Strategies and Study Tips For Statistics Students

Statistics can be pretty intimidating, especially during exams.  You might wonder why other students constantly get a higher score than you. It all goes down to the different learning techniques most of the time.   Strategies and study tips for statistics students can separate the top students from those who have low performance in school. 

 

Study Tips for Statistics Students

 

Here are some of the strategies and study tips for statistics students. These have all been proven effective in improving the student’s memory retention, understanding, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

 

Relaxation Techniques

 

More than 70% of the students are experiencing Math anxiety problems.  It is not to be taken lightly, mainly if your course deals with math all of the time.  You can do relaxation techniques to surpass your math anxiety, such as meditating, listening to your favorite song, or even a simple breathing exercise.  College organizations are well aware of this problem; thus, they offer counseling and advice to those students suffering from math anxiety.

 

Make it a Habit to Review your Exercises and Homework

 

Review your homework and school exercises.  Spot your mistakes and analyze what went wrong.  Try to focus more on the lessons you fumbled, and after you perfectly understand the lesson, you can move on and review your other studies. Take it one topic at a time. Never disregard the basics since they will serve as your solid foundation.

Don’t Just Memorize, Understand It

It is essential to memorize definitions but don’t just stop there.  Try understanding these terms and see if you can cite an example of them in real-life situations. Remembering the word is just the beginning of it. You will need to be able to comprehend these materials in various ways. Try to explain the terms using your own words.

 

Create a Study Group

 

Form a study group.  Be sure to find an honest study group, and you will not just waste your time gossiping about the latest trend in pop culture or about the update of the hottest guy or girl on campus.  Challenge each other in answering challenging statistic problems. 

 

Know the Steps

 

Problems in statistics will make sense if you understand them from both endpoints.  You can’t just memorize the steps of solving the problem; you must understand the process of solving the statistical problems.  Answer problems in your textbook, homework, quiz, and even on the internet as many as possible.  Remember, you do not need to memorize the formula, but you must understand the concept.

 

Your Instructor is Your Friend

 

Always remember that your Professor is your teacher and not your enemy. Attend review classes if you have one. Visit him during a vacant period and ask him the most challenging question you can’t understand.  Do not be shy to ask questions during class discussions.

 

Manage Your Time

 

Distribute your review time accordingly.  It is not advisable to review for straight 5 hours each week.  Separate it into an hour a day and take time off on the 7th day of the week.  Remember that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

 

Succeed in Your Statistics Class

 

If this is your first year taking a statistics class, you will learn that things are not as easy as they seem, especially if you hate numbers. You need to get used to the idea of encountering different formulations. Nonetheless, we will help you survive by following some of these tips.

Attend All Your Class Within the First Month

 

Some people may think that this may seem too obvious. However, you will be surprised at how many students fail in this matter. Based on the statistics, about 25%-50% of the students will drop out or change their course within the first month since they believe they are getting behind. It will be difficult for you to miss a topic in the statistics class during the first few weeks since all the basic principles will be discussed that will help you tackle the more complex task later on. Think about it as your standard math subject during your younger years. If you fail to understand addition and subtraction, you will find multiplication and division complex.

 

Choose Your Calculator Wisely

 

Choosing a TI-89 or TI-83 calculator in your statistics class would be best. There’s a chance that your Professor will require you to do things manually during the course. However, what’s more important is during the test. You will soon find out that a graphing calculator is extremely valuable. Also, know that these calculators allow you to save formulas, which will make things more convenient for you.

 

Take Advantage of the Excel Features

 

Another tool that you will find invaluable during your first year in the statistics class would be Microsoft Excel, especially when designing graphs and charts. Creating some graphs, even the simple linear regression, can be pretty overwhelming for the first-year student. With the dynamic feature of Excel, things have become more manageable. With this, you can easily alter the inputs after making the graph. It will give you an insight into how some factors can influence your chart.

 

Learn the Definition

 

Statistics are primarily composed of numbers, but you should not easily disregard the theories and definitions since they are equally important. Your first-year class will mainly include the discussion of elementary statistics, which will serve as your foundation for the more intricate task later on. Think of this as following a recipe; if you don’t add the right amount of flour, you can’t bake a tasty cake.

 

Do Your Homework Early

 

Finally, you should never leave your homework left undone. It would be best to complete all your assignments the night before your class. Some may think that it is too obvious, but for new students of statistics, missing homework is too familiar to them. Reports also said that those who deal with their homework on Sunday night receive the lowest grade. In your first week, you might think that things are too easy, causing you to neglect your assignment, cram, and make apparent mistakes. Later, when the homework requires some lengthy explanations and computations, you will be overwhelmed. Remember that it is quite common for statistics students to spend half an hour on a single question. Imagine getting stuck on a particular question; it will take you forever to complete your assignments.

 

Our strategies and study tips for statistics students are not meant to scare you. We simply want to give you a short glimpse into the university life you chose. By following some of the tips here, you can avoid some of the common mistakes that the students often commit.