sample hypothesis testing calculator

Hypothesis Testing Calculator

Related: confidence interval calculator, type ii error.

The first step in hypothesis testing is to calculate the test statistic. The formula for the test statistic depends on whether the population standard deviation (σ) is known or unknown. If σ is known, our hypothesis test is known as a z test and we use the z distribution. If σ is unknown, our hypothesis test is known as a t test and we use the t distribution. Use of the t distribution relies on the degrees of freedom, which is equal to the sample size minus one. Furthermore, if the population standard deviation σ is unknown, the sample standard deviation s is used instead. To switch from σ known to σ unknown, click on $\boxed{\sigma}$ and select $\boxed{s}$ in the Hypothesis Testing Calculator.

Next, the test statistic is used to conduct the test using either the p-value approach or critical value approach. The particular steps taken in each approach largely depend on the form of the hypothesis test: lower tail, upper tail or two-tailed. The form can easily be identified by looking at the alternative hypothesis (H a ). If there is a less than sign in the alternative hypothesis then it is a lower tail test, greater than sign is an upper tail test and inequality is a two-tailed test. To switch from a lower tail test to an upper tail or two-tailed test, click on $\boxed{\geq}$ and select $\boxed{\leq}$ or $\boxed{=}$, respectively.

In the p-value approach, the test statistic is used to calculate a p-value. If the test is a lower tail test, the p-value is the probability of getting a value for the test statistic at least as small as the value from the sample. If the test is an upper tail test, the p-value is the probability of getting a value for the test statistic at least as large as the value from the sample. In a two-tailed test, the p-value is the probability of getting a value for the test statistic at least as unlikely as the value from the sample.

To test the hypothesis in the p-value approach, compare the p-value to the level of significance. If the p-value is less than or equal to the level of signifance, reject the null hypothesis. If the p-value is greater than the level of significance, do not reject the null hypothesis. This method remains unchanged regardless of whether it's a lower tail, upper tail or two-tailed test. To change the level of significance, click on $\boxed{.05}$. Note that if the test statistic is given, you can calculate the p-value from the test statistic by clicking on the switch symbol twice.

In the critical value approach, the level of significance ($\alpha$) is used to calculate the critical value. In a lower tail test, the critical value is the value of the test statistic providing an area of $\alpha$ in the lower tail of the sampling distribution of the test statistic. In an upper tail test, the critical value is the value of the test statistic providing an area of $\alpha$ in the upper tail of the sampling distribution of the test statistic. In a two-tailed test, the critical values are the values of the test statistic providing areas of $\alpha / 2$ in the lower and upper tail of the sampling distribution of the test statistic.

To test the hypothesis in the critical value approach, compare the critical value to the test statistic. Unlike the p-value approach, the method we use to decide whether to reject the null hypothesis depends on the form of the hypothesis test. In a lower tail test, if the test statistic is less than or equal to the critical value, reject the null hypothesis. In an upper tail test, if the test statistic is greater than or equal to the critical value, reject the null hypothesis. In a two-tailed test, if the test statistic is less than or equal the lower critical value or greater than or equal to the upper critical value, reject the null hypothesis.

When conducting a hypothesis test, there is always a chance that you come to the wrong conclusion. There are two types of errors you can make: Type I Error and Type II Error. A Type I Error is committed if you reject the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is true. Ideally, we'd like to accept the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is true. A Type II Error is committed if you accept the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true. Ideally, we'd like to reject the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true.

Hypothesis testing is closely related to the statistical area of confidence intervals. If the hypothesized value of the population mean is outside of the confidence interval, we can reject the null hypothesis. Confidence intervals can be found using the Confidence Interval Calculator . The calculator on this page does hypothesis tests for one population mean. Sometimes we're interest in hypothesis tests about two population means. These can be solved using the Two Population Calculator . The probability of a Type II Error can be calculated by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.

An open portfolio of interoperable, industry leading products

The Dotmatics digital science platform provides the first true end-to-end solution for scientific R&D, combining an enterprise data platform with the most widely used applications for data analysis, biologics, flow cytometry, chemicals innovation, and more.

Statistical analysis and graphing software for scientists

Bioinformatics, cloning, and antibody discovery software

Plan, visualize, & document core molecular biology procedures

Electronic Lab Notebook to organize, search and share data

Proteomics software for analysis of mass spec data

Modern cytometry analysis platform

Analysis, statistics, graphing and reporting of flow cytometry data

Software to optimize designs of clinical trials

• One sample t test

A one sample t test compares the mean with a hypothetical value. In most cases, the hypothetical value comes from theory. For example, if you express your data as 'percent of control', you can test whether the average differs significantly from 100. The hypothetical value can also come from previous data. For example, compare whether the mean systolic blood pressure differs from 135, a value determined in a previous study.

1. Choose data entry format

Caution: Changing format will erase your data.

2. Specify the hypothetical mean value

3. enter data, 4. view the results, learn more about the one sample t test.

In this article you will learn the requirements and assumptions of a one sample t test, how to format and interpret the results of a one sample t test, and when to use different types of t tests.

One sample t test: Overview

The one sample t test, also referred to as a single sample t test, is a statistical hypothesis test used to determine whether the mean calculated from sample data collected from a single group is different from a designated value specified by the researcher. This designated value does not come from the data itself, but is an external value chosen for scientific reasons. Often, this designated value is a mean previously established in a population, a standard value of interest, or a mean concluded from other studies. Like all hypothesis testing, the one sample t test determines if there is enough evidence reject the null hypothesis (H0) in favor of an alternative hypothesis (H1). The null hypothesis for a one sample t test can be stated as: "The population mean equals the specified mean value." The alternative hypothesis for a one sample t test can be stated as: "The population mean is different from the specified mean value."

The one sample t test differs from most statistical hypothesis tests because it does not compare two separate groups or look at a relationship between two variables. It is a straightforward comparison between data gathered on a single variable from one population and a specified value defined by the researcher. The one sample t test can be used to look for a difference in only one direction from the standard value (a one-tailed t test ) or can be used to look for a difference in either direction from the standard value (a two-tailed t test ).

Requirements and Assumptions for a one sample t test

A one sample t test should be used only when data has been collected on one variable for a single population and there is no comparison being made between groups. For a valid one sample t test analysis, data values must be all of the following:

The one sample t test assumes that all "errors" in the data are independent. The term "error" refers to the difference between each value and the group mean. The results of a t test only make sense when the scatter is random - that whatever factor caused a value to be too high or too low affects only that one value. Prism cannot test this assumption, but there are graphical ways to explore data to verify this assumption is met.

A t test is only appropriate to apply in situations where data represent variables that are continuous measurements. As they rely on the calculation of a mean value, variables that are categorical should not be analyzed using a t test.

The results of a t test should be based on a random sample and only be generalized to the larger population from which samples were drawn.

As with all parametric hypothesis testing, the one sample t test assumes that you have sampled your data from a population that follows a normal (or Gaussian) distribution. While this assumption is not as important with large samples, it is important with small sample sizes, especially less than 10. If your data do not come from a Gaussian distribution , there are three options to accommodate this. One option is to transform the values to make the distribution more Gaussian, perhaps by transforming all values to their reciprocals or logarithms. Another choice is to use the Wilcoxon signed rank nonparametric test instead of the t test. A final option is to use the t test anyway, knowing that the t test is fairly robust to departures from a Gaussian distribution with large samples.

How to format a one sample t test

Ideally, data for a one sample t test should be collected and entered as a single column from which a mean value can be easily calculated. If data is entered on a table with multiple subcolumns, Prism requires one of the following choices to be selected to perform the analysis:

• Each subcolumn of data can be analyzed separately
• An average of the values in the columns across each row can be calculated, and the analysis conducted on this new stack of means, or
• All values in all columns can be treated as one sample of data (paying no attention to which row or column any values are in).

How the one sample t test calculator works

Prism calculates the t ratio by dividing the difference between the actual and hypothetical means by the standard error of the actual mean. The equation is written as follows, where x is the calculated mean, μ is the hypothetical mean (specified value), S is the standard deviation of the sample, and n is the sample size:

A p value is computed based on the calculated t ratio and the numbers of degrees of freedom present (which equals sample size minus 1). The one sample t test calculator assumes it is a two-tailed one sample t test, meaning you are testing for a difference in either direction from the specified value.

How to interpret results of a one sample t test

As discussed, a one sample t test compares the mean of a single column of numbers against a hypothetical mean. This hypothetical mean can be based upon a specific standard or other external prediction. The test produces a P value which requires careful interpretation.

The p value answers this question: If the data were sampled from a Gaussian population with a mean equal to the hypothetical value you entered, what is the chance of randomly selecting N data points and finding a mean as far (or further) from the hypothetical value as observed here?

If the p value is large (usually defined to mean greater than 0.05), the data do not give you any reason to conclude that the population mean differs from the designated value to which it has been compared. This is not the same as saying that the true mean equals the hypothetical value, but rather states that there is no evidence of a difference. Thus, we cannot reject the null hypothesis (H0).

If the p value is small (usually defined to mean less than or equal to 0.05), then it is unlikely that the discrepancy observed between the sample mean and hypothetical mean is due to a coincidence arising from random sampling. There is evidence to reject the idea that the difference is coincidental and conclude instead that the population has a mean that is different from the hypothetical value to which it has been compared. The difference is statistically significant, and the null hypothesis is therefore rejected.

If the null hypothesis is rejected, the question of whether the difference is scientifically important still remains. The confidence interval can be a useful tool in answering this question. Prism reports the 95% confidence interval for the difference between the actual and hypothetical mean. In interpreting these results, one can be 95% sure that this range includes the true difference. It requires scientific judgment to determine if this difference is truly meaningful.

Performing t tests? We can help.

Sign up for more information on how to perform t tests and other common statistical analyses.

When to use different types of t tests

There are three types of t tests which can be used for hypothesis testing:

• Independent two-sample (or unpaired) t test
• Paired sample t test

As described, a one sample t test should be used only when data has been collected on one variable for a single population and there is no comparison being made between groups. It only applies when the mean value for data is intended to be compared to a fixed and defined number.

In most cases involving data analysis, however, there are multiple groups of data either representing different populations being compared, or the same population being compared at different times or conditions. For these situations, it is not appropriate to use a one sample t test. Other types of t tests are appropriate for these specific circumstances:

Independent Two-Sample t test (Unpaired t test)

The independent sample t test, also referred to as the unpaired t test, is used to compare the means of two different samples. The independent two-sample t test comes in two different forms:

• the standard Student's t test, which assumes that the variance of the two groups are equal.
• the Welch's t test , which is less restrictive compared to the original Student's test. This is the test where you do not assume that the variance is the same in the two groups, which results in fractional degrees of freedom.

The two methods give very similar results when the sample sizes are equal and the variances are similar.

Paired Sample t test

The paired sample t test is used to compare the means of two related groups of samples. Put into other words, it is used in a situation where you have two values (i.e., a pair of values) for the same group of samples. Often these two values are measured from the same samples either at two different times, under two different conditions, or after a specific intervention.

You can perform multiple independent two-sample comparison tests simultaneously in Prism. Select from parametric and nonparametric tests and specify if the data are unpaired or paired. Try performing a t test with a 30-day free trial of Prism .

Watch this video to learn how to choose between a paired and unpaired t test.

Example of how to apply the appropriate t test

"Alkaline" labeled bottled drinking water has become fashionable over the past several years. Imagine we have collected a random sample of 30 bottles of "alkaline" drinking water from a number of different stores to represent the population of "alkaline" bottled water for a particular brand available to the general consumer. The labels on each of the bottles claim that the pH of the "alkaline" water is 8.5. A laboratory then proceeds to measure the exact pH of the water in each bottle.

Table 1: pH of water in random sample of "alkaline bottled water"

If you look at the table above, you see that some bottles have a pH measured to be lower than 8.5, while other bottles have a pH measured to be higher. What can the data tell us about the actual pH levels found in this brand of "alkaline" water bottles marketed to the public as having a pH of 8.5? Statistical hypothesis testing provides a sound method to evaluate this question. Which specific test to use, however, depends on the specific question being asked.

Is a t test appropriate to apply to this data?

Let's start by asking: Is a t test an appropriate method to analyze this set of pH data? The following list reviews the requirements and assumptions for using a t test:

• Independent sampling : In an independent sample t test, the data values are independent. The pH of one bottle of water does not depend on the pH of any other water bottle. (An example of dependent values would be if you collected water bottles from a single production lot. A sample from a single lot is representative only of that lot, not of alkaline bottled water in general).
• Continuous variable : The data values are pH levels, which are numerical measurements that are continuous.
• Random sample : We assume the water bottles are a simple random sample from the population of "alkaline" water bottles produced by this brand as they are a mix of many production lots.
• Normal distribution : We assume the population from which we collected our samples has pH levels that are normally distributed. To verify this, we should visualize the data graphically. The figure below shows a histogram for the pH measurements of the water bottles. From a quick look at the histogram, we see that there are no unusual points, or outliers. The data look roughly bell-shaped, so our assumption of a normal distribution seems reasonable. The QQ plot can also be used to graphically assess normality and is the preferred choice when the sample size is small.

Based upon these features and assumptions being met, we can conclude that a t test is an appropriate method to be applied to this set of data.

Which t test is appropriate to use?

The next decision is which t test to apply, and this depends on the exact question we would like our analysis to answer. This example illustrates how each type of t test could be chosen for a specific analysis, and why the one sample t test is the correct choice to determine if the measured pH of the bottled water samples match the advertised pH of 8.5.

We could be interested in determining whether a certain characteristic of a water bottle is associated with having a higher or lower pH, such as whether bottles are glass or plastic. For this questions, we would effectively be dividing the bottles into 2 separate groups and comparing the means of the pH between the 2 groups. For this analysis, we would elect to use a two sample t test because we are comparing the means of two independent groups.

We could also be interested in learning if pH is affected by a water bottle being opened and exposed to the air for a week. In this case, each original sample would be tested for pH level after a week had elapsed and the water had been exposed to the air, creating a second set of sample data. To evaluate whether this exposure affected pH, we would again be comparing two different groups of data, but this time the data are in paired samples each having an original pH measurement and a second measurement from after the week of exposure to the open air. For this analysis, it is appropriate to use a paired t test so that data for each bottle is assembled in rows, and the change in pH is considered bottle by bottle.

Returning to the original question we set out to answer-whether bottled water that is advertised to have a pH of 8.5 actually meets this claim-it is now clear that neither an independent two sample t test or a paired t test would be appropriate. In this case, all 30 pH measurements are sampled from one group representing bottled drinking water labeled "alkaline" available to the general consumer. We wish to compare this measured mean with an expected advertised value of 8.5. This is the exact situation for which one should employ a one sample t test!

From a quick look at the descriptive statistics, we see that the mean of the sample measurements is 8.513, slightly above 8.5. Does this average from our sample of 30 bottles validate the advertised claim of pH 8.5? By applying Prism's one sample t test analysis to this data set, we will get results by which we can evaluate whether the null hypothesis (that there is no difference between the mean pH level in the water bottles and the pH level advertised on the bottles) should be accepted or rejected.

How to Perform a One Sample T Test in Prism

In prior versions of Prism, the one sample t test and the Wilcoxon rank sum tests were computed as part of Prism's Column Statistics analysis. Now, starting with Prism 8, performing one sample t tests is even easier with a separate analysis in Prism.

Steps to perform a one sample t test in Prism

• Create a Column data table.
• Enter each data set in a single Y column so all values from each group are stacked into a column. Prism will perform a one sample t test (or Wilcoxon rank sum test) on each column you enter.
• Click Analyze, look in the list of Column analyses, and choose one sample t test and Wilcoxon test.

It's that simple! Prism streamlines your t test analysis so you can make more accurate and more informed data interpretations. Start your 30-day free trial of Prism and try performing your first one sample t test in Prism.

Watch this video for a step-by-step tutorial on how to perform a t test in Prism.

We Recommend:

Analyze, graph and present your scientific work easily with GraphPad Prism. No coding required.

“extremely user friendly”

“truly amazing!”

“so easy to use!”

Statistics Calculator

You want to analyze your data effortlessly? DATAtab makes it easy and online.

Online Statistics Calculator

What do you want to calculate online? The online statistics calculator is simple and uncomplicated! Here you can find a list of all implemented methods!

Create charts online with DATAtab

Create your charts for your data directly online and uncomplicated. To do this, insert your data into the table under Charts and select which chart you want.

The advantages of DATAtab

Statistics, as simple as never before..

DATAtab is a modern statistics software, with unique user-friendliness. Statistical analyses are done with just a few clicks, so DATAtab is perfect for statistics beginners and for professionals who want more flow in the user experience.

Directly in the browser, fully flexible.

Directly in the browser, fully flexible. DATAtab works directly in your web browser. You have no installation and maintenance effort whatsoever. Wherever and whenever you want to use DATAtab, just go to the website and get started.

All the statistical methods you need.

DATAtab offers you a wide range of statistical methods. We have selected the most central and best known statistical methods for you and do not overwhelm you with special cases.

Data security is a top priority.

All data that you insert and evaluate on DATAtab always remain on your end device. The data is not sent to any server or stored by us (not even temporarily). Furthermore, we do not pass on your data to third parties in order to analyze your user behavior.

Many tutorials with simple examples.

In order to facilitate the introduction, DATAtab offers a large number of free tutorials with focused explanations in simple language. We explain the statistical background of the methods and give step-by-step explanations for performing the analyses in the statistics calculator.

Practical Auto-Assistant.

DATAtab takes you by the hand in the world of statistics. When making statistical decisions, such as the choice of scale or measurement level or the selection of suitable methods, Auto-Assistants ensure that you get correct results quickly.

Charts, simple and clear.

With DATAtab data visualization is fun! Here you can easily create meaningful charts that optimally illustrate your results.

New in the world of statistics?

DATAtab was primarily designed for people for whom statistics is new territory. Beginners are not overwhelmed with a lot of complicated options and checkboxes, but are encouraged to perform their analyses step by step.

Online survey very simple.

DATAtab offers you the possibility to easily create an online survey, which you can then evaluate immediately with DATAtab.

Our references

Alternative to statistical software like SPSS and STATA

DATAtab was designed for ease of use and is a compelling alternative to statistical programs such as SPSS and STATA. On datatab.net, data can be statistically evaluated directly online and very easily (e.g. t-test, regression, correlation etc.). DATAtab's goal is to make the world of statistical data analysis as simple as possible, no installation and easy to use. Of course, we would also be pleased if you take a look at our second project Statisty .

Extensive tutorials

Descriptive statistics.

Here you can find out everything about location parameters and dispersion parameters and how you can describe and clearly present your data using characteristic values.

Hypothesis Test

Here you will find everything about hypothesis testing: One sample t-test , Unpaired t-test , Paired t-test and Chi-square test . You will also find tutorials for non-parametric statistical procedures such as the Mann-Whitney u-Test and Wilcoxon-Test . mann-whitney-u-test and the Wilcoxon test

The regression provides information about the influence of one or more independent variables on the dependent variable. Here are simple explanations of linear regression and logistic regression .

Correlation

Correlation analyses allow you to analyze the linear association between variables. Learn when to use Pearson correlation or Spearman rank correlation . With partial correlation , you can calculate the correlation between two variables to the exclusion of a third variable.

Partial Correlation

The partial correlation shows you the correlation between two variables to the exclusion of a third variable.

Levene Test

The Levene Test checks your data for variance equality. Thus, the levene test is used as a prerequisite test for many hypothesis tests .

The p-value is needed for every hypothesis test to be able to make a statement whether the null hypothesis is accepted or rejected.

Distributions

DATAtab provides you with tables with distributions and helpful explanations of the distribution functions. These include the Table of t-distribution and the Table of chi-squared distribution

Contingency table

With a contingency table you can get an overview of two categorical variables in the statistics.

Equivalence and non-inferiority

In an equivalence trial, the statistical test aims at showing that two treatments are not too different in characteristics and a non-inferiority trial wants to show that an experimental treatment is not worse than an established treatment.

If there is a clear cause-effect relationship between two variables, then we can speak of causality. Learn more about causality in our tutorial.

Multicollinearity

Multicollinearity is when two or more independent variables have a high correlation.

Effect size for independent t-test

Learn how to calculate the effect size for the t-test for independent samples.

Reliability analysis calculator

On DATAtab, Cohen's Kappa can be easily calculated online in the Cohen’s Kappa Calculator . there is also the Fleiss Kappa Calculator . Of course, the Cronbach's alpha can also be calculated in the Cronbach's Alpha Calculator .

Analysis of variance with repeated measurement

Repeated measures ANOVA tests whether there are statistically significant differences in three or more dependent samples.

Cite DATAtab: DATAtab Team (2024). DATAtab: Online Statistics Calculator. DATAtab e.U. Graz, Austria. URL https://datatab.net

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base

Hypothesis Testing | A Step-by-Step Guide with Easy Examples

Published on November 8, 2019 by Rebecca Bevans . Revised on June 22, 2023.

Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas about the world using statistics . It is most often used by scientists to test specific predictions, called hypotheses, that arise from theories.

There are 5 main steps in hypothesis testing:

• State your research hypothesis as a null hypothesis and alternate hypothesis (H o ) and (H a  or H 1 ).
• Collect data in a way designed to test the hypothesis.
• Perform an appropriate statistical test .
• Decide whether to reject or fail to reject your null hypothesis.
• Present the findings in your results and discussion section.

Though the specific details might vary, the procedure you will use when testing a hypothesis will always follow some version of these steps.

Table of contents

Step 1: state your null and alternate hypothesis, step 2: collect data, step 3: perform a statistical test, step 4: decide whether to reject or fail to reject your null hypothesis, step 5: present your findings, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about hypothesis testing.

After developing your initial research hypothesis (the prediction that you want to investigate), it is important to restate it as a null (H o ) and alternate (H a ) hypothesis so that you can test it mathematically.

The alternate hypothesis is usually your initial hypothesis that predicts a relationship between variables. The null hypothesis is a prediction of no relationship between the variables you are interested in.

• H 0 : Men are, on average, not taller than women. H a : Men are, on average, taller than women.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

For a statistical test to be valid , it is important to perform sampling and collect data in a way that is designed to test your hypothesis. If your data are not representative, then you cannot make statistical inferences about the population you are interested in.

There are a variety of statistical tests available, but they are all based on the comparison of within-group variance (how spread out the data is within a category) versus between-group variance (how different the categories are from one another).

If the between-group variance is large enough that there is little or no overlap between groups, then your statistical test will reflect that by showing a low p -value . This means it is unlikely that the differences between these groups came about by chance.

Alternatively, if there is high within-group variance and low between-group variance, then your statistical test will reflect that with a high p -value. This means it is likely that any difference you measure between groups is due to chance.

Your choice of statistical test will be based on the type of variables and the level of measurement of your collected data .

• an estimate of the difference in average height between the two groups.
• a p -value showing how likely you are to see this difference if the null hypothesis of no difference is true.

Based on the outcome of your statistical test, you will have to decide whether to reject or fail to reject your null hypothesis.

In most cases you will use the p -value generated by your statistical test to guide your decision. And in most cases, your predetermined level of significance for rejecting the null hypothesis will be 0.05 – that is, when there is a less than 5% chance that you would see these results if the null hypothesis were true.

In some cases, researchers choose a more conservative level of significance, such as 0.01 (1%). This minimizes the risk of incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis ( Type I error ).

The results of hypothesis testing will be presented in the results and discussion sections of your research paper , dissertation or thesis .

In the results section you should give a brief summary of the data and a summary of the results of your statistical test (for example, the estimated difference between group means and associated p -value). In the discussion , you can discuss whether your initial hypothesis was supported by your results or not.

In the formal language of hypothesis testing, we talk about rejecting or failing to reject the null hypothesis. You will probably be asked to do this in your statistics assignments.

However, when presenting research results in academic papers we rarely talk this way. Instead, we go back to our alternate hypothesis (in this case, the hypothesis that men are on average taller than women) and state whether the result of our test did or did not support the alternate hypothesis.

If your null hypothesis was rejected, this result is interpreted as “supported the alternate hypothesis.”

These are superficial differences; you can see that they mean the same thing.

You might notice that we don’t say that we reject or fail to reject the alternate hypothesis . This is because hypothesis testing is not designed to prove or disprove anything. It is only designed to test whether a pattern we measure could have arisen spuriously, or by chance.

If we reject the null hypothesis based on our research (i.e., we find that it is unlikely that the pattern arose by chance), then we can say our test lends support to our hypothesis . But if the pattern does not pass our decision rule, meaning that it could have arisen by chance, then we say the test is inconsistent with our hypothesis .

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Descriptive statistics
• Measures of central tendency
• Correlation coefficient

Methodology

• Cluster sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Types of interviews
• Cohort study
• Thematic analysis

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Survivorship bias
• Availability heuristic
• Nonresponse bias
• Regression to the mean

Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas about the world using statistics. It is used by scientists to test specific predictions, called hypotheses , by calculating how likely it is that a pattern or relationship between variables could have arisen by chance.

A hypothesis states your predictions about what your research will find. It is a tentative answer to your research question that has not yet been tested. For some research projects, you might have to write several hypotheses that address different aspects of your research question.

A hypothesis is not just a guess — it should be based on existing theories and knowledge. It also has to be testable, which means you can support or refute it through scientific research methods (such as experiments, observations and statistical analysis of data).

Null and alternative hypotheses are used in statistical hypothesis testing . The null hypothesis of a test always predicts no effect or no relationship between variables, while the alternative hypothesis states your research prediction of an effect or relationship.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Bevans, R. (2023, June 22). Hypothesis Testing | A Step-by-Step Guide with Easy Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/hypothesis-testing/

Is this article helpful?

Rebecca Bevans

Other students also liked, choosing the right statistical test | types & examples, understanding p values | definition and examples, what is your plagiarism score.

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

Unit 12: Significance tests (hypothesis testing)

About this unit.

Significance tests give us a formal process for using sample data to evaluate the likelihood of some claim about a population value. Learn how to conduct significance tests and calculate p-values to see how likely a sample result is to occur by random chance. You'll also see how we use p-values to make conclusions about hypotheses.

The idea of significance tests

• Simple hypothesis testing (Opens a modal)
• Idea behind hypothesis testing (Opens a modal)
• Examples of null and alternative hypotheses (Opens a modal)
• P-values and significance tests (Opens a modal)
• Comparing P-values to different significance levels (Opens a modal)
• Estimating a P-value from a simulation (Opens a modal)
• Using P-values to make conclusions (Opens a modal)
• Simple hypothesis testing Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Writing null and alternative hypotheses Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Estimating P-values from simulations Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Error probabilities and power

• Introduction to Type I and Type II errors (Opens a modal)
• Type 1 errors (Opens a modal)
• Examples identifying Type I and Type II errors (Opens a modal)
• Introduction to power in significance tests (Opens a modal)
• Examples thinking about power in significance tests (Opens a modal)
• Consequences of errors and significance (Opens a modal)
• Type I vs Type II error Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Error probabilities and power Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Tests about a population proportion

• Constructing hypotheses for a significance test about a proportion (Opens a modal)
• Conditions for a z test about a proportion (Opens a modal)
• Reference: Conditions for inference on a proportion (Opens a modal)
• Calculating a z statistic in a test about a proportion (Opens a modal)
• Calculating a P-value given a z statistic (Opens a modal)
• Making conclusions in a test about a proportion (Opens a modal)
• Writing hypotheses for a test about a proportion Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Conditions for a z test about a proportion Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Calculating the test statistic in a z test for a proportion Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Calculating the P-value in a z test for a proportion Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Making conclusions in a z test for a proportion Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Tests about a population mean

• Writing hypotheses for a significance test about a mean (Opens a modal)
• Conditions for a t test about a mean (Opens a modal)
• Reference: Conditions for inference on a mean (Opens a modal)
• When to use z or t statistics in significance tests (Opens a modal)
• Example calculating t statistic for a test about a mean (Opens a modal)
• Using TI calculator for P-value from t statistic (Opens a modal)
• Using a table to estimate P-value from t statistic (Opens a modal)
• Comparing P-value from t statistic to significance level (Opens a modal)
• Free response example: Significance test for a mean (Opens a modal)
• Writing hypotheses for a test about a mean Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Conditions for a t test about a mean Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Calculating the test statistic in a t test for a mean Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Calculating the P-value in a t test for a mean Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Making conclusions in a t test for a mean Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

More significance testing videos

• Hypothesis testing and p-values (Opens a modal)
• One-tailed and two-tailed tests (Opens a modal)
• Z-statistics vs. T-statistics (Opens a modal)
• Small sample hypothesis test (Opens a modal)
• Large sample proportion hypothesis testing (Opens a modal)

One Sample T Test Calculator

Enter sample data, reporting results in apa style, one sample t-test, what is a one sample t-test, how to use the one sample t test calculator, calculators.

Hypothesis Testing Calculator

Navigating hypothesis testing: unveiling the potential of the hypothesis testing calculator.

Embarking on the journey of statistical exploration, hypothesis testing stands out as an indispensable method for informed decision-making and drawing meaningful conclusions from data. Whether you find yourself in the academic realm, engaged in research endeavors, or navigating the professional landscape, having a trustworthy Hypothesis Testing Calculator in your statistical toolkit can prove to be a game-changer. Let’s delve into the intricacies of hypothesis testing and uncover how this calculator can be your ally in statistical analyses.

Demystifying Hypothesis Testing:

Null Hypothesis (H0): Positioned as the default assumption, the null hypothesis asserts the absence of any significant difference or effect and is commonly represented as H0.

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): In direct contradiction to the null hypothesis, the alternative hypothesis posits the existence of a noteworthy difference or effect, denoted as Ha.

Significance Level (α): Acting as the predetermined threshold, typically set at 0.05 or 5%, the significance level plays a pivotal role in determining statistical significance. Should the calculated p-value fall below α, the null hypothesis is rejected.

p-value: Representing the likelihood of observing the results, or more extreme outcomes, under the assumption of the null hypothesis being true, a smaller p-value suggests the unlikelihood of the results occurring by chance.

Features that Define the Hypothesis Testing Calculator:

Input Parameters: The calculator demands input of sample data, selection of the test type (e.g., t-test, chi-square test), specification of null and alternative hypotheses, and determination of the significance level.

Calculations: Once armed with the requisite data and parameters, the calculator diligently executes statistical tests and computations. The output encompasses crucial details like the test statistic, degrees of freedom, and the all-important p-value.

Interpretation: Armed with the results, the calculator aids in the decision-making process, guiding whether to reject or accept the null hypothesis. An interpretation of the findings is provided, playing a pivotal role in drawing insightful conclusions.

Visual Representation: Some calculators go the extra mile by offering visual aids such as graphs or charts, facilitating a deeper understanding of data distribution and test outcomes.

Unveiling the Significance of the Hypothesis Testing Calculator:

In Scientific Research: Researchers spanning diverse fields leverage hypothesis testing to validate their hypotheses, thereby extracting meaningful insights from data.

In Quality Control: Industries rely on hypothesis testing as a quality assurance mechanism, ensuring the consistency and excellence of products and processes.

In Medical Studies: Within the realm of medical research, hypothesis testing serves as a critical tool for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments or interventions.

In Academics: Both students and educators find value in hypothesis testing as an educational tool, enabling the comprehension of statistical concepts and the conduct of experiments.

In Data-Driven Decision-Making: Businesses, keen on making decisions grounded in data, turn to hypothesis testing to navigate choices such as launching a new product based on comprehensive market research.

Hypothesis Testing Calculator

Understanding Hypothesis Testing: A Guide to the Hypothesis Testing Calculator

Hypothesis testing is a crucial statistical method used to make informed decisions about data and draw conclusions. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or professional, a Hypothesis Testing Calculator can be an invaluable tool in your statistical toolkit. Let’s explore what hypothesis testing is and how this calculator can assist you:

Hypothesis Testing Basics:

• Null Hypothesis (H0): This is the default assumption or claim that there is no significant difference or effect. It’s often denoted as H0.
• Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): This is the statement that contradicts the null hypothesis. It suggests that there is a significant difference or effect. It’s denoted as Ha.
• Significance Level (α): This is the predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.05 or 5%) used to determine statistical significance. If the calculated p-value is less than α, you reject the null hypothesis.
• p-value: This is the probability of observing the results (or more extreme results) if the null hypothesis is true. A small p-value suggests that the results are unlikely under the null hypothesis.

Key Features of the Hypothesis Testing Calculator:

• Input Parameters: The calculator typically requires you to input sample data, choose the type of test (e.g., t-test, chi-square test), specify the null and alternative hypotheses, and set the significance level.
• Calculations: Once you input the data and parameters, the calculator performs the necessary statistical tests and calculations. It generates results such as the test statistic, degrees of freedom, and the p-value.
• Interpretation: Based on the results, the calculator helps you determine whether to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis. It provides an interpretation of the findings, which is crucial for drawing conclusions.
• Visual Representation: Some calculators may offer visual aids like graphs or charts to help you better understand the data distribution and test results.

Significance of the Hypothesis Testing Calculator:

• Scientific Research: Researchers across various fields use hypothesis testing to validate their hypotheses and draw meaningful conclusions from data.
• Quality Control: Industries use hypothesis testing to ensure the quality and consistency of products and processes.
• Medical Studies: In medical research, hypothesis testing helps assess the effectiveness of treatments or interventions.
• Academics: Students and educators use hypothesis testing to teach and learn statistical concepts and conduct experiments.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Businesses use hypothesis testing to make data-driven decisions, such as whether to launch a new product based on market research.

Conclusion:

The Hypothesis Testing Calculator is a powerful tool that simplifies complex statistical analysis and enables data-driven decision-making. Whether you’re conducting experiments, analyzing survey data, or performing quality control, understanding hypothesis testing and using this calculator can help you make informed choices and contribute to evidence-based research and decision-making.

Statistics Made Easy

Two Sample t-test Calculator

t = -1.608761

p-value (one-tailed) = 0.060963

p-value (two-tailed) = 0.121926

Published by Zach

One reply to “two sample t-test calculator”.

good work zach

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Calculators
• Descriptive Statistics
• Merchandise
• Which Statistics Test?

T-Test Calculator for 2 Independent Means

This simple t -test calculator, provides full details of the t-test calculation, including sample mean, sum of squares and standard deviation.

Further Information

A t -test is used when you're looking at a numerical variable - for example, height - and then comparing the averages of two separate populations or groups (e.g., males and females).

Requirements

• Two independent samples
• Data should be normally distributed
• The two samples should have the same variance

Null Hypothesis

H0: u1 - u2 = 0, where u1 is the mean of first population and u2 the mean of the second.

As above, the null hypothesis tends to be that there is no difference between the means of the two populations; or, more formally, that the difference is zero (so, for example, that there is no difference between the average heights of two populations of males and females).

Critical Value Calculator

How to use critical value calculator, what is a critical value, critical value definition, how to calculate critical values, z critical values, t critical values, chi-square critical values (χ²), f critical values, behind the scenes of the critical value calculator.

Welcome to the critical value calculator! Here you can quickly determine the critical value(s) for two-tailed tests, as well as for one-tailed tests. It works for most common distributions in statistical testing: the standard normal distribution N(0,1) (that is when you have a Z-score), t-Student, chi-square, and F-distribution .

What is a critical value? And what is the critical value formula? Scroll down – we provide you with the critical value definition and explain how to calculate critical values in order to use them to construct rejection regions (also known as critical regions).

The critical value calculator is your go-to tool for swiftly determining critical values in statistical tests, be it one-tailed or two-tailed. To effectively use the calculator, follow these steps:

In the first field, input the distribution of your test statistic under the null hypothesis: is it a standard normal N (0,1), t-Student, chi-squared, or Snedecor's F? If you are not sure, check the sections below devoted to those distributions, and try to localize the test you need to perform.

In the field What type of test? choose the alternative hypothesis : two-tailed, right-tailed, or left-tailed.

If needed, specify the degrees of freedom of the test statistic's distribution. If you need more clarification, check the description of the test you are performing. You can learn more about the meaning of this quantity in statistics from the degrees of freedom calculator .

Set the significance level, α \alpha α . By default, we pre-set it to the most common value, 0.05, but you can adjust it to your needs.

The critical value calculator will display your critical value(s) and the rejection region(s).

Click the advanced mode if you need to increase the precision with which the critical values are computed.

For example, let's envision a scenario where you are conducting a one-tailed hypothesis test using a t-Student distribution with 15 degrees of freedom. You have opted for a right-tailed test and set a significance level (α) of 0.05. The results indicate that the critical value is 1.7531, and the critical region is (1.7531, ∞). This implies that if your test statistic exceeds 1.7531, you will reject the null hypothesis at the 0.05 significance level.

👩‍🏫 Want to learn more about critical values? Keep reading!

In hypothesis testing, critical values are one of the two approaches which allow you to decide whether to retain or reject the null hypothesis. The other approach is to calculate the p-value (for example, using the p-value calculator ).

The critical value approach consists of checking if the value of the test statistic generated by your sample belongs to the so-called rejection region , or critical region , which is the region where the test statistic is highly improbable to lie . A critical value is a cut-off value (or two cut-off values in the case of a two-tailed test) that constitutes the boundary of the rejection region(s). In other words, critical values divide the scale of your test statistic into the rejection region and the non-rejection region.

Once you have found the rejection region, check if the value of the test statistic generated by your sample belongs to it :

• If so, it means that you can reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis; and
• If not, then there is not enough evidence to reject H 0 .

But how to calculate critical values? First of all, you need to set a significance level , α \alpha α , which quantifies the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually correct. The choice of α is arbitrary; in practice, we most often use a value of 0.05 or 0.01. Critical values also depend on the alternative hypothesis you choose for your test , elucidated in the next section .

To determine critical values, you need to know the distribution of your test statistic under the assumption that the null hypothesis holds. Critical values are then points with the property that the probability of your test statistic assuming values at least as extreme at those critical values is equal to the significance level α . Wow, quite a definition, isn't it? Don't worry, we'll explain what it all means.

First, let us point out it is the alternative hypothesis that determines what "extreme" means. In particular, if the test is one-sided, then there will be just one critical value; if it is two-sided, then there will be two of them: one to the left and the other to the right of the median value of the distribution.

Critical values can be conveniently depicted as the points with the property that the area under the density curve of the test statistic from those points to the tails is equal to α \alpha α :

Left-tailed test: the area under the density curve from the critical value to the left is equal to α \alpha α ;

Right-tailed test: the area under the density curve from the critical value to the right is equal to α \alpha α ; and

Two-tailed test: the area under the density curve from the left critical value to the left is equal to α / 2 \alpha/2 α /2 , and the area under the curve from the right critical value to the right is equal to α / 2 \alpha/2 α /2 as well; thus, total area equals α \alpha α .

As you can see, finding the critical values for a two-tailed test with significance α \alpha α boils down to finding both one-tailed critical values with a significance level of α / 2 \alpha/2 α /2 .

The formulae for the critical values involve the quantile function , Q Q Q , which is the inverse of the cumulative distribution function ( c d f \mathrm{cdf} cdf ) for the test statistic distribution (calculated under the assumption that H 0 holds!): Q = c d f − 1 Q = \mathrm{cdf}^{-1} Q = cdf − 1 .

Once we have agreed upon the value of α \alpha α , the critical value formulae are the following:

• Left-tailed test :
• Right-tailed test :
• Two-tailed test :

In the case of a distribution symmetric about 0 , the critical values for the two-tailed test are symmetric as well:

Unfortunately, the probability distributions that are the most widespread in hypothesis testing have somewhat complicated c d f \mathrm{cdf} cdf formulae. To find critical values by hand, you would need to use specialized software or statistical tables. In these cases, the best option is, of course, our critical value calculator! 😁

Use the Z (standard normal) option if your test statistic follows (at least approximately) the standard normal distribution N(0,1) .

In the formulae below, u u u denotes the quantile function of the standard normal distribution N(0,1):

Left-tailed Z critical value: u ( α ) u(\alpha) u ( α )

Right-tailed Z critical value: u ( 1 − α ) u(1-\alpha) u ( 1 − α )

Two-tailed Z critical value: ± u ( 1 − α / 2 ) \pm u(1- \alpha/2) ± u ( 1 − α /2 )

Check out Z-test calculator to learn more about the most common Z-test used on the population mean. There are also Z-tests for the difference between two population means, in particular, one between two proportions.

Use the t-Student option if your test statistic follows the t-Student distribution . This distribution is similar to N(0,1) , but its tails are fatter – the exact shape depends on the number of degrees of freedom . If this number is large (>30), which generically happens for large samples, then the t-Student distribution is practically indistinguishable from N(0,1). Check our t-statistic calculator to compute the related test statistic.

In the formulae below, Q t , d Q_{\text{t}, d} Q t , d ​ is the quantile function of the t-Student distribution with d d d degrees of freedom:

Left-tailed t critical value: Q t , d ( α ) Q_{\text{t}, d}(\alpha) Q t , d ​ ( α )

Right-tailed t critical value: Q t , d ( 1 − α ) Q_{\text{t}, d}(1 - \alpha) Q t , d ​ ( 1 − α )

Two-tailed t critical values: ± Q t , d ( 1 − α / 2 ) \pm Q_{\text{t}, d}(1 - \alpha/2) ± Q t , d ​ ( 1 − α /2 )

Visit the t-test calculator to learn more about various t-tests: the one for a population mean with an unknown population standard deviation , those for the difference between the means of two populations (with either equal or unequal population standard deviations), as well as about the t-test for paired samples .

Use the χ² (chi-square) option when performing a test in which the test statistic follows the χ²-distribution .

You need to determine the number of degrees of freedom of the χ²-distribution of your test statistic – below, we list them for the most commonly used χ²-tests.

Here we give the formulae for chi square critical values; Q χ 2 , d Q_{\chi^2, d} Q χ 2 , d ​ is the quantile function of the χ²-distribution with d d d degrees of freedom:

Left-tailed χ² critical value: Q χ 2 , d ( α ) Q_{\chi^2, d}(\alpha) Q χ 2 , d ​ ( α )

Right-tailed χ² critical value: Q χ 2 , d ( 1 − α ) Q_{\chi^2, d}(1 - \alpha) Q χ 2 , d ​ ( 1 − α )

Two-tailed χ² critical values: Q χ 2 , d ( α / 2 ) Q_{\chi^2, d}(\alpha/2) Q χ 2 , d ​ ( α /2 ) and Q χ 2 , d ( 1 − α / 2 ) Q_{\chi^2, d}(1 - \alpha/2) Q χ 2 , d ​ ( 1 − α /2 )

Several different tests lead to a χ²-score:

Goodness-of-fit test : does the empirical distribution agree with the expected distribution?

This test is right-tailed . Its test statistic follows the χ²-distribution with k − 1 k - 1 k − 1 degrees of freedom, where k k k is the number of classes into which the sample is divided.

Independence test : is there a statistically significant relationship between two variables?

This test is also right-tailed , and its test statistic is computed from the contingency table. There are ( r − 1 ) ( c − 1 ) (r - 1)(c - 1) ( r − 1 ) ( c − 1 ) degrees of freedom, where r r r is the number of rows, and c c c is the number of columns in the contingency table.

Test for the variance of normally distributed data : does this variance have some pre-determined value?

This test can be one- or two-tailed! Its test statistic has the χ²-distribution with n − 1 n - 1 n − 1 degrees of freedom, where n n n is the sample size.

Finally, choose F (Fisher-Snedecor) if your test statistic follows the F-distribution . This distribution has a pair of degrees of freedom .

Let us see how those degrees of freedom arise. Assume that you have two independent random variables, X X X and Y Y Y , that follow χ²-distributions with d 1 d_1 d 1 ​ and d 2 d_2 d 2 ​ degrees of freedom, respectively. If you now consider the ratio ( X d 1 ) : ( Y d 2 ) (\frac{X}{d_1}):(\frac{Y}{d_2}) ( d 1 ​ X ​ ) : ( d 2 ​ Y ​ ) , it turns out it follows the F-distribution with ( d 1 , d 2 ) (d_1, d_2) ( d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ) degrees of freedom. That's the reason why we call d 1 d_1 d 1 ​ and d 2 d_2 d 2 ​ the numerator and denominator degrees of freedom , respectively.

In the formulae below, Q F , d 1 , d 2 Q_{\text{F}, d_1, d_2} Q F , d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ​ stands for the quantile function of the F-distribution with ( d 1 , d 2 ) (d_1, d_2) ( d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ) degrees of freedom:

Left-tailed F critical value: Q F , d 1 , d 2 ( α ) Q_{\text{F}, d_1, d_2}(\alpha) Q F , d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ​ ( α )

Right-tailed F critical value: Q F , d 1 , d 2 ( 1 − α ) Q_{\text{F}, d_1, d_2}(1 - \alpha) Q F , d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ​ ( 1 − α )

Two-tailed F critical values: Q F , d 1 , d 2 ( α / 2 ) Q_{\text{F}, d_1, d_2}(\alpha/2) Q F , d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ​ ( α /2 ) and Q F , d 1 , d 2 ( 1 − α / 2 ) Q_{\text{F}, d_1, d_2}(1 -\alpha/2) Q F , d 1 ​ , d 2 ​ ​ ( 1 − α /2 )

Here we list the most important tests that produce F-scores: each of them is right-tailed .

ANOVA : tests the equality of means in three or more groups that come from normally distributed populations with equal variances. There are ( k − 1 , n − k ) (k - 1, n - k) ( k − 1 , n − k ) degrees of freedom, where k k k is the number of groups, and n n n is the total sample size (across every group).

Overall significance in regression analysis . The test statistic has ( k − 1 , n − k ) (k - 1, n - k) ( k − 1 , n − k ) degrees of freedom, where n n n is the sample size, and k k k is the number of variables (including the intercept).

Compare two nested regression models . The test statistic follows the F-distribution with ( k 2 − k 1 , n − k 2 ) (k_2 - k_1, n - k_2) ( k 2 ​ − k 1 ​ , n − k 2 ​ ) degrees of freedom, where k 1 k_1 k 1 ​ and k 2 k_2 k 2 ​ are the number of variables in the smaller and bigger models, respectively, and n n n is the sample size.

The equality of variances in two normally distributed populations . There are ( n − 1 , m − 1 ) (n - 1, m - 1) ( n − 1 , m − 1 ) degrees of freedom, where n n n and m m m are the respective sample sizes.

I'm Anna, the mastermind behind the critical value calculator and a PhD in mathematics from Jagiellonian University .

The idea for creating the tool originated from my experiences in teaching and research. Recognizing the need for a tool that simplifies the critical value determination process across various statistical distributions, I built a user-friendly calculator accessible to both students and professionals. After publishing the tool, I soon found myself using the calculator in my research and as a teaching aid.

Trust in this calculator is paramount to me. Each tool undergoes a rigorous review process , with peer-reviewed insights from experts and meticulous proofreading by native speakers. This commitment to accuracy and reliability ensures that users can be confident in the content. Please check the Editorial Policies page for more details on our standards.

What is a Z critical value?

A Z critical value is the value that defines the critical region in hypothesis testing when the test statistic follows the standard normal distribution . If the value of the test statistic falls into the critical region, you should reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.

How do I calculate Z critical value?

To find a Z critical value for a given confidence level α :

Check if you perform a one- or two-tailed test .

For a one-tailed test:

Left -tailed: critical value is the α -th quantile of the standard normal distribution N(0,1).

Right -tailed: critical value is the (1-α) -th quantile.

Two-tailed test: critical value equals ±(1-α/2) -th quantile of N(0,1).

No quantile tables ? Use CDF tables! (The quantile function is the inverse of the CDF.)

Verify your answer with an online critical value calculator.

Is a t critical value the same as Z critical value?

In theory, no . In practice, very often, yes . The t-Student distribution is similar to the standard normal distribution, but it is not the same . However, if the number of degrees of freedom (which is, roughly speaking, the size of your sample) is large enough (>30), then the two distributions are practically indistinguishable , and so the t critical value has practically the same value as the Z critical value.

What is the Z critical value for 95% confidence?

The Z critical value for a 95% confidence interval is:

• 1.96 for a two-tailed test;
• 1.64 for a right-tailed test; and
• -1.64 for a left-tailed test.

Constant of proportionality

Flat vs. round earth, rayleigh distribution, social media time alternatives.

• Biology (100)
• Chemistry (100)
• Construction (144)
• Conversion (294)
• Ecology (30)
• Everyday life (262)
• Finance (570)
• Health (440)
• Physics (510)
• Sports (104)
• Statistics (182)
• Other (181)
• Discover Omni (40)

Power & Sample Size Calculator

Use this advanced sample size calculator to calculate the sample size required for a one-sample statistic, or for differences between two proportions or means (two independent samples). More than two groups supported for binomial data. Calculate power given sample size, alpha, and the minimum detectable effect (MDE, minimum effect of interest).

Experimental design

Data parameters

Related calculators

• Using the power & sample size calculator

Parameters for sample size and power calculations

Calculator output.

• Why is sample size determination important?
• What is statistical power?

Post-hoc power (Observed power)

• Sample size formula
• Types of null and alternative hypotheses in significance tests
• Absolute versus relative difference and why it matters for sample size determination

    Using the power & sample size calculator

This calculator allows the evaluation of different statistical designs when planning an experiment (trial, test) which utilizes a Null-Hypothesis Statistical Test to make inferences. It can be used both as a sample size calculator and as a statistical power calculator . Usually one would determine the sample size required given a particular power requirement, but in cases where there is a predetermined sample size one can instead calculate the power for a given effect size of interest.

1. Number of test groups. The sample size calculator supports experiments in which one is gathering data on a single sample in order to compare it to a general population or known reference value (one-sample), as well as ones where a control group is compared to one or more treatment groups ( two-sample, k-sample ) in order to detect differences between them. For comparing more than one treatment group to a control group the sample size adjustments based on the Dunnett's correction are applied. These are only approximately accurate and subject to the assumption of about equal effect size in all k groups, and can only support equal sample sizes in all groups and the control. Power calculations are not currently supported for more than one treatment group due to their complexity.

2. Type of outcome . The outcome of interest can be the absolute difference of two proportions (binomial data, e.g. conversion rate or event rate), the absolute difference of two means (continuous data, e.g. height, weight, speed, time, revenue, etc.), or the relative difference between two proportions or two means (percent difference, percent change, etc.). See Absolute versus relative difference for additional information. One can also calculate power and sample size for the mean of just a single group. The sample size and power calculator uses the Z-distribution (normal distribution) .

3. Baseline The baseline mean (mean under H 0 ) is the number one would expect to see if all experiment participants were assigned to the control group. It is the mean one expects to observe if the treatment has no effect whatsoever.

4. Minimum Detectable Effect . The minimum effect of interest, which is often called the minimum detectable effect ( MDE , but more accurately: MRDE, minimum reliably detectable effect) should be a difference one would not like to miss , if it existed. It can be entered as a proportion (e.g. 0.10) or as percentage (e.g. 10%). It is always relative to the mean/proportion under H 0 ± the superiority/non-inferiority or equivalence margin. For example, if the baseline mean is 10 and there is a superiority alternative hypothesis with a superiority margin of 1 and the minimum effect of interest relative to the baseline is 3, then enter an MDE of 2 , since the MDE plus the superiority margin will equal exactly 3. In this case the MDE (MRDE) is calculated relative to the baseline plus the superiority margin, as it is usually more intuitive to be interested in that value.

If entering means data, one needs to specify the mean under the null hypothesis (worst-case scenario for a composite null) and the standard deviation of the data (for a known population or estimated from a sample).

5. Type of alternative hypothesis . The calculator supports superiority , non-inferiority and equivalence alternative hypotheses. When the superiority or non-inferiority margin is zero, it becomes a classical left or right sided hypothesis, if it is larger than zero then it becomes a true superiority / non-inferiority design. The equivalence margin cannot be zero. See Types of null and alternative hypothesis below for an in-depth explanation.

6. Acceptable error rates . The type I error rate, α , should always be provided. Power, calculated as 1 - β , where β is the type II error rate, is only required when determining sample size. For an in-depth explanation of power see What is statistical power below. The type I error rate is equivalent to the significance threshold if one is doing p-value calculations and to the confidence level if using confidence intervals.

The sample size calculator will output the sample size of the single group or of all groups, as well as the total sample size required. If used to solve for power it will output the power as a proportion and as a percentage.

    Why is sample size determination important?

While this online software provides the means to determine the sample size of a test, it is of great importance to understand the context of the question, the "why" of it all.

Estimating the required sample size before running an experiment that will be judged by a statistical test (a test of significance, confidence interval, etc.) allows one to:

• determine the sample size needed to detect an effect of a given size with a given probability
• be aware of the magnitude of the effect that can be detected with a certain sample size and power
• calculate the power for a given sample size and effect size of interest

This is crucial information with regards to making the test cost-efficient. Having a proper sample size can even mean the difference between conducting the experiment or postponing it for when one can afford a sample of size that is large enough to ensure a high probability to detect an effect of practical significance.

For example, if a medical trial has low power, say less than 80% (β = 0.2) for a given minimum effect of interest, then it might be unethical to conduct it due to its low probability of rejecting the null hypothesis and establishing the effectiveness of the treatment. Similarly, for experiments in physics, psychology, economics, marketing, conversion rate optimization, etc. Balancing the risks and rewards and assuring the cost-effectiveness of an experiment is a task that requires juggling with the interests of many stakeholders which is well beyond the scope of this text.

    What is statistical power?

Statistical power is the probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis with a given level of statistical significance , against a particular alternative hypothesis. Alternatively, it can be said to be the probability to detect with a given level of significance a true effect of a certain magnitude. This is what one gets when using the tool in "power calculator" mode. Power is closely related with the type II error rate: β, and it is always equal to (1 - β). In a probability notation the type two error for a given point alternative can be expressed as [1] :

β(T α ; μ 1 ) = P(d(X) ≤ c α ; μ = μ 1 )

It should be understood that the type II error rate is calculated at a given point, signified by the presence of a parameter for the function of beta. Similarly, such a parameter is present in the expression for power since POW = 1 - β [1] :

POW(T α ; μ 1 ) = P(d(X) > c α ; μ = μ 1 )

In the equations above c α represents the critical value for rejecting the null (significance threshold), d(X) is a statistical function of the parameter of interest - usually a transformation to a standardized score, and μ 1 is a specific value from the space of the alternative hypothesis.

One can also calculate and plot the whole power function, getting an estimate of the power for many different alternative hypotheses. Due to the S-shape of the function, power quickly rises to nearly 100% for larger effect sizes, while it decreases more gradually to zero for smaller effect sizes. Such a power function plot is not yet supported by our statistical software, but one can calculate the power at a few key points (e.g. 10%, 20% ... 90%, 100%) and connect them for a rough approximation.

Statistical power is directly and inversely related to the significance threshold. At the zero effect point for a simple superiority alternative hypothesis power is exactly 1 - α as can be easily demonstrated with our power calculator. At the same time power is positively related to the number of observations, so increasing the sample size will increase the power for a given effect size, assuming all other parameters remain the same.

Power calculations can be useful even after a test has been completed since failing to reject the null can be used as an argument for the null and against particular alternative hypotheses to the extent to which the test had power to reject them. This is more explicitly defined in the severe testing concept proposed by Mayo & Spanos (2006).

Computing observed power is only useful if there was no rejection of the null hypothesis and one is interested in estimating how probative the test was towards the null . It is absolutely useless to compute post-hoc power for a test which resulted in a statistically significant effect being found [5] . If the effect is significant, then the test had enough power to detect it. In fact, there is a 1 to 1 inverse relationship between observed power and statistical significance, so one gains nothing from calculating post-hoc power, e.g. a test planned for α = 0.05 that passed with a p-value of just 0.0499 will have exactly 50% observed power (observed β = 0.5).

I strongly encourage using this power and sample size calculator to compute observed power in the former case, and strongly discourage it in the latter.

    Sample size formula

The formula for calculating the sample size of a test group in a one-sided test of absolute difference is:

where Z 1-α is the Z-score corresponding to the selected statistical significance threshold α , Z 1-β is the Z-score corresponding to the selected statistical power 1-β , σ is the known or estimated standard deviation, and δ is the minimum effect size of interest. The standard deviation is estimated analytically in calculations for proportions, and empirically from the raw data for other types of means.

The formula applies to single sample tests as well as to tests of absolute difference between two samples. A proprietary modification is employed when calculating the required sample size in a test of relative difference . This modification has been extensively tested under a variety of scenarios through simulations.

    Types of null and alternative hypotheses in significance tests

When doing sample size calculations, it is important that the null hypothesis (H 0 , the hypothesis being tested) and the alternative hypothesis is (H 1 ) are well thought out. The test can reject the null or it can fail to reject it. Strictly logically speaking it cannot lead to acceptance of the null or to acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. A null hypothesis can be a point one - hypothesizing that the true value is an exact point from the possible values, or a composite one: covering many possible values, usually from -∞ to some value or from some value to +∞. The alternative hypothesis can also be a point one or a composite one.

In a Neyman-Pearson framework of NHST (Null-Hypothesis Statistical Test) the alternative should exhaust all values that do not belong to the null, so it is usually composite. Below is an illustration of some possible combinations of null and alternative statistical hypotheses: superiority, non-inferiority, strong superiority (margin > 0), equivalence.

All of these are supported in our power and sample size calculator.

Careful consideration has to be made when deciding on a non-inferiority margin, superiority margin or an equivalence margin . Equivalence trials are sometimes used in clinical trials where a drug can be performing equally (within some bounds) to an existing drug but can still be preferred due to less or less severe side effects, cheaper manufacturing, or other benefits, however, non-inferiority designs are more common. Similar cases exist in disciplines such as conversion rate optimization [2] and other business applications where benefits not measured by the primary outcome of interest can influence the adoption of a given solution. For equivalence tests it is assumed that they will be evaluated using a two one-sided t-tests (TOST) or z-tests, or confidence intervals.

Note that our calculator does not support the schoolbook case of a point null and a point alternative, nor a point null and an alternative that covers all the remaining values. This is since such cases are non-existent in experimental practice [3][4] . The only two-sided calculation is for the equivalence alternative hypothesis, all other calculations are one-sided (one-tailed) .

    Absolute versus relative difference and why it matters for sample size determination

When using a sample size calculator it is important to know what kind of inference one is looking to make: about the absolute or about the relative difference, often called percent effect, percentage effect, relative change, percent lift, etc. Where the fist is μ 1 - μ the second is μ 1 -μ / μ or μ 1 -μ / μ x 100 (%). The division by μ is what adds more variance to such an estimate, since μ is just another variable with random error, therefore a test for relative difference will require larger sample size than a test for absolute difference. Consequently, if sample size is fixed, there will be less power for the relative change equivalent to any given absolute change.

For the above reason it is important to know and state beforehand if one is going to be interested in percentage change or if absolute change is of primary interest. Then it is just a matter of fliping a radio button.

    References

1 Mayo D.G., Spanos A. (2010) – "Error Statistics", in P. S. Bandyopadhyay & M. R. Forster (Eds.), Philosophy of Statistics, (7, 152–198). Handbook of the Philosophy of Science . The Netherlands: Elsevier.

2 Georgiev G.Z. (2017) "The Case for Non-Inferiority A/B Tests", [online] https://blog.analytics-toolkit.com/2017/case-non-inferiority-designs-ab-testing/ (accessed May 7, 2018)

3 Georgiev G.Z. (2017) "One-tailed vs Two-tailed Tests of Significance in A/B Testing", [online] https://blog.analytics-toolkit.com/2017/one-tailed-two-tailed-tests-significance-ab-testing/ (accessed May 7, 2018)

4 Hyun-Chul Cho Shuzo Abe (2013) "Is two-tailed testing for directional research hypotheses tests legitimate?", Journal of Business Research 66:1261-1266

5 Lakens D. (2014) "Observed power, and what to do if your editor asks for post-hoc power analyses" [online] http://daniellakens.blogspot.bg/2014/12/observed-power-and-what-to-do-if-your.html (accessed May 7, 2018)

Cite this calculator & page

If you'd like to cite this online calculator resource and information as provided on the page, you can use the following citation: Georgiev G.Z., "Sample Size Calculator" , [online] Available at: https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculators/power-sample-size-calculator.php URL [Accessed Date: 17 Apr, 2024].

Our statistical calculators have been featured in scientific papers and articles published in high-profile science journals by:

The author of this tool

     Statistical calculators

• school Campus Bookshelves
• menu_book Bookshelves
• perm_media Learning Objects
• login Login
• how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
• hub Instructor Commons
• Download Page (PDF)
• Download Full Book (PDF)
• Periodic Table
• Physics Constants

Scientific Calculator

• Reference & Cite
• Tools expand_more
• Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

29: Hypothesis Test for a Population Proportion Calculator

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 8351

• Larry Green
• Lake Tahoe Community College

hypothesis test for a population Proportion calculator

Fill in the sample size, n, the number of successes, x, the hypothesized population proportion \(p_0\), and indicate if the test is left tailed, <, right tailed, >, or two tailed, \(\neq\).  Then hit "Calculate" and the test statistic and p-Value will be calculated for you.

The PS4-Likelihood Ratio Calculator: Flexible allocation of evidence weighting for case-control data in variant classification

• Find this author on Google Scholar
• Find this author on PubMed
• Search for this author on this site
• For correspondence: [email protected]
• Info/History
• Supplementary material
• Preview PDF

Background Within the 2015 American College of Medical Genetics/Association of Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) variant classification framework, case-control observations can only be scored dichotomously as ‘strong’ evidence (PS4) towards pathogenicity or ‘nil’.

Methods We developed the PS4-likelihood ratio calculator (PS4-LRCalc) for quantitative evidence assignment based on the observed variant frequencies in cases and controls. Binomial likelihoods are computed for two models, each defined by pre-specified odds ratio (OR) thresholds. Model one represents the hypothesis of association between variant and phenotype (e.g. OR≥5) and model two represents the hypothesis of non-association (e.g. OR≤1).

Results PS4-LRCalc enables continuous quantitation of evidence for variant classification expressed as a likelihood ratio (LR), which can be log-converted into log LR (evidence points). Using PS4-LRCalc, observed data can be used to quantify evidence towards either pathogenicity or benignity. Variants can also be evaluated against models of different penetrance. The approach is applicable to balanced datasets generated for more common phenotypes and smaller datasets more typical in very rare disease variant evaluation.

Conclusion PS4-LRCalc enables flexible evidence quantitation on a continuous scale for observed case-control data. The converted LR is amenable to incorporation into the now widely used 2018 updated Bayesian ACMG/AMP framework.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

C.F.R. and S.A. are supported by CG-MAVE, CRUK Programme Award (EDDPGM-Nov22/100004). A.G., and H.H. are supported by CRUK Catalyst Award CanGene-CanVar (C61296/A27223). NW is supported by a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (220134/Z/20/Z).

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Data Availability

All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript

View the discussion thread.

Supplementary Material

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about medRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Citation Manager Formats

• EndNote (tagged)
• EndNote 8 (xml)
• RefWorks Tagged
• Ref Manager
• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like
• Google Plus One

Subject Area

• Genetic and Genomic Medicine
• Addiction Medicine (316)
• Allergy and Immunology (621)
• Anesthesia (162)
• Cardiovascular Medicine (2295)
• Dentistry and Oral Medicine (280)
• Dermatology (202)
• Emergency Medicine (371)
• Endocrinology (including Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Disease) (817)
• Epidemiology (11618)
• Forensic Medicine (10)
• Gastroenterology (683)
• Genetic and Genomic Medicine (3619)
• Geriatric Medicine (338)
• Health Economics (622)
• Health Informatics (2327)
• Health Policy (918)
• Health Systems and Quality Improvement (871)
• Hematology (336)
• HIV/AIDS (758)
• Infectious Diseases (except HIV/AIDS) (13198)
• Intensive Care and Critical Care Medicine (760)
• Medical Education (360)
• Medical Ethics (101)
• Nephrology (393)
• Neurology (3389)
• Nursing (193)
• Nutrition (512)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (653)
• Occupational and Environmental Health (653)
• Oncology (1776)
• Ophthalmology (526)
• Orthopedics (210)
• Otolaryngology (284)
• Pain Medicine (226)
• Palliative Medicine (66)
• Pathology (441)
• Pediatrics (1012)
• Pharmacology and Therapeutics (423)
• Primary Care Research (409)
• Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology (3100)
• Public and Global Health (6017)
• Radiology and Imaging (1236)
• Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Therapy (718)
• Respiratory Medicine (813)
• Rheumatology (370)
• Sexual and Reproductive Health (359)
• Sports Medicine (319)
• Surgery (390)
• Toxicology (50)
• Transplantation (171)
• Urology (142)