How are you supposed to study statistics?

Stats is alot like higher math, or any college course--much of it depends on the prof. Stats can be as easy or as difficult as you make it.

Much of it is essentially math; it's built on formulas, then you add the extrapolation from there. To study it, study the formulas and what they actually mean. Think of it in terms of deduction, if that helps.

Good luck and hang in there. Sometimes a different prof really helps, too!

I think that part of your problem is that you think statistics is an exact science when in fact it is applied theory based on probability models. With any model there is a margin of error.

In theory a tossed coin should land heads and tails with equal frequency if enough trials occur. In practice this will almost certainly never happen because of physical variations in the coins construction.

If your prof. isn't doing the job, definitely get some tutoring. Back during my in programming degree, I found stats was impossible to grasp unless I had someone teaching it to me "my way". There's more than one way to explain anything, you just have to find one that works for you.

i droped stats for 3 times already, and finally decided to pay full attention !

i believe stats is a lot like logic, it's a formula, just understand its essence, concentrate in class and lecture,
i have to pass it only if i wanna graduate,

let's cheer each other, pm me anytime if u need any support,

Best Luck*

Can you get a tutor? I was a 4.0 student in college until I hit statistics...then had to withdraw! I registered for it the next quarter (we were on quarters back in my day haha) and got a tutor right off the jump. Amazing difference having someone explain it to me!
Check with your prof and have him/her recommend someone to you. If you're struggling it'll prob even be free.

Practice, practice, practice. Do the examples at the end of each chapter. And does your college have free tutoring? Do that too. Also, try going to your professor's office hours. In college I found that a lot of professors are better at explaining things one-on-one than when they're teaching in front of a class.

I had to take stats for the third time last semester and FINALLY passed (barely - it's a miracle). So, I'm probably not the best person to be giving advice on the subject. What I did is: I just stopped trying to understand EVERYTHING. If I got it, great. If not, I just made enough exercises and looked at enough examples that I basically memorized the method so when I got a similar question, I would know how to go about finding the answer.

You should definitely make a chart or something with the formulas and what they stand for. It's essential that you don't confuse fractions/samples/population and so on.

I guess statistics tell you one thing has a ... chance of happening. BUT there is a ... chance that it won't. How big that chance is depends on your margin of error. So what you should remember is that nothing is certain, you just have to think carefully about finding the right balance.

Stat is both math and language, if you ask me. There's a level of logic that you have to exercise (when to use what test, and then doing the math without error) and a level of BS (the sometimes desperate defense of the test you chose, the justification of the validity of the population you sampled, etc.). I agree with those that say memorization is the way to go -- my prof had us do essay exams to prove that we understood the theory behind the methods and if you had the BS memorized you could explain anything. So I highly recommend the dreaded textbook outline -- not highlighting as you read, but handwriting the key points on paper in an outline format. It takes forever but it is so helpful!

Finally -- advise to all college students that I always give even though not specifically solicited -- go to class. Sit in the front row. Camp on the prof's doorstep. If he notices your dedication and your drive, you will pass. Guaranteed.

Good luck. If I can pass, you can too!

Listen, I am not much of a maths person either. I somehow got a B in my exam. My teacher just confused me and my tutor didn't know what I was on about, so I had no choice but to sit down with my textbook and memorise which formulas go with which questions. You only need it for the exams right? You can do it!