Probability Refresher

Forum

We have set up a discussion forum where you can ask questions or seek help on the Mathematics or Probability Refresher material, or anything else you're unsure of. Please feel free to start your own topic or comment in the existing threads.

Quiz

There is a quiz that covers some of the probability refresher material and is designed to be completed either before or after completing the material. Please feel free to try it first and see what topics you might need brushing up on, or try it after as a review. Please note that the responses are anonymous; this is just an exercise for yourself and we will not use it for any grades, don't worry! If you have queries on some of the questions/answers, please ask in the forum.

Probability Refresher

Purpose: This course covers some topics and techniques in Probability that you may have seen before, to help ease the transition into third level education. There are questions with worked solutions to test yourself, with examples of how to turn problems in words into something mathematical. We are not expecting you to know everything covered before starting, nor assess what you already know. If you encounter things you don't know, remember or understand, don't panic! Everything will be taught to you again once you arrive, this is just an extra help. The forum is there should you have questions.

Topics Covered: First, the Background Material section outlines the necessary notation and definitions. The course is then focused on four key areas split into two sections: Tree Diagrams and Conditional Probability, and Random Variables and Probability Distributions. Each section contains definitions, explanations and examples, along with questions for you to try yourself. Solutions are provided in text for the shorter questions and in video for the longer/more difficult ones. Each subsection contains "Key Takeaways". There is also optional Additional Mathematics Refresher material should you wish to test yourself more. The forum and quiz are there should you need help or wish to test yourself further.

Intended Learning Outcomes: We would like you to be comfortable with the basic concepts of: conditional probability; using tree diagrams; general probability distributions; and the Binomial and Normal distributions. Understanding the more difficult concepts within these, such as what actually is a random variable, is a bonus. Ideally, attempt each example and question yourself before looking at solutions. The A level Maths questions should have more commonly seen topics while the Further Maths questions may include concepts you haven't seen before. The questions from STEP and TMUA are intended to be extremely difficult and we do not expect your own solutions to these; just make your best attempt and then have a look at the video or worked solution. It is more important to see the reasonings behind the solutions than simply to get it right or wrong.

Disclaimer: This refresher course is a new initiative and we want to improve it year-on-year. If you have any comments or feedback, or notice any mistakes, please let us know by email: stats.ug.support@warwick.ac.uk

Important Links:

AQA Past Maths Papers: Contains past papers for A level Mathematics.

AQA Past Further Maths Papers: Contains past papers for A level Further Mathematics.

STEP Website: Contains details on the STEP examination as well as past papers and marking schemes.

TMUA Website: Contains details on the TMUA examination as well as past papers and marking schemes.