Final information

The final exam will be 30 questions/30 minutes. The final exam for POL 114 is scheduled officially at June, 12 2025 1:00 PM. The exam will go live on June, 11 2025 at 2:00 PM and close on June 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM (26 hour window). The exam will cover lecture slides numbers 6 through the 9. The DAFSS book chapters 3-5 and 7 and the *Thinking Clearly book chapters 6,7, 9, and 12 will also be covered.

Question format

All questions will be multiple choice. The exam will have embedded figures and regression tables in some of the questions where you will be asked to, among other things:

  1. compute a standard error from available information in a regression table.

  2. compute a t-statistics from available information in a regression table.

  3. Be able to write out a regression model.

  4. Assess statistical significance based on information in a regression table.

  5. Identify and interpret: \(R^2\); \(RMSE\); \(MSE\); degrees-of-freedom as they relate to sample size; standard errors; \(t-ratios\); and \(p\)-values.

  6. Be able to interpret regression output shown in a plot, including identifying the strength of a linear association as well as understanding what a statistically significant result might loook like in the context of a plot.

  7. Understand how to interpret a conditional relationship

  8. Understand the additivity and linearity properties of the least-squares estimator as well as understand how non-addititivy and non-linearity can be handled

  9. Understand what selecting on the dependent variable means

  10. Understand the differences between observational data and experimental data are

  11. Understand the conditions under which one may and may not ascribe a causal interpretation to a research finding

  12. Interpret basic nonparametric splines

Project 3

The final exam will draw heavily from the tasks you were asked to do on Project 3 so understanding what you’re doing there will help you for the exam (i.e. how to interpret regression tables, understand statistical significance, etc.). Project 3 will be due on Canvas by June 12 at 11:59 PM. No extensions will be granted and late submissions will not be graded.