The AP Statistics exam covers the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data, including the following topics:
- Constructing and interpreting graphical displays of distributions of univariate data (dotplot, stemplot, histogram, cumulative frequency plot)
- Summarizing distributions of univariate data
- Comparing distributions of univariate data (dotplots, back-to-back stemplots, parallel box plots)
- Exploring bivariate and categorical data
- Overview of methods of data collection
- Planning and conducting surveys and experiments
- Generalizability of results and types of conclusions that can be drawn from observational studies, experiments, and surveys
- Probability
- Combining independent random variables
- The normal distribution
- Sampling distributions
- Estimation (point estimators and confidence intervals)
The AP Statistics test is given by The College Board which is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity.
Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.
Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.
This exam is available to all but is especially relevant to juniors and senior high school students.
Schedule a meeting with your school counselor or a teacher to learn about the process for taking this exam including deadlines for signing up for courses at your school.
Students who successfully pass this examination may receive credit and/or advanced placement for a one-semester introductory college statistics course. This does not necessarily imply that the high school course should be one semester long. Each high school will need to determine the length of time for its AP Statistics course to best serve the needs of its students.
Statistics, like some other AP courses, could be effectively studied in a one-semester, a two-trimester, or a one-year course. Most schools, however, offer it as a two-semester course.
The exam is 3 hours long and includes both a 90-minute multiple-
choice section and a 90-minute free-response section that begins with a
10-minute reading period. The multiple-choice section accounts for half
of the student’s exam grade, and the free-response section accounts for the
other half.