Statistics demystified
Stan Gibilisco
McGraw-Hill 
Preface<p>This book is for people who want to learn or review the basic concepts and</p><p>definitions in statistics and probability at the high-school level. It can serve as</p><p>a supplemental text in a classroom, tutored, or home-schooling environment.</p><p>It should be useful for career changers who need to refresh their knowledge. I</p><p>recommend that you start at the beginning of this book and go straight</p><p>through.</p><p>Many students have a hard time with statistics. This is a preparatory text</p><p>that can get you ready for a standard course in statistics. If you’ve had</p><p>trouble with other statistics books because they’re too difficult, or because</p><p>you find yourself performing calculations without any idea of what you’re</p><p>really doing, this book should help you.</p><p>This book contains numerous practice quiz, test, and exam questions.</p><p>They resemble the sorts of questions found in standardized tests. There is a</p><p>short quiz at the end of every chapter. The quizzes are ‘‘open-book.’’ You</p><p>may (and should) refer to the chapter texts when taking them. When you</p><p>think you’re ready, take the quiz, write down your answers, and then give</p><p>your list of answers to a friend. Have the friend tell you your score, but not</p><p>which questions you got wrong. The answers are listed in the back of the</p><p>book. Stick with a chapter until you get most of the answers correct.</p><p>This book is divided into two multi-chapter parts, followed by part tests.</p><p>Take these tests when you’re done with the respective parts and have taken</p><p>all the chapter quizzes. The part tests are ‘‘closed-book,’’ but the questions</p><p>are easier than those in the quizzes. A satisfactory score is 75% or more</p><p>correct. Again, answers are in the back of the book.</p><p>There is a final exam at the end of this course. It contains questions drawn</p><p>uniformly from all the chapters in the book. Take it when you have finished</p><p>both parts, both part tests, and all of the chapter quizzes. A satisfactory score</p><p>is at least 75% correct answers. With the part tests and the final exam, as with</p><p>the quizzes, have a friend tell you your score without letting you know which&nbsp;</p><p>questions you missed. That way, you will not subconsciously memorize the</p><p>answers. You can check to see where your knowledge is strong and where it is</p><p>not.</p><p>I recommend that you complete one chapter every couple of weeks. An</p><p>hour or two daily ought to be enough time for this. When you’re done with</p><p>the course, you can use this book, with its comprehensive index, as a permanent</p><p>reference.</p><p>Suggestions for future editions are welcome.</p>