NDA Maths · Teaching notes
Statistics — NDA Mathematics
Statistics is one of the most predictable scoring chapters in NDA Mathematics. 160 past-year questions across 2017–2026 cluster around a small set of techniques — central tendency and dispersion alone account for 119 of them. Each note below is built for the digital board: explain the formula, work two real PYQs side by side, then drill the rest from the bank.
Subtopic notes
Foundations + Measures of Central Tendency
75 PYQsA single value that summarises where a dataset is centred — mean, median, or mode.
Open note
Dispersion — Standard Deviation, Variance, Mean Deviation
44 PYQsHow spread out the data is around its centre — mean deviation, variance and standard deviation each measure spread on a different scale.
Open note
Regression and Correlation
27 PYQsHow two variables move together — correlation measures the strength of the link, regression draws the best-fit line.
Open note
Frequency Distributions and Graphical Representation
14 PYQsHow to organise raw data into class intervals + frequencies, and which graph (histogram, polygon, ogive, pie chart) tells the story best.
Open note
PYQ weightage by concept
31 concepts · 160 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
31 concepts · 160 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sum of Deviations & the Empirical Relation | 13 | 8% |
| Median — Middle Value | 10 | 6% |
| Linear Transformation of the Mean | 9 | 6% |
| Arithmetic Mean (frequency / grouped data) | 8 | 5% |
| Harmonic Mean (HM) | 7 | 4% |
| Replacement and Wrong-Value Correction of the Mean | 6 | 4% |
| Special-Case Means — Consecutive Integers, Squares, AP, Binomial | 6 | 4% |
| Geometric Mean (GM) | 6 | 4% |
| Combined Mean of Two Groups | 5 | 3% |
| Mode — Most Frequent Value | 5 | 3% |
| Arithmetic Mean (raw data) | 2 | 1% |
| What is data, and why summarise it?foundation | — | — |
| Types of data — qualitative vs quantitative, discrete vs continuousfoundation | — | — |
| Frequency and tabulationfoundation | — | — |
| Class marks and class width (grouped data)foundation | — | — |
| Summation notation Σfoundation | — | — |
| Weighted vs unweighted countingfoundation | — | — |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Deviation | 11 | 7% |
| Linear Transformation of SD and Variance | 9 | 6% |
| Variance | 7 | 4% |
| Standard Deviation | 6 | 4% |
| Computational Identity & Minimum-SSE Property | 6 | 4% |
| Coefficient of Variation (CV) | 5 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation Coefficient and Its Properties | 9 | 6% |
| Lines of Regression | 7 | 4% |
| Regression Coefficients and Their Link to r | 7 | 4% |
| Identifying Which Regression Line is Which | 5 | 3% |
| Angle Between the Two Regression Lines | 2 | 1% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Histograms, Frequency Polygons & Ogives | 5 | 3% |
| Pie Charts | 5 | 3% |
| Reading Frequency Tables — Mode, Cumulative, Median | 4 | 3% |
Formula & revision sheet
28 formulas · 36 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
28 formulas · 36 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formulas (14)
- Frequency and tabulation · Total frequency
- Class marks and class width (grouped data) · Class mark and class width
- Summation notation Σ · Definition + two identities
- Arithmetic Mean (raw data) · Arithmetic Mean
- Arithmetic Mean (frequency / grouped data) · Frequency-weighted Mean
- Linear Transformation of the Mean · Linear transformation rule
- Replacement and Wrong-Value Correction of the Mean · Replacement rule (single observation, n unchanged)
- Special-Case Means — Consecutive Integers, Squares, AP, Binomial · Closed-form means for common sequences
- Combined Mean of Two Groups · Combined mean of two groups
- Median — Middle Value · Median (raw and grouped)
- Mode — Most Frequent Value · Mode (grouped data)
- Geometric Mean (GM) · Geometric Mean
- Harmonic Mean (HM) · Harmonic Mean
- Sum of Deviations & the Empirical Relation · Two identities to memorise
Watch out for (16)
- Outliers move the mean — sometimes a lot→ Arithmetic Mean (raw data)
- Divide by , not by the number of classes→ Arithmetic Mean (frequency / grouped data)
- Shift moves the mean, but not the SD→ Linear Transformation of the Mean
- Divide by , not by 1→ Replacement and Wrong-Value Correction of the Mean
- Discards: work with totals , not the rule directly→ Replacement and Wrong-Value Correction of the Mean
- AP shortcut fails for GPs and other non-uniform spacings→ Special-Case Means — Consecutive Integers, Squares, AP, Binomial
- Binomial-weighted means use→ Special-Case Means — Consecutive Integers, Squares, AP, Binomial
- Plain average of the two means is wrong unless→ Combined Mean of Two Groups
- Reverse-solve: combined + group means give the size ratio→ Combined Mean of Two Groups
- Always sort before reading off the middle→ Median — Middle Value
- Mode can be undefined or multimodal — don't force one answer→ Mode — Most Frequent Value
- GM is only defined for positive numbers→ Geometric Mean (GM)
- Order is always→ Harmonic Mean (HM)
- for two numbers→ Harmonic Mean (HM)
- Sum of deviations is zero only about the mean→ Sum of Deviations & the Empirical Relation
- Empirical relation is approximate, not exact→ Sum of Deviations & the Empirical Relation
Formulas (6)
- Mean Deviation · Mean Deviation about A
- Variance · Variance — two equivalent forms
- Standard Deviation · Standard Deviation
- Linear Transformation of SD and Variance · Variance and SD under Y = aX + b
- Coefficient of Variation (CV) · Coefficient of Variation
- Computational Identity & Minimum-SSE Property · Two load-bearing identities
Watch out for (7)
- Mean deviation about median is always about the mean→ Mean Deviation
- Computational form saves time on -style PYQs→ Variance
- SD and mean deviation share units; variance does not→ Standard Deviation
- Squaring for variance, taking absolute value for SD→ Linear Transformation of SD and Variance
- CV is unitless — that's the entire point→ Coefficient of Variation (CV)
- — they differ by exactly→ Computational Identity & Minimum-SSE Property
- Scaling inside the deviation moves the minimiser too→ Computational Identity & Minimum-SSE Property
Formulas (5)
- Correlation Coefficient and Its Properties · Correlation Coefficient and Invariance Rule
- Lines of Regression · Lines of Regression (point-slope form)
- Regression Coefficients and Their Link to r · Product Identity
- Identifying Which Regression Line is Which · Sieve Inequality
- Angle Between the Two Regression Lines · Angle between two lines (applied to regression)
Watch out for (9)
- is bounded by and — always→ Correlation Coefficient and Its Properties
- Shift does not change ; only scale-with-negative-sign flips it→ Correlation Coefficient and Its Properties
- Both regression lines always pass through→ Lines of Regression
- From raw bivariate data, compute via the Pearson form→ Lines of Regression
- is non-negotiable→ Regression Coefficients and Their Link to r
- Both slopes share the sign of→ Regression Coefficients and Their Link to r
- Try the inequality before doing anything else→ Identifying Which Regression Line is Which
- Slope of the -on- line is NOT in the plane→ Angle Between the Two Regression Lines
- Acute angle only — take absolute value→ Angle Between the Two Regression Lines
Formulas (3)
Watch out for (4)
- Bar height frequency when class widths differ→ Histograms, Frequency Polygons & Ogives
- All angles MUST sum to→ Pie Charts
- Cumulative frequency is RUNNING total, not class total→ Reading Frequency Tables — Mode, Cumulative, Median
- Identify the median class FIRST, then plug into the formula→ Reading Frequency Tables — Mode, Cumulative, Median