How can you generate discrete uniform random variable values in Excel?

• A. =RAND()
• B. =ROUND(RAND(),0)
• C. =RANDBETWEEN(lowest integer value, highest integer value)
• D. =NORM.INV(RAND(), mean, sd)

Answer: (C)

Generating discrete uniform random values means selecting integers within a defined range where every integer has an equal chance of being chosen. In Excel, the function that directly provides this is RANDBETWEEN, which returns an integer in the inclusive interval between the lower and upper bounds with equal probability for each value. This matches the idea of a discrete uniform distribution exactly.

RAND() gives a continuous value between 0 and 1, not integers, so it’s not a discrete uniform result by itself. Wrapping RAND() with ROUND(...,0) would yield only 0 or 1, effectively a two-value outcome, and isn’t suitable for generating a general range of integers with equal likelihood. NORM.INV(RAND(), mean, sd) maps a uniform sample to a normal distribution, which is not a discrete uniform distribution.