Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS) Process Workflow & Information Management Redesign Practice Exam

Which type of data focuses on the order of information but not the difference in values?

1. Nominal data

2. Ordinal data

3. Interval data

4. Ratio data

The correct answer is: Ordinal data

The correct answer is ordinal data, which is characterized by its ability to represent an ordered ranking of information without specifying the exact differences between the values. In ordinal data, the elements can be arranged in a meaningful sequence, such as a rating scale (e.g., satisfactions levels ranging from "very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied"), where the order matters, but the intervals between ranks are not uniform or meaningful. For instance, if a survey question asks respondents to rank their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, it indicates that a response of 4 is better than 3, but it does not convey how much better it is. This hierarchy illustrates the essence of ordinal data: it reflects a relative ordering that does not quantify the gap between the data points. In contrast, nominal data relates to categories without any intrinsic order (like colors or types), while interval and ratio data both provide specific numerical differences between values, with ratio data also incorporating a true zero point. Therefore, ordinal data uniquely captures the notion of ordering without detailed insight into the magnitude of differences.