As someone who absolutely hates math, I was really nervous about my first Statistics exam. Thankfully, universities understand that most students who choose to study Psychology don’t do so out of a burning love of formulae and numbers.
Having a solid double sided cheat sheet to bring into the exam makes a huge difference. You don’t need to stress about STATA commands, effect sizes, forgetting which statistical test to use…it’s all on a trusty bit of A4 paper.
Seriously, knowing you’ve got a cheat sheet that will carry you through 70% of the cognitive load reduces so much exam anxiety and allows you to perform your best. But what should you put on it? What’s actually going to be relevant and what’s wasting space?
No worries – this is the exact cheat sheet I used to get an HD on my first stats exam…coming from someone who once got a D in high school maths (in my defense it was an unusually hard test, okay).
Math trauma aside, the sheet contains:
- Complete hypothesis test selection guide
Quickly identify the correct statistical test based on number and type of variables. - Visual decision flowchart
Step-by-step logic for choosing tests (t-tests, correlation, regression, chi-square, McNemar’s). - Clear assumptions mapped to each test
Normality, variance, linearity, and expected cell counts — no guesswork. - Standardised effect sizes included
Cohen’s d, Pearson’s r, Cohen’s W, and R² with interpretation guidance. - STATA commands for every major test
Minimal, exam-safe commands you can memorise and apply quickly. - Chi-square worked logic (goodness-of-fit & independence)
Includes expected value formula and degrees of freedom. - Descriptive statistics & graph commands
Histograms, box plots, frequency tables, and grouped summaries in STATA. - Cause-and-effect criteria explained
Covariance, temporal precedence, internal validity, and external validity. - Measurement scales & data types overview
Nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio; discrete vs continuous. - Effect size benchmarks table
Small, moderate, and large effect cut-offs for fast interpretation. - Reliability & validity summaries
Key types explained clearly for short-answer and theory questions. - Type I & Type II error definitions
Simple explanations you can recall under exam pressure. - Ethics checklist
Informed consent, deception, debriefing, and voluntary participation. - Designed for psychology & statistics exams
Aligned with undergraduate psych/stats units using STATA. - Exam-optimised layout
Highly scannable, printable, and screenshot-friendly for last-minute revision.
Download here:
Hope you find it helpful, and for anyone preparing for an exam- good luck ♥︎
