What is AP Statistics?
AP Stats is a college level introductory course in statistics. This course is designed for the student who is interested in pursuing a career in natural science, social science, engineering, mathematics or any other career that involves performing research and/or interpreting research results. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. The emphasis of this course is on the use of graphical and numerical techniques to study patterns and departures from patterns, experimental design, probability, sampling distributions, and statistical inference. You can earn college credit for this course.

Why should I take it?
Statistics is most widely applicable branch of mathematics, used by more people in more different areas than any other kind of math. You’ll never wonder when you’ll ever use this stuff!

Who uses Statistics?
Everyone who needs to collect and analyze data needs to understand Statistics. That’s every branch of science, of course. And it’s also important in the social sciences (psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.), in business and economics, in political science and government, in law, and in medicine. There’s a very strong chance YOU will use Statistics in college and in you career.

Could I take Statistics when I get to college?
Yes, and you probably will. Statistics is required for many majors, and strongly recommended for others. Many colleges now give students a choice of Statistics or Calculus to fulfill their math requirements.

Then why take it in high school?
There are several advantages. Here it’s a full year course so you’ll have more opportunity to ask questions and really understand the concepts than at college where the course meets only 3 times a week for one semester. And you’ll enter college ready to apply your skills in your first semester courses.

How hard is AP Stats?
It’s a college course, so the expectations are high. You’ll be expected to do homework every day, and not just math problems. There is reading and writing involved. In fact, if you think math is all formulas, equations, and calculations, you’ll soon find that this isn’t really a math course. It’s a course in reading, analyzing, thinking, and writing clearly.

Would AP Stats be my only math course?
Probably not. Most people take Statistics as an elective, in addition to their regular math course. A few seniors, who know the college they will attend won’t require them to take Calculus, sign up for Stats instead of Pre-Calc or Calculus.

Who can sign up?
Anyone who has finished Integrated IV with an 83 or better is eligible. But at least as important as your math background is your willingness to do college-level work.