Exam 1 Study Guide: The Basics

1. Identify whether the situation described is a descriptive statistic or an inferential statistic. Five parts. Look at homework 1.
2. Identify whether the variable is categorical or numerical. Five parts. Look at homework 1.
3. Identify the level of measurement described. Ten parts. Look at homework 2.
4. Interpret the graph. Five parts. Look at homework 3.
5. Interpret the graph. Five parts. Look at homework 3.
6. Complete the data set so that it satisfies the given characteristics. You'll need to know the definitions of mean, median, and mode to do this. For example, if the mean is 20 and the first three numbers are 10, 12, and 45, what is the fourth number? Three parts.
7. Create a graph. You should know how to create pie charts, bar charts, histograms, box plots, and stem and leaf plots.
8. Various sums for a set of data are given. Find the mean, variation, variance, and standard deviation. Look at homework 4.
9. Look at a histogram where the bars are one standard deviation wide. Determine the percent of the data that lies within one, two, and three standard deviations of the mean and whether or not 68-95-99.7 rule applies. Chebyshev's Rule is stated, see if your data follows that rule. Look at questions 3 and 4 on classroom activity 1.
10. Find the measures of spread using the shortcut formula for variation. The number of values, the sum of the values, and the sum of the squares of the values are given. You will need to know the shortcut formula, it is not given on the test. Look at homework 4 question 2.
11. Given two paired sets of numbers, find the sum of the squares of the deviations from the mean. The sums of the values and the sum of the squares of the values are given, find the mean, variation, variance, and standard deviation. Similar to classroom activity 2 and homework 4 question 2.
12. The mean, median, range, standard deviation, and variance for a dataset are given. Determine what those statistics will be after the indicated transformation is applied. Six translations. Look at homework 5.
13. Given a small set of data values, find the mean, median, mode, midrange, range, quartiles, a percentile, interquartile range, variation, variance, and standard deviation. Look at homework 4, and classroom activity 2.
14. Use minitab to find the descriptive statistics for a data set using Stats / Basic Statistics / Display Descriptive Statistics. Be sure to know when to use the "by variables" and when to leave it blank. Know how to go into the statistics button and turn on or off certain statistics. Look at classroom activity 1.
15. Use minitab to follow the instructions and the answer the questions based on the results. This is similar to the last question on classroom activity 1.

Notes

• You will need a calculator.
• No formulas are provided on the test. Memorize anything you need to answer the questions.
• There are two parts to the test.
• The first part, questions 1-13, are to be worked individually without a computer.
• The second part, questions 14-15, require Minitab and may be worked with a partner (you may work alone if you choose).
• Your group may decide which part of the test you would like to work first.

Note Card

We're going to try a little experiment here. Normally, there is not a notecard allowed on this exam, students are required to memorize formulas. But we can use this test to help you learn some good study skills for later on. One of those is how to prepare a notecard. So I'm going to allow you to use one side of up to a 4"×6" notecard.

• The notecards can be no larger than 24 square inches. You may write on only one side. If you use a 3"×5" card, you're just robbing yourself of real estate, you can still write on only one side.
• You may write formulas for finding the sample statistics. Your formulas may be in English (sentence form) or as mathematical statements. For example, you could say "The mean is found by adding up all the values and dividing by the number of values" or you could write x = ∑x / n. Use whichever works better for you subject to the limitations of the amount of material you need to write and the space you have to write it. If you run out of space, limit yourself to some of the more difficult topics. For example, most people are likely to remember how to find a mean, but finding the interquartile range may not be so universally known.
• You may not write examples or other notes related to the chapter. For example, you cannot write the difference between nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio levels of measurement.
• Notecards that have inappropriate material on them will be redacted before the exam.
• The notecards must be handwritten.
• You must write your name on the reverse side of the notecard.
• You do not have to make a notecard, you may rely on memory only.

Now the twist.

• On test day, the instructor will collect all the notecards and randomly distribute them to the people who completed a notecard.
• If you do not submit a notecard, you will not get one in return. If your notecard is not an honest attempt to create a notecard, then you won't get to exchange it (or use it yourself). In other words, you need to convince the instructor that you're making a genuine attempt at creating a notecard.
• Since you have no idea whose notecard you're going to get, you may want to help each other make your notecards. Look at what they have and what you would like to know if that was your notecard. The more people you work with before the test, the better chance you'll have of getting a card you've made sure is good.
• Double check other people's formulas for accuracy, but don't trust them come test day. In other words, if you haven't double checked the accuracy before the exam and someone has something different than what you remember, you have to decide whether to trust your memory or their notecard. Don't think just because someone has it written down that it's right. Those are probably the people who didn't put a lot of time into making up their notecard, but decided to do it at the last minute.
• Add your name to the notecard while taking the test and then turn it in when you're done with the test.

Some of you are crying foul! "What if I get a bad notecard?" This is why you're going to do the studying anyway. Having a notecard does not remove the need for studying. In fact, making a notecard is a good study device. It helps you organize your thoughts and prepare for the exam. It helps you focus on what you already know and what you need to learn. You normally wouldn't get a notecard at all and if you get a bad one, you've studied for it anyway, so just ignore the card. If you really know your stuff, you won't need to rely on the card.

When you get back your exam, I'm going to give the notecard back to the person who used it on the exam. That person will then comment on the notecard explaining how it was good or how it could be improved. If there were things that wasted space, let the person know, like "you wasted space with the formula for finding the population variance when he said we wouldn't need it" or "you really should look at the study guide to see what's on the test before making the notecard." Then you will return the notecard along with your comments to the originator of the card.

Points per problem

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Last updated January 28, 2009 8:35 PM