11 min read•june 18, 2024
John Le
John Le
2021 AP exams will cover all units and essay types. The 2021 Statistics exam format will be:
Section 1: Multiple Choice - 50% of your score
40 questions in 1 hr 30 mins Section 2: Free Response - 50% of your score
6 questions in 1 hr 30 mins
Part A:- 1 multipart question with a focus on collecting data- 1 multipart question with a focus on - 1 multipart question with a focus on and - 1 multipart question with a focus on - 1 multipart question that combines 2 or more skill categories
Part B:- 1 that assesses multiple skill categories and content areas
Section 1: Multiple Choice - 50% of your score
40 questions in 1 hr 30 mins Section 2: Multiple Choice and Free Response - 50% of your score
11 multiple choice questions in 25 minutes
4 free-response questions in 1 hour and 5 minutes- Part A:- 1 multipart question with a primary focus on collecting data- 1 multipart question with a primary focus on exploring data- 1 question that combines 2 or more skill categories- Part B:- 1 investigative task that assesses multiple skill categories and content areas
Set A of the FRQs (questions 1-5, 75% of Section II Score) assesses you on different skills for the AP Exam. Set B of the FRQs (Question 6, 25% of Section II Score) is the investigative task which focuses on multiple skills and content areas, requiring you to apply that knowledge to the multiple-part question in new contexts or non-routine ways.
✨The 2021 paper exams and digital exams have different formats. All units will be tested!
The FRQs are designed to test your knowledge of statistics, and your ability to apply multiple skills and concepts in a question. There are four AP Stats skills that are tested on the exam.
Skills for AP Statistics:
The FRQs will test any knowledge from these AP Statistics units:
Unit 1:
Unit 2:
Unit 3: Collecting Data
Unit 4:
Unit 5: Sampling Distributions
Unit 6: Inference for Categorical Data- Population
Unit 7: Inference for Quantitative Data- Means
Unit 8: Inference for Categorical Data- Chi Squared
Unit 9: Inference for Quantitative Data- Slopes Numbers 1-5 will test the following skills:
One question will test skills associated with collecting data
One question will test skills associated with exploring data
One question will test skills associated with probability and sampling distributions
One question will test skills associated with inference skills
One question will test 2 or more skill categories For 2021 the total amount of time you will have on the FRQ section of the AP Statistics exam varies by exam format.
📜 Paper exams FRQ: 90 minutes
💻 Digital exams FRQ: 65 minutes (for 4 FRQs)
The FRQ scoring for this AP Exam is different from other exams. Each question part will be based on ratings: essentially correct, partially correct, and incorrect. Depending on your rankings, each question will receive a score from 1-4.
2021 RubricThere have been no changes to this rubric for the exam, so be sure to know how you will be graded to maximize your score. |
Normally, the best way to rock the FRQ section of the AP Statistics exams is to tackle the questions in the following order:
Because the FRQs will assess you on multiple skills and concepts, it’s important to pay attention to key verbs that the question has. In the AP Statistics Course/Exam Description, they have provided a list of verbs that are most common on the FRQ questions.
Verbs on the AP Statistics FRQs:
The very first thing you should do with any FRQ is to be sure you understand the question. Highlight or take note of anything the question is asking you to do, and potentially write down what tests or formulas you may need to use to help support your answer. If you are given a table or graph, be sure to take note of what is being measured and any relevant information that may be important for tests you will conduct. It is also valuable to identify if the data is categorical or quantitative. This can be found by seeing if we are dealing with proportions or means. This has huge implications as you work out the problem in terms of calculating test statistics (z or t score), how you check normality (Large Counts or Central Limit Theorem) and effects the outcomes of your response in several ways.
Example: AP Statistics 2019 FRQs #4
Tumbleweed, commonly found in the western United States, is the dried structure of certain plants that are blown by the wind. Kochia, a type of plant that turns into tumbleweed at the end of the summer, is a problem for farmers because it takes nutrients away from soil that would otherwise go to more beneficial plants. Scientists are concerned that kochia plants are becoming resistant to the most commonly used herbicide, glyphosate. In 2014, 19.7 percent of 61 randomly selected kochia plants were resistant to glyphosate. In 2017, 38.5 percent of 52 randomly selected kochia plants were resistant to glyphosate. Do the data provide convincing statistical evidence, at the level of a = 0.05, that there has been an increase in the of all kochia plants that are resistant to glyphosate?
In 2014, 19.7 percent of 61 randomly selected kochia plants were resistant to glyphosate. In 2017, 38.5 percent of 52 randomly selected kochia plants were resistant to glyphosate.- This is the data that will help you construct your answer.
Year | % Resistant to Glyphosate | Sample Size |
2014 | 19.7% | 61 |
2017 | 38.5% | 52 |
Do the data provide convincing statistical evidence, at the level of a = 0.05____, that there has been an increase in the proportion of all kochia plants that are resistant to glyphosate? Let’s break down this question.
Verbs used= “provide consistent statistical evidence”. This indicates you will be performing some sort of statistical test.
You are given that alpha=0.05, so you will be performing a . Since you are given two years of data and comparing if there has been an increase in the proportion of all kochia plants resistant to glyphosate, you will be performing a .
There are three important things you must ALWAYS do when answering the FRQs: define your variables , show your work, and put your answer in context.
Your FRQ score depends on how much work you show. It’s important to communicate to the reader that not only do you know the concepts and skills being tested, but also how you got to your answer and the depth of statistical knowledge you hold. Defining your variables is important to help provide context to the reader and your argument, and is essential in every rating a scorer provides.
Answer your questions chronologically, because one step of the FRQ may depend on an answer you had calculated earlier. Write any formulas/concepts/acronyms down that may help you answer the question, and show each step. Even if you messed up on a step, you may still be able to get partial credit because you followed through with your work! In addition, It’s important you know important calculator functions to help you calculate your answers. The most common functions on a graphing calculator are “stat”, and “dist” (2nd>>Distr), where you will be able to find functions to help calculate your answer. Answer each question to your best ability and explain your answer with complete sentences and thoughts if needed!
Remember, you have the formula sheet you can use for the AP Exam! Be sure to label formulas and what context they are used in. Write down any acronyms you have learned throughout the school year to help you answer specific questions. It’s important that you are able to communicate what you are doing to the reader through formulas, explanations, and more. |
When you finish the question, it’s time to move on to the next question. Six FRQs seem like a lot, but if you are smart with how you tackle the questions and the information provided, you are on track to get a great score on the exam!
Here you can view the formula sheet published for 2020!
Here is a quick sample of numbers 1 and 2 from the 2017 exam. More past exam questions can be found with the links below.
STATISTICS SECTION II Part A Questions 1-5: Spend about 65 minutes on this part of the exam.
Percent of Section II score — 75%
Directions: Show all your work. Indicate clearly the methods you use, because you will be scored on the correctness of your methods as well as on the accuracy and completeness of your results and explanations.
Researchers studying a pack of gray wolves in North America collected data on the length x, in meters, from nose to tip of tail, and the weight y, in kilograms, of the wolves. A of weight versus length revealed a relationship between the two variables described as positive, linear, and strong.
(a) For the situation described above, explain what is meant by each of the following words. - (i) Positive- (ii) Linear- (iii) Strong The data collected from the wolves were used to create the least-squares equation yˆ = -16.46 + 35.02x.
(b) Interpret the meaning of the slope of the in context.
(c) One wolf in the pack with a length of 1.4 meters had a residual of -9.67 kilograms. What was the weight of the wolf?
The manager of a local fast-food restaurant is concerned about customers who ask for a water cup when placing an order but fill the cup with a soft drink from the beverage fountain instead of filling the cup with water. The manager selected a random sample of 80 customers who asked for a water cup when placing an order and found that 23 of those customers filled the cup with a soft drink from the beverage fountain.