In this case, we'll have to carry out several steps to find the solution. 
Step 01:
Data 
7, 7, 3, 2, 7, 16, 12, 16, 12 
mode = ? 
Step 02:
7, 7, 3, 2, 7, 16, 12, 16, 12 
n = 9 
2, 3, 7, 7, 7, 12, 12, 16, 16 
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a serie of data.
mode = 7
The answer is: 
The mode is 7.