Kaplan AP Statistics 2006

Chapter One: Inside the AP Statistics Exam Introduction to the AP Statistics Exam Overview of the Test Structure How the Exam is Scored Registration and Fees Additional Resources Advanced Placement exams have been around for a half century. While the format and content have changed over the years, the basic goal of the AP program remains the same: to give high school students a chance to earn college credit or advanced placement. To do this, a student needs to do two things: Find a college that accepts AP scores Do well enough on the exam The first part is easy, since a majority of colleges accept AP scores in some form or another. The second part requires a little more effort. If you have worked diligently all year in your coursework, you've laid the groundwork. The next step is familiarizing yourself with the test.Introduction to the AP Statistics ExamIf you are reading this, chances are that you are already in (or thinking about being in) an Advanced Placement Statistics course. But you don't have to be a statistical genius to know that 3 hours is a relatively small part of 36 hours, a little more than 8%. Likewise, $82 is a relatively small percent of $1,500, roughly 5%. So if you are going to receive a fixed product, in this case the 3 credit hours of an introductory Statistics class, how much time and money would you like to invest in it: the full 100% or less than 10%? It doesn't take a Statistics major to know which is the better deal.Your decision to take the AP Statistics exam involves many factors, but in essence it boils down to choosing between paying $1,500 or $200 for the exact same product. You can spend $82 and take the AP Statistics exam, and if you score high enough on it many universities will give you three hours of credit (one class) in a related introductory statistics course. Or you can spend $1,500 (a rough estimate for three credit hours) and take the introductory statistics course in college -- usually in an auditorium filled with at least 100 students where you are unable to meet the professor (most introductory courses are taught by teacher's assistants), let alone ask any questions or get extra help -- where you will learn the EXACT same material that is taught in your AP Statistics course. By doing well on a three-hour exam, you can forego the headache-inducing chaos of an introductory course -- and for a fraction of the price!Depending on the college, a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics test will allow you to leap over the freshman intro course and jump right into more advanced classes. These classes are usually smaller in size, better focused, more intellectually stimulating, and simply put, just more interesting then a basic course. If you are solely concerned about fulfilling your math requirement so you can get on with your study of Elizabethan music or political science or some such non-statistics-related area, the AP test can help you there, too. Ace the AP Statistics exam and, depending on the requirements of the college you choose, you may never have to take a mathematics class again.Overview of the Test StructureThe Educational Testing Service (ETS) -- the company that creates the AP exams -- releases a list of the topics covered on the exam. ETS even provides the percentage amount that each topic appears on the exam. This information is useful to give you an idea of not only what is covered on the exam, but also how much of the exam covers each topic. Anyone considering taking the test should check out the breakdown below.Topics Covered on the AP Statistics ExaminationI. Exploring Data: Describing patterns and departures from patterns (25%)A. Constructing and interpreting graphical displays of distributions of univariate dataB. Summarizing distribution of univariate dataSimmons, Bruce is the author of 'Kaplan AP Statistics 2006 ', published 2005 under ISBN 9780743265577 and ISBN 0743265572.