Ordinary Certificate

The Ordinary Certificate is the entry level of the Society's professional examinations. Its aim is to provide a sound grounding in the principles and practice of statistics, with emphasis on practical data collection, presentation and interpretation. In terms of level, it is pitched between GCSE and A-level standard in the English school system, but the nature of the syllabus is very different because of the emphasis on practical statistical work. It is intended both as a first qualification, an end in itself; and as a basis for further work in probability and statistics, as for example in the Society's Higher Certificate and Graduate Diploma examinations. Holders of the Ordinary Certificate should be able to carry out supervised statistical work of a routine kind, or be able to apply statistical methods, at an elementary level, within work of a more general nature.

The Ordinary Certificate has a modular structure and consists of 2 independent modules that may be taken separately or together, as candidates wish.

Each module has an examination paper of three hours duration. Each contains about eight questions, with no restriction on the number that may be answered. The questions are of different lengths; the mark allocations are shown. Candidates may enter for either or both modules. Each module is separately certificated. Candidates who pass in both modules are awarded the Ordinary Certificate in Statistics; it is not necessary to pass both modules at the same sitting - modules have a long "shelf life". Full details are accessible by links from the "main examinations documents" page.

The assumed background level is a good General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) in mathematics or statistics or an equivalent qualification, or relevant work experience.

The Ordinary Certificate syllabus is contained in the general syllabus document.