uwloo

STAT 230Probability

Units
0.50
Faculty
Mathematics
Subject
Statistics

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 6 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course provides an introduction to probability models including sample spaces, mutually exclusive and independent events, conditional probability and Bayes' Theorem. The named distributions (Discrete Uniform, Hypergeometric, Binomial, Negative Binomial, Geometric, Poisson, Continuous Uniform, Exponential, Normal (Gaussian), and Multinomial) are used to model real phenomena. Discrete and continuous univariate random variables and their distributions are discussed. Joint probability functions, marginal probability functions, and conditional probability functions of two or more discrete random variables and functions of random variables are also discussed. Students learn how to calculate and interpret means, variances and covariances particularly for the named distributions. The Central Limit Theorem is used to approximate probabilities.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Complete 1 of the following
      • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
        • MATH118 - Calculus 2 for Engineering (0.50)
        • MATH119 - Calculus 2 for Engineering (0.50)
        • MATH138 - Calculus 2 for Honours Mathematics (0.50)
        • MATH148 - Calculus 2 (Advanced Level) (0.50)
      • Earned a minimum grade of 60% in each of the following:
        • MATH128 - Calculus 2 for the Sciences (0.50)
      • Earned a minimum grade of 80% in at least 1 of the following:
        • MATH116 - Calculus 1 for Engineering (0.50)
        • MATH117 - Calculus 1 for Engineering (0.50)
        • MATH137 - Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics (0.50)
        • MATH147 - Calculus 1 (Advanced Level) (0.50)
    • Complete 1 of the following

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • STAT220 - Probability (Non-Specialist Level) (0.50)
    • STAT240 - Probability (Advanced Level) (0.50)

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0016016221 / 250MWF 12:30–13:20
LEC 0026533188 / 250MWF 10:30–11:20
LEC 0036534199 / 200MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 0046535159 / 200MWF 09:30–10:20
LEC 081637295 / 150Online or by arrangement
TUT 1016031163 / 250F 15:30–16:20
TUT 1026032244 / 250F 14:30–15:20
TUT 1036250198 / 200F 14:30–15:20
TUT 1046345162 / 200F 15:30–16:20
TST 2016538767 / 900Oct 8 16:30–18:20
Nov 19 16:30–18:20

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00155850 / 125MWF 12:30–13:20
LEC 00258480 / 125MWF 13:30–14:20
LEC 00359470 / 125MWF 09:30–10:20
LEC 08160480 / 145Online or by arrangement
LEC 7012219212 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LEC 702233738 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10155860 / 125F 15:30–16:20
TUT 10259170 / 125F 16:30–17:20
TUT 10359480 / 125F 14:30–15:20
TST 20161290 / 375Feb 4 19:00–20:20
Mar 18 19:00–20:20

Resources

Around the web

Found by uwloo’s link finder, which checks that each page names STAT 230.

Suggest a resource.

Reviewed on UW Flow

59% liked it57% easy81% useful

From 1,033 ratings and 230 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Midterm and midterm 2 were easiest midterms ive ever done. They mustve known that so they made f25 final the hardest final ive ever taken. I probably got a 30 on it.

    Dec 2025 · didn’t like it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • (Took with James Adcock) It's a two way street that follows the general framework (i.e., groundwork). It's important to compartmentalize the way you think of this course, though, so do keep the formulas in your back pocket. If you do all of these, you're off to the races!

    Nov 2024 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Did not like the course at all

    Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Dry, but straightforward course. Assessments are all computational and if you know how to solve the specific question you'll be fine. The hardest thing about this course is having the motivation to study for it.

    Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Overall I have mixed feelings about this course. There were things I liked about it and did not like about it.
    What I liked about this course it that it has many applications and that it was more computational based rather than strictly proof based. The course notes are quite useful and there are a lot of practise problems they give you that will help you feel more prepared for exam and even your upcoming assignments. I really like that the course notes are detailed as well.
    With that being said here are the things I did not like about the course...
    The course is basically a "teach it yourself course". There are weekly mini lectures you can watch which provide maybe 30-40% of the…

    Dec 2021 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

2,969 posts and comments in 1,814 threads mention STAT 230, August 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

How cooked am I next term 33 points, 27 comments

“https://preview.redd.it/sja2uyioa4ae1.png?width=652&format=png&auto=webp&s=da6f9cb5427cd275561128caa48f6851333be88b I am probably going to regret this. Is this too big of a course load?”

u/swaggyrabbit145: “I took a similar schedule to you last year, but with STAT230 and ECON102 instead of PHYS122 and PHYS175. Difficulty wise I think that if you find MATH145 and MATH147 okay then the 1B advanced classes should be doable. Time-wise for me was rough. …”

View on RedditRemove this

Taking Math 128 as Math Major? 4 points, 5 comments

“I was wondering if taking math 128 as a math major would negatively impact me for my future courses. I heard it's fine for cs majors but didn't find much info for Math majors. …”

u/fortheloveofalfred: “Math 128 will be very easy for you given how you did in 137. The stat 230 proofs are enough to catch up and prepare you for stat 33x and math 23x. I did this years ago and my only regret was not taking math 127 as well.”

View on RedditRemove this

Math 128 as a CS major 5 points, 5 comments

“Worth it to boost GPA? First years’ cum. GPA wasn’t too bad but a lot of upper-year CS friends have taken 128 and said it was worth it. Thoughts?”

u/IntrovertNeptune: “CS student here - I took MATH 127 and 128 because I got bodied by 137. Highly recommend. It's a very easy course to get good grades in, and there's no proofs at all. Just make sure to get above a 60% or you'll have to retake it, as STAT 230 requires a 60% in MATH 128.”

View on RedditRemove this

Question about Corequisite (If you complete a course, does that count toward the coreq?) 1 point, 8 comments

u/Relative_Ad2065: “I really want to do stat 230 for 1b. A lot of people recomended it to me, but it looks like for ACTSC 231, you need Stat 230 as corequisite? So here's my question: if I finish stat 230 in 1b, does that count toward my coreq in ACTSC 231 in 2A? …”

u/CSplays: “Coreq just means you need to be taking it concurrently. If you've already completed a coreq to a course, you're good to take it.”

u/Relative_Ad2065: “So that means 1B STAT230 -> 2A ACTSC 231 (which has stat230 coreq) is good right? Thanks for answering!”

u/mreifslp: “… So you can take STAT 230 then ACTSC but pretty sure you can't take ACTSC then STAT. You can also take them concurrently (but I think ACTSC has some more requirements if I recall correctly). …”

View on RedditRemove this

Overloading 1B Courses 1 point, 6 comments

u/4yan_6: “… I am looking into taking STAT230 in my 1B since I feel it would give me a better idea of which major I might want to choose. However, I am still interested in taking the electives I currently have on my schedule, which are MTHEL131 and PHIL110A. …”

View on RedditRemove this

What does this mean? 2 points, 6 comments

“I was trying to add a course and this showed up. Does this mean that I can take the course or no? …”

u/Apprehensive_Golf556: “Did you take a class more than 3 times? If it’s math 13X go down to 12X and you should be good”

u/Due-Hornet-2233: “No this is for stat 230, and I only took it once so far (taking it again would be my second time taking it) so I'm not sure why I'm getting that message 😔”

View on RedditRemove this

Will I survive if I take these courses in a term 1 point, 4 comments

“I’m considering taking stat231, actsc231, co370, cs330 in the winter term. How difficult are these courses?”

u/Breadfruit-Turbulent: “… Maybe add a bird stat 231 isn’t difficult if you understood stat 230 especially closer to the end of the course. Actsc 231 isn’t hard per se. But if you’ve never seen stuff like that, might need some time to understand the large amount of concept in the beginning. …”

View on RedditRemove this

How to prep for stat231 5 points, 4 comments

u/Temp_984: “Took stat230 in 2a, going into 3a, how can I prep for the upcoming sem to be ready?”

u/mreifslp: “… Overall tips would be to review STAT 230 before starting (basic distributions and basic concepts + end part on central limit theorem and normal distribution), and then during the course don't fall behind because the course basically keeps building upon previous concepts. …”

u/Striking-Setting-560: “Take with with prof wallace. Best prof. Focus on understanding the concepts and not just using the formulas. Make sure you have a lot of intuition about stat 230 concepts like everything in stat 230 (maybe except moment generating part at the end).”

View on RedditRemove this

Waterloo courseload 1 point, 8 comments

u/MinuteRemarkable9989: “Hello everyone I am going into my 1B math term with these courses MATH136 MATH138 CS136 STAT230 ECON101 (Online) Is this too much for me to do in one term, should I consider switching into lower level CS or should I stay in this schedule.”

View on RedditRemove this

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar