What is the alternative way to learn basic statistics besides taking a college course?

The first thing you need to know before learning statistics is why you need it. Medicine, psychology, science, marketing, and many other fields successfully use statistics. You will need to understand a great list of statistical topics and issues that will be helpful in what you do. Learning regressions, correlation, and cluster analysis will take a lot of time. The final aim will keep you motivated and keep you on track. You may need to learn statistics to improve your skills for a research project, to become a data scientist or data analyst, learn statistics concerning statistical programming or machine learning.

Statistics can be implemented everywhere. For example, suppose you are running or planning to set up a business. In that case, you should know how to estimate the economic and financial situation in the company and on the market and point out gaps, problems, and weaknesses. All of these are possible thanks to statistics.

If you have never studied statistics or have only basic knowledge about it, you need to learn the basics of math and statistics, learn statistical methods and learn by example. If you get stuck, you can ask statistical experts to do my statistics homework to understand better the statistical problem and how to solve it. Make a list of trusted websites where you can receive prompt help with statistics.

Let’s start this uneasy journey with the following tips!

Learn the basics of math

Statistics is all about numbers and calculations. That’s why you need to have a strong understanding of mathematical principles. Many people that start learning statistics right ahead usually get stuck because of knowledge gaps in linear algebra and calculus. Also, it will be beneficial if you know more about multi-variable calculus and probability.

Be patient; you need to learn how to use the formula, why it is used, and where it comes from. It may even take a week to grasp some concepts thoroughly.

You can take an online course on those topics with gaps or refresh and structure the existing knowledge. Moreover, you can read books on math like “Elementary Linear Algebra” by Grossman and “Thomas’ Calculus” by Joel Hass. Keep in mind that no ideal textbook will teach you all mathematical concepts. Try out several books and pick one that talks with you in one language.

For those residing in Arizona, seeking personalized guidance can make a difference. There are resources offering math help in Phoenix that cater to individual needs, ensuring you bridge those gaps efficiently.

Understand statistical principles

It’s common to think that statistics show an undeniable fact in numbers. But it’s just a tool that points out the trends and possibilities.

Try to understand when to use statistics and which approach to choose in a particular situation. Learn more about the limitations of statistics and the advantages of analysis and tests.

Try Statistics by Robert S. Witte and Think Stats to learn basics. It’s a great reading for beginners, as it’s well-organized and discloses all basic concepts, including eloquent measures, correlation, statistical analysis, hypothesis tests, etc.

You can learn predictive modeling and descriptive and inferential statistics when you understand the basic terms.

Take online courses

If you are only planning to start learning statistics, it will be great to start with a free online course on Khan Academy, “Statistics and probability.” You will learn to analyze variables, work with graphs and quantitative data, dig into modeling data distributions, and more. Also, you can take a free course, “Introduction to Statistics,” at Coursera from Stanford University.

Besides, you need to consider the fact that many courses focus on interrelated topics. For example, you will need to take a probability theory course along with a general statistics course. If you take a class that doesn’t cover the topics of normal and Poisson distribution, this means you need to learn these topics for sure. Probability theory comes with statistics, and one cannot exist without another.

Learn how to use statistics tools

While some statistics textbooks give some basic knowledge on using statistics applications, you can also learn information. The most common software are:

R. It’s free statistical software that may be used in nearly any field. One thing is complicated. You need to learn more about statistical programming to be able to use all the functions of R.

SAS. It is a great software for those who wish to deepen their statistical research. On Coursera, you can learn basic features through the online course. Moreover, you can learn SQL and statistical programming to get better results. SAS allows you to make forecasts and visualize data.

Microsoft Excel. The most common program for descriptive statistics in Excel. When you know all the features of Excel, you can do more than create tables and simple calculations. For example, you can take a Statistics and Data Analysis Excel course on Udemy.

Watch YouTube

Watching YouTube may be beneficial when you choose suitable videos. If you want to enter the world of statistics smoothly, subscribe to YouTube channels about statistics and math. Here are some popular channels you can look through:

Professor Leonard. This popular channel will tell you everything about equations, various calculus topics, intermediate algebra, statistics, and coding in R software. A great place if you need to improve your knowledge of math and statistics.

MarinStatsLectures. Here you will learn more about statistics in relation to programming. Regression modeling, bias, descriptive statistics, and much more are explained in an easy manner.

Dr. Nics Math and Stats. A great math and statistics channel for school and college levels. Moreover, you can learn more about using spreadsheets in Excel and enjoy the beginning path to statistical principles.

Choose materials wisely

Once you have learned the basics of statistics, you can learn multivariate statistics or study principal components analysis. Make sure that the topics you learn can be implicated in your project and relate to your work or the area of your interest

Wrapping Up

There are different ways to learn statistics if you don’t want to go to college. Your learning path will depend on your math skills and willingness to dedicate time and dig into the statistics world. Luckily, there are various free books, courses, and videos available over the internet. All you need is to start.