Statistics exam tips

Exam tips

• Distribution selection exam tip 1

  Write the method before the answer so the examiner can follow each step. Apply this to n3 Select an appropriate probability distribution for a context, with appropriate reasoning, including recognising when the binomial or Normal model may not be appropriate..

  This keeps the answer actionable and aligned to Distribution selection, rather than giving generic revision advice.

• Hypothesis testing language exam tip 1

  Write the method before the answer so the examiner can follow each step. Apply this to o1 Understand and apply the language of statistical hypothesis testing, developed through a binomial model, including null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, significance level, test statistic, one-tail test, two-tail test, critical value, critical region, acceptance region and p-value; extend to correlation coefficients as measures of how close data points lie to a straight line and interpret a given correlation coefficient using a given p-value or critical value, excluding calculation of correlation coefficients..

  This keeps the answer actionable and aligned to Hypothesis testing language, rather than giving generic revision advice.

• Binomial hypothesis test for a proportion exam tip 1

  Write the method before the answer so the examiner can follow each step. Apply this to o2 Conduct a statistical hypothesis test for the proportion in the binomial distribution and interpret results in context; understand that a sample is used to make an inference about the population and that the significance level is the probability of incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis..

  This keeps the answer actionable and aligned to Binomial hypothesis test for a proportion, rather than giving generic revision advice.

• Normal hypothesis test for a mean exam tip 1

  Write the method before the answer so the examiner can follow each step. Apply this to o3 Conduct a statistical hypothesis test for the mean of a Normal distribution with known, given or assumed variance and interpret the results in context..

  This keeps the answer actionable and aligned to Normal hypothesis test for a mean, rather than giving generic revision advice.

• Use of data in statistics exam tip 1

  Write the method before the answer so the examiner can follow each step. Apply this to 3.21 Use one or more real, sufficiently rich large data sets in advance of final assessment; use technology such as spreadsheets or specialist statistical packages to explore the data set; interpret real data in summary or graphical form; use data to investigate questions arising in real contexts; analyse subsets or features of the data using a calculator with standard statistical functions..

  This keeps the answer actionable and aligned to Use of data in statistics, rather than giving generic revision advice.