>Throughout the last year we've been hearing that GT's average SAT was 2150, but their middle 50% on their website is 2000-2210 which makes the 50th percentile 2105, right? Or am I not doing the math right? Did they make a mistake with the 2150 average? Another explanation could be that they accepted a higher quality of applicants than those who actually enrolled.</p>
<p>No math mistake is necessary to explain the numbers. Find your stats book and look inside. There is a reason for mean, mode, and median.</p>
<p>So the mean was 2150, and the median was 2105?</p>
<p>Usually, but not always, when the word average is used, it probably refers to the mean. I’m pretty sure that they meant the mean was 2150. </p>
<p>The median will be somewhere between 2000 and 2210, but not necessarily exactly in the middle of the range (ie, it might be 2105, but perhaps not). Probably close to the middle, but all they said was that 50% fell between those numbers. Half of those scores will be less than the median, half higher.</p>
<p>OP: Normally that last suggestion you had is the case. Always check the actual Common Data Set to get a better idea. Sometimes what is reported by the admissions offices is confusing. Also, averages and median need not be aligned. Distributions are often skewed.</p>