Statistics support

Practise regularly

Becoming proficient at statistics takes a lot of practice with a range of different problems. Practise regularly until you can solve problems confidently and quickly.

Skills you should practice include:

• reading and interpreting tables and mathematical formulas
• doing calculations
• choosing which formula is required for a particular set of data
• conducting statistical tests and deciding when each test should be used.

Learn by doing

Treat your lecture notes and textbooks like instruction manuals: don't just read them, work through them step by step.

To make the most of your readings:

• cover up the answers to example problems and try to do them yourself
• find concrete examples to help make the meaning of abstract ideas clear
• if an example skips steps or doesn't explain the reasoning fully, fill in the missing pieces in your notes so that you won't have to recreate them when you revise for the exam.

Be organised and methodical

Taking an organised and methodical approach to problems can help you remember solutions and avoid mistakes when you're under pressure in an exam.

To get your thoughts in order:

• set problem steps out fully
• explain to yourself why you're doing what you're doing (e.g. "This should be tested with a chi-squared test because...")
• use tools like decision trees (PDF, 85.6 KB) or tables (PDF, 76.8 KB) to structure your knowledge.

Learn the language of statistics

To understand statistics, you need to understand the terms that are used for statistical concepts. There are many specialists terms to learn, as well as new definitions for words you may already know in other contexts.

To practice and understand the terminology, try:

• pretending you're explaining the material to someone else
• discussing questions in a study group
• reading formulas and symbols correctly as you write them.

It can also help to keep a list of definitions and annotated formula sheets – maintain these as you go to use as a reference when you are reading and trying to complete problems.

Ask for help when you need it

Mathematical courses, like statistics, keep building on what you learn. To progress in these courses, you need to understand the material rather than just memorising it. If you're having trouble understanding, it's important to seek help early.

You can find help by:

• asking questions at tutorials
• seeing your lecturer during consultation times throughout the semester
• talking to other students
• seeing a private tutor to help you with course material or foundation knowledge.