Course Tour—AP Statistics

The Basics

Few AP courses can boast the practical application possibilities that AP Statistics can. This introductory college-level course provides students with a strong foundation for collecting and analyzing data from which they can draw conclusions. Not only does AP Statistics teach hard skills like technology use, data-based prediction, and pattern recognition but it also strengthens skills, such as investigation, problem solving, and clear writing.

Statistics are pertinent to a huge range of fields from weather prediction to financial markets to medicine!

The Exam

This optional exam is taken at the end of the year. In 2021, 3 testing dates will be available in May and June with options for traditional paper testing or digital exams.

In-School Paper Testing Sessions (Early & Late May)

  • Multiple Choice: 40 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes. [50% of score]

  • Free Response: 6 Questions in 1 hour 30 minutes. [50% of score]

    Part A

1) Data Collection question

2) Data Exploration question

3) Probability and Sampling Distributions question

4) Inference question

5) Skills Combination question

Part B

6) Investigative question (apply the rules of statistics a student has learned to new contexts)

In-School or At-Home Digital Testing Sessions (Early June)

  • Multiple Choice: 40 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes. [50% of score]

  • Mix of Multiple Choice & Free Response Questions. [50% of score]

    • 11 Multiple Choice Questions [25 minutes]

    • 4 Free Response Questions [1 hour 5 minutes]

      Part A

      1) Data Collection question

      2) Data Exploration question

      3) Skills Combination question

      Part B

      4) Investigative question (apply the rules of statistics a student has learned to new contexts)

*The AP Statistics exam is working on several changes for 2021. If this information seems new to you, you may have been looking at the exam format of previous years.

The Statistics* of Statistics!

  • 219,392 students took the AP Statistics exam in 2019.

  • Of those students who took the exam, 59.7% scored a three or higher! (2019)

  • The mean score was a 2.87 (2019).

  • 14.7% scored a 5! (This rose to 16.2% in 2020)

Of the various math-related AP courses, Statistics is generally considered “easier,” though that doesn’t mean it’s a blow-off course. The course load may be gentler, but AP Statistics tests routinely produce less 5s than either AP Calculus exam. AP Calculus AB has approximately the same percentage of passing scores as AP Statistics, but AP Calculus BC performs wildly higher (81% getting a 3 or higher!)

*All statistics are sourced from College Board 2019 & 2020 score distributions.

Additional Course Facts

  • Most students take AP Statistics their Senior year.

  • Some colleges will accept a passing AP score as college credit, which can decrease college costs.

  • Statistics control everything from the stock market to which YouTube videos show up on your feed. AP Statistics gives you a whole new way of understanding the world.

Why Should You Take This?

AP Statistics is one of the most “useful” AP courses. It focuses narrowly on a skill that becomes crucially important in a variety of majors and careers. It may make college majors, such as criminal justice, aerospace engineering and environmental studies, easier. This course offers applicable math skills and a chance to look at the bigger picture and make connections. If you’re looking for an AP with a 100% chance of being useful, AP Statistics is the one for you. You can’t go wrong with it!

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