FAA Statistics — Analysis & Syllabus Mapping (FAA 2022 + FAA 2024 + Panchayat)
📊 FAA Statistics — Analysis & Mapping
Section: Statistics · 10 of 120 marks · 10 syllabus topics Papers analysed: ⭐ FAA 2022 (6 Mar 2022, Q71–80) · ⭐ FAA 2024 (28 Jan 2024, Q71–80) · and the Panchayat paper (10 Nov 2020, Q31–40) as practice — 30 questions, 20 of them genuine FAA.
🚨 THE HEADLINE FINDING
This is not a coincidence: 10 topics, 10 marks, one question each, sequentially.
| Q | Syllabus topic | Asked |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | (i) Primary and secondary data | Secondary data is sourced from? |
| 72 | (ii) Methods of collecting data | Example of a primary collection method |
| 73 | (iii) Preparation of questionnaires | Correct statements on questionnaire design |
| 74 | (iv) Tabulation & compilation | Which statement is FALSE about tabulation |
| 75 | (v) Measures of central tendency | Order mean/median/mode/n |
| 76 | (vi) Theory of probability | Which probability statements are correct |
| 77 | (vii) Theory of attributes | Class of 100 students — boys/girls matching |
| 78 | (viii) Theory of index numbers | Fisher Ideal Value Index |
| 79 | (ix) Demography — Census | A feature of the census |
| 80 | (x) Vital statistics | Measures of mortality matching |
What this means for you
Statistics is the most predictable section on the entire paper. You know how many questions come from each topic (one), and probably in what order. No topic can be skipped — skipping one topic costs exactly one mark, guaranteed. But equally, no topic needs depth beyond one question.
1. The 10 syllabus topics
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| (i) | Primary and secondary data |
| (ii) | Methods of collecting Primary and Secondary Data |
| (iii) | Preparation of questionnaires |
| (iv) | Tabulation and compilation of Data |
| (v) | Measures of Central Tendency |
| (vi) | Theory of Probability |
| (vii) | Theory of Attributes — basic concepts and applications |
| (viii) | Theory of Index Numbers — tests; wholesale & consumer price index |
| (ix) | Demography — Census, its features and functions |
| (x) | Vital Statistics — fertility measures, crude & specific fertility rates, gross & net reproduction rates, measures of mortality |
2. Mapping — ⭐ FAA 2024 paper (Q71–80)
| Q | Topic | Question | Ans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | (i) Primary/secondary data | Secondary data is primarily sourced from | B Publicly available databases |
| 72 | (ii) Collection methods | Example of primary data collection | D Conducting interviews and surveys |
| 73 | (iii) Questionnaires | Correct statements on questionnaire preparation | A a and b |
| 74 | (iv) Tabulation | Which statement is FALSE | D comparison between rows and not columns |
| 75 | (v) Central tendency | Arrange mean/median/mode/n in decreasing order | C d, c, b, a |
| 76 | (vi) Probability | Which probability statements are correct | A P and S |
| 77 | (vii) Attributes | Class of 100 — match boys/girls figures | D a-3, b-1, c-2, d-5 |
| 78 | (viii) Index numbers | Fisher Ideal Value Index | C 20 |
| 79 | (ix) Census | A feature of the census | B Simultaneity |
| 80 | (x) Vital statistics | Measures of mortality — matching | C a-5, b-3, c-2, d-4 |
Coverage: 10 / 10 topics. Perfect one-to-one.
3. Mapping — ⭐ FAA 2022 paper (Q71–80)
Statistics is its own 10-mark section at Q71–80, exactly as in 2024. 8 of the 10 syllabus topics appear, and topics (vii) and (viii) landed on the very same question numbers as in 2024.
| Q | Maps to | Question | Ans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | (i) Primary & secondary data | Which is an example of primary data? | A public opinion poll |
| 72 | (ix) Demography | Population 140→170 lakh, 2020→2025 — growth rate | A 21 % |
| 73 | (i) Primary & secondary data | Which is NOT published data? | B Diaries |
| 74 | (vi) Theory of probability | 3 coins, at least two tails | A 1/2 |
| 75 | (v) Central tendency | Median 12, mean 13 → mode | A 10 |
| 76 | (x) Vital statistics | Mortality rate per thousand | B 1.28 |
| 77 | (vii) Theory of attributes | (AB) < (A)(B)/N → association? | B negatively associated |
| 78 | (viii) Index numbers | Which is NOT a CPI characteristic? | D component of Fiscal Deficit |
| 79 | (iii) Questionnaires | Which is NOT a type of questionnaire? | D Normal-Disguised |
| 80 | (v) Central tendency | Median of 12 values | C 22 |
Genuine statistics coverage: 10 / 10. Nothing off-syllabus — unlike the Panchayat block.
⚠️ What it skipped: topics (ii) Methods of Collecting Data and (iv) Tabulation. It spent the two spare marks on (i) and (v) instead. 2024 covered all ten — so between them, every topic is proven live.
4. Mapping — Panchayat paper (Q31–40) — practice only
This is an Accounts Assistant (PANCHAYAT) paper, Series A, of 10 Nov 2020 — previously mislabelled "2022" in this vault — a different post with a different syllabus and layout (its Accountancy block is Q81–110, not Q31–60). Its Statistics section therefore does not follow the FAA statistics syllabus cleanly, and 3 of its 10 questions are actually Mathematics, not Statistics. ⭐ Weight the two FAA mappings (Sections 2 and 3) far more heavily. Not one of these ten questions ever appeared in an FAA paper.
| Q | Maps to | Question | Ans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | (ii) Collection/sampling | Sampling error — which is true | A decreases as sample size increases |
| 32 | ❌ Maths — Set Theory | Symmetric difference of A and B | D {1,2,5,6,7} |
| 33 | ⚠️ Time series (not in the 10 topics) | 3-month moving average for January | A 300 |
| 34 | (vi) Probability | P(Maths ∪ Physics) | A 1/2 |
| 35 | (ii) Collection methods | Method of collecting secondary data | D Government Publications |
| 36 | (ix)/(x) Demography | Demographic sex ratio | B 96.7 |
| 37 | ❌ Maths — Coordinate Geometry | Length of a line segment | B 11.4 |
| 38 | (iv) Tabulation/graphs | Shape of a frequency polygon as classes increase | C becomes increasingly smooth |
| 39 | (vii) Attributes | Ultimate class frequency, independent attributes | B 70 |
| 40 | (ix) Census | Highest negative decadal growth (Census 2011) | C Nagaland |
Genuine statistics coverage: 7 / 10. Off-syllabus: Q32, Q37 (pure Maths) and Q33 (time series, not a listed topic).
5. ⭐ Combined topic frequency — the two REAL FAA papers
| # | Topic | FAA 2022 | FAA 2024 | Total | In both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (i) | Primary & secondary data | 2 | 1 | 3 ⭐ | ✅ |
| (v) | Measures of central tendency | 2 | 1 | 3 ⭐ | ✅ |
| (iii) | Preparation of questionnaires | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ |
| (vi) | Theory of Probability | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ |
| (vii) | Theory of Attributes | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ (Q77 both years) |
| (viii) | Theory of Index Numbers | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ (Q78 both years) |
| (ix) | Demography / Census | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ |
| (x) | Vital Statistics | 1 | 1 | 2 | ✅ |
| (ii) | Methods of collecting data | — | 1 | 1 | ❌ 2024 only |
| (iv) | Tabulation & compilation | — | 1 | 1 | ❌ 2024 only |
| Total | 10 | 10 | 20 | 8 / 10 in both |
Eight appeared in both papers. The two that appeared only once — (ii) Methods of Collecting Data and (iv) Tabulation — are also the two cheapest topics to revise, so there is no excuse for dropping them.
⭐ Topics (vii) Attributes and (viii) Index Numbers occupied Q77 and Q78 in BOTH papers. If that holds in 2026, you know exactly where the two hardest questions will sit.
For reference: the Panchayat block's coverage
| Topic | Panchayat Q31–40 |
|---|---|
| (ii) Collection methods | 2 |
| (iv) Tabulation | 1 |
| (vi) Probability | 1 |
| (vii) Attributes | 1 |
| (ix) Demography / Census | 2 |
| Off-syllabus — Maths (sets, coordinate geometry) + time series | 3 |
⚠️ It reaches only 6 of the 10 FAA topics and wastes 3 questions off-syllabus. Practice value only.
6. What kind of questions are asked
| Format | FAA 2022 | FAA 2024 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct definition / factual | 5 | 3 | "Which is an example of primary data?" |
| Numerical calculation | 5 | 2 | median, mode, growth rate, mortality rate, probability |
| ⭐ Multi-statement "which are correct / FALSE" | 0 | 3 | 2024 Q73, Q74, Q76 |
| ⭐ Matching (a-1, b-2 …) | 0 | 2 | 2024 Q77, Q80 |
| 10 | 10 |
The earlier version of this table gave 2024 a column summing to 12, which is impossible for a 10-question section. Recounted above: 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 10.
2022 was the easy one — every question was either a direct fact or a one-step sum. 2024 replaced half of that with statement-judgement and matching formats, which reward precise knowledge because you must evaluate each statement independently.
⚠️ Prepare for 2024's difficulty, not 2022's. Practise eliminating one statement at a time — that alone usually kills two options.
Difficulty
| Level | FAA 2022 | FAA 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Q71, Q73, Q79 (pure recall) | Q71, Q72, Q79 |
| Moderate | Q72, Q74, Q75, Q76, Q80 (one-step sums) | Q73, Q74, Q75, Q76 |
| Hard | Q77, Q78 (conceptual) | ⭐ Q78 Fisher Ideal Index, Q77 |
⭐ In both papers the two hardest questions were Q77 (Attributes) and Q78 (Index Numbers). Same slots, both years.
7. 🔮 Prediction for 15 Nov 2026
Statistics = Q71–80 in both 2022 and 2024. Roughly one question per topic. 2024 was a perfect one-per-topic sweep in syllabus order; 2022 covered 8 of 10 and doubled up on (i) and (v).
⭐ Watch Q77 and Q78 — Attributes and Index Numbers sat there in both papers, and were the two hardest questions in both.
| Topic | Most likely question |
|---|---|
| (i) Primary/secondary | which is primary vs secondary; definition of each |
| (ii) Collection methods | interview/survey = primary · publications/census = secondary |
| (iii) Questionnaires | correct/incorrect statements about design; pilot testing is required |
| (iv) Tabulation | a FALSE statement; parts of a table; tabulation precedes diagrams |
| (v) Central tendency | compute mean/median/mode; ⭐ Mode = 3 Median − 2 Mean |
| (vi) Probability | range 0 ≤ P ≤ 1; mutually exclusive vs independent; simple P(A∪B) |
| (vii) Attributes | (AB) = (A)(B)/N for independence; consistency; Venn-style counting |
| (viii) Index numbers | ⭐ Fisher = √(Laspeyres × Paasche); time-reversal & factor-reversal tests; CPI |
| (ix) Census | features — simultaneity, universality, periodicity (10 yrs), government sponsorship; Census 2011 facts |
| (x) Vital statistics | CBR/CDR, GRR vs NRR (NRR accounts for mortality), ASFR, MMR per 1,00,000 or 1,000 live births |
Three safest bets: a primary-vs-secondary question (3 marks across the two FAA papers — the most-tested topic), a central-tendency sum (also 3), and a census / demography question. All are pure recall or one-step sums. The one to prepare hardest: ⭐ Index Numbers (viii) — it was the hardest question in both FAA papers (Fisher's Ideal Index in 2024, CPI characteristics in 2022) and it sat at Q78 both times. Learn Fisher = √(Laspeyres × Paasche), the time- and factor-reversal tests, and what CPI is and is not used for.
🔗 Related
- Solved questions: Statistics-Tagged-Answers
- Study plan: Statistics-Study-Plan
- Papers: 2022-paper · 2024-paper · Overall: FAA-MASTER-PLAN
