Ordinal variables are a type of categorical variable that possess a clear, ordered relationship among their categories. Unlike nominal variables, which have no inherent order, ordinal variables allow for ranking or ordering of the categories based on a specific criterion. For example, survey responses such as “poor,” “fair,” “good,” and “excellent” represent ordinal data, as they can be arranged in a meaningful sequence. This ordering is crucial in various statistical analyses, particularly in ordinal logistic regression, where the goal is to predict outcomes based on these ranked categories. Understanding ordinal variables is essential for effective data analysis and interpretation.