Welcome to Prelims Probability & Statistics!
This document details my teaching arrangements for first-year PPE prelims probability and statistics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. I’ll teach a series of seven classes split across Michaelmas and Hilary terms. See the syllabus for dates, times and locations. Each class will begin with a quiz, but there is no work to submit in advance. I expect you to attend all classes and to arrive on time. If you are unwell and unable to attend, please let me know by email.
Read This First
Before reading further, log onto canvas and read the Overview and Instructions for prelims probability and statistics so you understand how the course is structured.
Before Each Class
- Watch the lecture videos listed on the syllabus.
- The department releases the videos on Canvas in stages through Michaelmas and Hilary terms. The syllabus gives the release week for each class’s videos.
- For some classes, the syllabus also lists corrections to errors in the slides of the lecture videos. Check them as you watch.
- Take notes
- Note down key definitions and formulas.
- Study that class’s Anki flashcard deck to commit the key definitions, formulas, and results to memory.
- Solve the assigned review questions.
- Repeat as needed:
- If you have trouble with the review questions, this means that you need to go back to the lecture videos and slides before attempting them again.
- Working with friends is highly recommended!
- Make a note of anything that you find confusing and bring it with you to class.
After Each Class
Complete the problem set. You should also watch the lecturer’s demonstration lectures on Canvas when they become available. These will mainly cover past exam questions. Your problem set questions are neither collected nor marked, but they will serve as inspiration for future quiz and collections problems.
Quizzes
Each class will begin with a short, closed-book, closed-notes quiz that I will mark and return to you at the next class. In-class quizzes will always include a random sample from the review questions assigned for that class. Because you are given these questions in advance, you should be able to answer them correctly on the quiz. If you cannot, this means that you have not come to class adequately prepared. Quizzes may also include additional questions based on the material covered in past classes. These questions will be harder and you will not be given them in advance. They are designed to help you practice for collections and the real exam. The flashcard material is also fair game: I may include a flashcard-style question on a quiz, so treat the decks as required study rather than optional revision.
Collections
You will have two 90-minute collections (mock exams) for prelims probability and statistics: one at the beginning of HT covering probability, and another at the beginning of TT covering all of the course material. I will provide further details in class.
Past Probability Collections
Here are the probability collections I set in previous years. Questions from the 2022–2024 collections also appear, grouped by topic, in the extra practice problems for each class. The 2025 collection does not. Save it to sit as a full practice paper under exam conditions shortly before the January collection. Exam conditions mean 90 minutes, closed book, and closed notes, with only a scientific or four-function calculator. Then mark your own work using the solutions. The papers refer to an attached table of the standard normal distribution, which is not included in these PDFs; any standard normal table will do.
Revision Classes
I will hold two revision classes in TT. These will be a mix of review and practice problems. I will provide more details later in the year.
Additional Resources
To view the summer pre-reading for this course, along with additional resources and connections to the Politics and Philosophy components of your PPE course, see the Additional Resources page.