AP Statistics

AP Statistics Curriculum

AP Statistics 

 

About the Course 

 

Learn about the major concepts and tools used for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. You’ll explore statistics through discussion and activities, and you'll design surveys and experiments. 

 
Skills You’ll Learn 

 

• Selecting methods for collecting or analyzing data. 

• Describing patterns, trends, associations, and relationships in data. 

• Using probability and simulation to describe probability distributions and define uncertainty in statistical inference. 

• Using statistical reasoning to draw appropriate conclusions and justify claims. 

 

Equivalency and Prerequisites 

 

College Course Equivalent 

A one-semester, introductory, non-calculus-based college course in statistics. 

Recommended Prerequisites 

A second-year course in algebra. 

 

Course Content 

 

The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences. 

 

Unit 1: Exploring One-Variable Data 

You’ll be introduced to how statisticians approach variation and practice representing data, describing distributions of data, and drawing conclusions based on a theoretical distribution. 

Unit 2: Exploring Two-Variable Data 

You’ll build on what you’ve learned by representing two-variable data, comparing distributions, describing relationships between variables, and using models to make predictions. 

Unit 3: Collecting Data 

You’ll be introduced to study design, including the importance of randomization. You’ll understand how to interpret the results of well-designed studies to draw appropriate conclusions and generalizations. 

Unit 4: Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices 

You’ll learn the fundamentals of probability and be introduced to the probability distributions that are the basis for statistical inference. 

Unit 5: Sampling Distributions 

As you build understanding of sampling distributions, you’ll lay the foundation for estimating characteristics of a population and quantifying confidence. 

Unit 6: Inference for Categorical Data: Proportions 

You’ll learn inference procedures for proportions of a categorical variable, building a foundation of understanding of statistical inference, a concept you’ll continue to explore throughout the course. 

Unit 7: Inference for Quantitative Data: Means 

Building on lessons learned about inference in Unit 6, you’ll learn to analyze quantitative data to make inferences about population means. 

Unit 8: Inference for Categorical Data: Chi-Square 

You’ll learn about chi-square tests, which can be used when there are two or more categorical variables. 

Unit 9: Inference for Quantitative Data: Slopes 

You’ll understand that the slope of a regression model is not necessarily the true slope but is based on a single sample from a sampling distribution, and you’ll learn how to construct confidence intervals and perform significance tests for this slope. 

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