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Statistics for Forensic Practitioners

Final Exam Prep

Congratulations on completing all of the coursework for Statistical Thinking for Forensic Practitioners! We want to equip you for success on the final exam and to help cement the most important elements of this course in your mind –– providing you with an excellent foundation of statistical knowledge as you continue your work with forensic science.

This page contains everything you’ll need to prepare for the final exam, including the exam structure and which parts of the course each section of the test will cover. Follow the study guide and make sure you have everything you need before your test day. Please contact us if you have any questions or issues. Good luck!

IMPORTANT: Did you schedule your exam? 

If not, please email csafelearning@iastate.edu.

 

STUDY GUIDE

  1. Read everything on this page to learn about the exam structure and what you need to succeed.
  2. Watch the videos below to learn how to solve the final exam practice questions.
  3. Review slides, labs and practice quizzes.
  4. Take the practice exam attached below.
  5. Score your practice exam with the provided solution sheet.
  6. Identify areas that need improvement.
  7. Return to the lessons on those topics and review slides, lesson videos, labs and practice quizzes plus solutions to gain more insight into how to solve those problems. 

FAQ

You may use the following during your exam:

  • All lecture slides
  • Formula sheet –– attached below for reference
  • Table of t and standard normal critical values –– provided on the last page of the exam

You are allowed to use a computer to access the lecture materials and formula sheet, so there is no need to print them out. Make sure you’ve downloaded them for easy reference. 

While taking the test, you cannot access the internet or work with another person. You won’t be able to refer back to quiz, lab or practice exam material. *Use of prohibited resources is grounds for failure of the exam.*

You’ll need:

  • A calculator that performs basic arithmetic 
  • Because you will not be allowed to access the internet, make sure you’ve downloaded the formula sheet and any lecture slides or other materials you need to reference during the test –– this means you may use your computer to access reference materials, but the use of prohibited materials or the internet during the exam is grounds for failure

How testing works:

  1. After signing up for a test session, provide the name and contact information for your supervisor to CSAFE 
  2. CSAFE personnel will email the exam to your supervisor 
  3. Your supervisor will print the exam and give you the hard copy on your test day
  4. CSAFE personnel will watch you complete the test via Zoom
  5. Your supervisor will scan and submit a copy of the test to us electronically
  6. Finally, your supervisor will shred the hard copy of the test

The exam has two types of problems: 

  1. Multiple Choice –– these cover conceptual material
  2. Calculation –– these involve applying formulas from the lecture notes

 

You can earn partial credit for calculations based on work shown because we don’t want to penalize you for typing into your calculator incorrectly. Make sure you write down all  intermediate formulas applied and show your work when solving calculation problems to ensure you receive appropriate partial credit.

The final exam will have eight questions:

  • Question 1: Calculation problem based on conditional probability and Bayes’ Rule (Part 2)
  • Question 2: Multiple choice problems about data collection and sampling (Part 3)
  • Question 3: Multiple choice problems about describing random variables (Part 4), identifying appropriate probability distributions (Part 5) and basic theory behind Normal-based inference (Part 6)
  • Question 4: Mix of multiple choice and calculation problems concerning confidence intervals for a population parameter (Part 6)
  • Question 5: Mix of multiple choice and calculation problems concerning hypothesis tests for equality of population parameters (Part 6)
  • Question 6: Calculation problem for determining sample size (Part 6)
  • Question 7: Mix of multiple choice and calculation problems concerning linear regression (Part 7)
  • Question 8: Multiple choice problems about interpreting and reporting forensic evidence and conclusions (Part 8 & Part 9)

Practice Exam Walkthrough
with Instructional Assistant Joe Zemmels

Exam Prep Video 1: How to Solve Practice Question 1

Exam Prep Video 2: How to Solve Practice Question 2

Exam Prep Video  3: How to Solve Practice Question 3

Exam Prep Video 4: How to Solve Practice Question 4

Exam Prep Video  5: How to Solve Practice Question 5

Exam Prep Video  6: How to Solve Practice Question 6

Exam Prep Video 7: How to Solve Practice Question 7

Exam Prep Video 8: How to Solve Practice Question 8

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