Statistics-Help

[upgray]

I am about to take the dantes statistics test and am curious if the only tables provided on the test are z score and t tables? Do they provide the binomial probabilities tables, or does the test even get that involved? Thanks.

[snazzlefrag]

I am about to take the dantes statistics test and am curious if the only tables provided on the test are z score and t tables? Do they provide the binomial probabilities tables, or does the test even get that involved? Thanks.

Hi Upgray,

My exam had a 5 or 6 line excerpt of the z-table on the front cover. However, I didn't use it even once during the exam. I don't know why they even included it.

I have heard from others that their version of the exam didn't include ANY tables, nor were any needed.

It is safe to say that you don't need to memorize any tables at all for this exam, and if there are any questions requiring the use of a table, it will be provided on the front cover of the exam. But knowing the concepts, and the use of a good stats calculator will almost certainly remove the need to use any table that may (or may not) be provided.

The questions I was asked regarding z-scores were more concept-based than actual calculations. It was more about knowing what z-scores are, and what affects them, than actually having to calculate lots of z-scores.

I hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[upgray]

I got my results today for statistics (67), exactly 14 days after taking the exam. I used IC statistics and also bought the idiots guide for statistics. I thought that IC was far superior at all explanations. The idiots guide was good for amplification but it was more formula based than IC. A friend of mine is taking a graduate level statistics course and i used the IC explanations of concepts to explain things to him that his course did a poor job of doing. IC clinched it for him. I spent two months studying for this exam and i knew that i passed when i left; the only exam that i have felt that way about. If i didn't fully understand a concept, i went to wikipedia or idiots guide for an explanation. Thanks for all the prior posts on this subject.

[sirjake]

Well, I just finished taking DSST Principles of Statistics. "Woefully underprepared" seems like a good description of how I felt prior to taking this exam. Yet, I think that I probably passed. Or maybe I'm being overly hopeful. I certainly had enough distractions:

1. I realized when I got there that they only have metered parking: 25 cent per hour. I only had one quarter and no money other than plastic. I drove around trying to find somewhere I could park without a high probability (hehe) of receiving a parking ticket to no avail. I ended up depositing my quarter and hoping for the best (no ticket! Woohoo!).
2. The proctor at the testing center always seems cross. Or testy (hehe!). He seems like you're putting him out by having the nerve to take a test. I hate that.
3. 5 minutes into the test, some administrator in an office next to the testing center starting flirting raucously with a student (my assumption based on word to giggle ratio). That continued for about 45 minutes.
4. After the above concluded, someone in the floor below decided to start doing some reconstruction of the building. For the next hour, I endured very loud hammering and pounding followed by punctuations of broken glass or whatever it was that they were destroying. I was not pleased. I couldn't even block it out by covering my ears. It was too loud. It finally stopped when I had about 5 questions left.
5. The occasional cursing of the cross test proctor (presumably at the noise?).
6. Proctor coming to door repeatedly to see if I was done.

Yeah. It was easily the most distracted I've *EVER* been in a standardized test. I felt totally frazzled by it all. I probably could have completed it all in 1.5 hours without distractions, but with them, I feel lucky to have only spent 2.5 there.

As for the actual questions: I'd guess that I was confident of my answer at least half of the time, reasonably sure a quarter of the time, dubious an eighth, and absolutely stumped an eighth. I also feel like I had *seen* everything that was on the test at least once in my preparation with the exception of one "leaf-and-stem" question (I don't think I had ever heard of that before and was stumped). I guessed that it was something like binary, or an alternate form of counting, but didn't know how it worked and couldn't figure it out just from the provided data.

My impression is that had I studied for more than 3 or 4 days, it would have been fairly easy. As it was, I stupidly tried to prepare by first making sure I understood algebra/precalculus, hoping to knock out that test first (HAH!), then preparing for stats. Bad move. I know that there is some algebra on this test, but very little. If I had it to do over again, I would have spent 2 weeks preparing starting with IC, then maybe branching out into other materials (I had a Statistics Demystified book that helped).

But, of course, much of this is just conjecture until I know what score I received. I'll let you know.

[Old Rusty Pipe]

I wish you luck on your score. Post your score when you get it in, I found Statistics to be one nasty test. I ended up scoring an 80, and I thought I did lousy on it as well. So here's hoping.

Worst case scenario, you hit up the material a little more then shell out the cash for the Excelsior version of the exam.

Best of luck.

[sgloer]

I ended up scoring an 80

Haha, you thought the test was "nasty" and then you go on to get the only perfect score I've ever seen for Stats. hilarious

[Old Rusty Pipe]

I think that the reason I got an 80 on Statistics was my total lack of any decent practice tests. I ended up taking the DANTES, Excelsior, Thomas Edison, and AP (Advanced Placement) study guides just to get some kind of practice. Even after all of them, I was still nervous as all hell. So in my attempting to ensure a passing score, I ended up covering pretty much everything over and over again.

I was shocked when I saw the score.

[Kiwi Lover]

Well, I just finished taking DSST Principles of Statistics. "Woefully underprepared" seems like a good description of how I felt prior to taking this exam. Yet, I think that I probably passed. Or maybe I'm being overly hopeful. I certainly had enough distractions:

1. I realized when I got there that they only have metered parking: 25 cent per hour. I only had one quarter and no money other than plastic. I drove around trying to find somewhere I could park without a high probability (hehe) of receiving a parking ticket to no avail. I ended up depositing my quarter and hoping for the best (no ticket! Woohoo!).
2. The proctor at the testing center always seems cross. Or testy (hehe!). He seems like you're putting him out by having the nerve to take a test. I hate that.
3. 5 minutes into the test, some administrator in an office next to the testing center starting flirting raucously with a student (my assumption based on word to giggle ratio). That continued for about 45 minutes.
4. After the above concluded, someone in the floor below decided to start doing some reconstruction of the building. For the next hour, I endured very loud hammering and pounding followed by punctuations of broken glass or whatever it was that they were destroying. I was not pleased. I couldn't even block it out by covering my ears. It was too loud. It finally stopped when I had about 5 questions left.
5. The occasional cursing of the cross test proctor (presumably at the noise?).
6. Proctor coming to door repeatedly to see if I was done.

Yeah. It was easily the most distracted I've *EVER* been in a standardized test. I felt totally frazzled by it all. I probably could have completed it all in 1.5 hours without distractions, but with them, I feel lucky to have only spent 2.5 there.

Sirjake,

First of all, thanks for the entertaining post! But what a time you had....eesh! Statistics was by far one of the two hardest exams I've ever taken, and there is NO WAY I could have taken it with all the distractions you had to deal with...especially the construction work noise.

However, I have a feeling that you are going to be pleasantly surprised when you get your score. Especially if it "only" took you 2.5 hours WITH the distractions! For most of us, it took 2.5 to 3 hours WITHOUT those kinds of distractions.

You'll do great! Just wait and see...

JoAnne

[sirjake]

I just got my test results via Excelsior College's status report. An "A" with a score of 65! I'm thrilled!

[BlackhawkGuy]

I have one question. I've looked at all the rest of the thread and there's a lot of people who read the entire Idiot's Guide for Stats. Do you need to read the whole thing or can you just read the parts that pertain to what's in the IC cards? Thanks!