The information below is intended only for my section 040-04 and may not be sufficient for other sections.
One of you wrote: --- I was wondering if you could tell me what my grade in STATS-040 looks like right now with all the quizzes and homeworks and exams in, so I have an idea of what I need to get on the final to get an A in the class. Also, for the reviews on the 8,9, and 10th-- are those all separate-- is there different material for each day? Also, has the time and place been set for them yet? ---
My answer: If you study diligently for the final, you'll do fine. I can't provide running summaries. However, typically, my grading is higher than average because I feel that my students are giving more than average effort!
Our final will not cover things we haven't covered in class or in a problem, quiz, or test. It will be much more strictly graded than the previous midterms.
As for topics: We already suggested one way to parse the material
Probability and random variables Data and descriptive statistics Confidence intervals Hypothesis testing Regression
Another would be to imagine discussing topics from a list (as many as possible) being clear and concise. Try to give some definitions, properties, and examples. Pictures are good. That is, how would you answer an essay-type question? A few really good answers are much better than many mediocre responses. Good means clear and concise but including some key definitions, properties, and examples.
What is the expected value of a random variable? How can you summarize and picture a set of data? Compare sigma_x and s_x; that is, how does the standard deviation of a population relate to the standard error of a sample? What is a confidence interval for the mean? What is a two-tail hypothesis test? Compare it with a one-tail test. When do you use a z-statistic vs. using a t-statistic? How can you increase the power of a statistical test? If the cost of a type-I error were enormous, would you tend to prefer 95%-confidence interval or 99%-confidence interval? Compare the line of best fit with the linear correlation of data (x_1,y_1), ... , (x_n,y_n)
As for the reviews, we'll go through these topics (not necessarily in order given above) and perhaps consider other questions, too. Sessions are Sun., Mon., Tues. (8th - 10th) 9:30 to 10:20 pm Reiss 262.
As you know, the final is in ICC 115 from 9 to 11 am on June 12,
Back to class page .