Salesforce AI Specialist Practice Exam

What is referred to as the desired prediction or outcome of a model?

1. Input Variable

2. Outcome Variable

3. Prediction Result

4. Target Variable

The correct answer is: Outcome Variable

The term that is commonly used to describe the desired prediction or outcome of a model is the target variable. In the context of machine learning and data analysis, the target variable represents the specific value or category that the model aims to predict based on the input variables. When building predictive models, data scientists often designate one or more variables as inputs, which are used to make predictions. The target variable, on the other hand, is the ultimate variable of interest that the predictions are aimed at. This distinction is crucial as it helps in the formulation of the problem, guiding the choice of algorithms and the evaluation of model performance. In practice, the target variable can be continuous (as in regression problems) or categorical (as in classification problems). Regardless of its form, it serves as the benchmark against which the model's predictions are measured, thus playing a pivotal role in the model's setup and assessment.