DSST Principles of Statistics

Discussion in 'CLEP, DANTES, and Other Exams for Credit' started by Alissa, Jan 7, 2009.

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  1. Alissa

    Alissa New Member

    I passed this one yesterday with a 435, and I am very pleased with that. I used the IC flashcards a bit, and one of the recommended books. I still struggled with it terribly, and by the time I sat the exam yesterday I felt good about probability and figuring out the standard deviation, and that's about it. The curve on this must be very low, so don't be scared of this one. I guessed on more than half of the questions. The Instantcert flashcards are good for this one, but I did not spend enough time on them.

    Also, the little calculator is right at the bottom of the screen the whole time, with no stat functions.You do need to know how to manually figure standard deviations and probability, which were the only two things I knew how to do.

    I finished the exam in about one hour and fifteen minutes. Around in there, but I did not go back and review, and I guessed on a bunch. I can easily see how a person could run out of time on this exam, and I suggest that while you study, use the calculater function on your computer, so you can get as fast as possible at pointing and clicking. I keep a pocket calculater here at my desk, so I just used that while studying, and on the real exam it took quite a bit longer with that one on the screen.

    I studied about a week, but I also studied this for a week or so back when I was prepping for the GRE Psych, so about two weeks total. Also, the recommended book, Statistics, by Freedman, Pisani, and Purves was very, very good, it started out on like a kindergarten level and slowly progressed to the harder stuff. It was the best statistics book I looked at.
     
  2. dark_dan

    dark_dan New Member

    Anyone else taken this yet? Anyone else want to recommend anything for it?

    This is my next test. I plan on taking it in the fall (summer is busy for me). So I have plenty of time to learn.
     
  3. MISin08

    MISin08 New Member

    There's a computer-based learning tool called ALEKS that works for some people -- and you can get the credit for doing ALEKS, not by sitting for the exam. I have not used it, so I can't vouch for it personally. I sort of wonder how good it is if you actually plan to use the knowledge, not just rack up the credit.

    There's a new book in O'Reilly's Head First series that should be great, if their Java and PMP books are any indication. I am getting it from the library this week.
     
  4. dark_dan

    dark_dan New Member

    Thanks! I'll look into that.
     
  5. Around 5 years ago when I took it (the paper based version) I used the Standard Deviants Statistics videos which were helpful too. You may be able to pick them up cheap on eBay, if you like watching and learning from videos.

    It also looks like it may be available on Netflix too.
     
  6. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    I use ALEKS for my business statistics class as a supplement. I highly recommend ALEKS for stats.

    Here's how ALEKS works - you pay $20/month for access. When you access ALEKS for the first time, you take an initial assessment. After you complete the initial assessment, you then begin working exercises in areas that you need to learn.

    Periodically - you have a re-assessment. Once you earn 70% - you are done. There is a detailed thread on how this process works at:

    http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-thomas-edison-charter-oak-specific/3261-credit-aleks-corp-mcgraw-hill-online.html

    There is some chatter on that board about ALEKS not being accepted for credit after January 2010. Don't concern yourself with that. I spoke with my McGraw Hill representative today - and McGraw Hill plans to renew the ACE certification.

    Shawn
     
  7. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    Some folks have even gotten to the point of worrying whether or not the credits will still be valid after 2010! Once awarded by your school, you're done. They're not going to retroactively "pull" those credits.
     
  8. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Wow, this seems pretty cool. No need to find a proctor, and the courses are ACE reviewed? And only $20 a month? If someone can get through a course in a month or two (or even three), that would make it even cheaper than a CC or LSU independent study!
     
  9. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    I passed this exam using the Princeton Review's Cracking the AP Statistics Exam as my only study material. This book is updated annually, I am pretty sure I used the 2004-2005 version, but I am confident that any version would get you there with fairly few problems. This was one of the harder credit by exam experiences I had on the way to my degree, but it is definitely doable.
     
  10. Orville_third

    Orville_third New Member

    I used the AP guide as well- though I should have used the DSST guide I bought as well. I had to guess a lot.
    I got a 414. I was very relieved when it was over.
     

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