What are hyperparameters in Decision Trees?

Updated May 16, 2026

Short answer

Hyperparameters control the structure and behavior of a Decision Tree.

Deep explanation

Key hyperparameters include max_depth, min_samples_split, min_samples_leaf, and criterion. These parameters help control complexity and prevent overfitting.

Real-world example

Used in fraud detection systems to balance accuracy and interpretability.

Common mistakes

  • Using default settings without tuning.

Follow-up questions

  • What is max_depth?
  • Why tune hyperparameters?

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