UNITS

The course content is organized into commonly taught units. The units have been arranged in a logical sequence frequently found in many college courses and textbooks.

The nine units in AP Statistics, and their weighting on the multiple-choice section of the AP Exam, are listed below.

Big Ideas

The big ideas serve as the foundation of the course and allow students to create meaningful connections among concepts. They are often overarching concepts or themes that become threads that run throughout the course. Revisiting the big ideas and applying them in a variety of contexts allows students to develop deeper conceptual understanding. Below are the big ideas of the course and a brief description of each.

BIG IDEA 1: VARIATION AND DISTRIBUTION (VAR)

The distribution of measures for individuals within a sample or population describes variation. The value of a statistic varies from sample to sample. How can we determine whether differences between measures represent random variation or meaningful distinctions? Statistical methods based on probabilistic reasoning provide the basis for shared understandings about variation and about the likelihood that variation between and among measures, samples, and populations is random or meaningful.

BIG IDEA 2: PATTERNS AND UNCERTAINTY (UNC)

Statistical tools allow us to represent and describe patterns in data and to classify departures from patterns. Simulation and probabilistic reasoning allow us to anticipate patterns in data and to determine the likelihood of errors in inference.

BIG IDEA 3: DATA-BASED PREDICTIONS, DECISIONS, AND  CONCLUSIONS (DAT)

Data-based regression models describe relationships between variables and are a tool for making predictions for values of a response variable. Collecting data using random sampling or randomized experimental design means that findings may be generalized to the part of the population from which the selection was made. Statistical inference allows us to make data-based decisions.

BIG IDEA 1

Variation and Distribution VAR

  • Is my cat old, compared to other cats? 
BIG IDEA 2

Patterns and Uncertainty UNC

  • How certain are we that what seems to be a pattern is not just a coincidence?

Exam Weighting for the Multiple-Choice Section of the AP Exam 
  • Unit 1: Exploring One-Variable Data 15–23%
  • Unit 2: Exploring Two-Variable Data 5–7%
  • Unit 3: Collecting Data 12–15%
  • Unit 4:  Probability, Random Variables, and  Probability Distributions 10–20%
  • Unit 5: Sampling Distributions 7–12%
  • Unit 6: Inference for Categorical Data: Proportions 12–15%
  • Unit 7: Inference for Quantitative Data: Means 10–18%
  • Unit 8: Inference for Categorical Data: Chi-Square 2–5%
  • Unit 9: Inference for Quantitative Data: Slopes 2–5%