
If the groups come from a single population (e.g. measuring before and after an experimental treatment), perform a paired t-test. If the groups come from two different populations (e.g. two different species, or people from two separate cities), perform a two-sample t-test (a.k.a. independent t-test).
Full Answer
What is the difference between one sample t test and two?
Reply. One sample t test is used to test whether or not a a sample mean is significantly different from a hypothetical or known population mean. Think of an allegation like, “in this town, the average age at death is 50”. On the other hand, a two sample t test is used to compare two means from two different populations.
When to use a 2-sample t-test?
Use the 2-sample t-test when you want to analyze the difference between the means of two independent samples. This test is also known as the independent samples t-test.
How do you calculate the effect of a 2 sample t test?
For a 2-sample t-test, the signal, or effect, is the difference between the two sample means. This calculation is straightforward. If the first sample mean is 20 and the second mean is 15, the effect is 5.
Why would you use a paired t-test?
Using the paired t-test simply saves you the step of having to calculate the differences before performing the t-test. You just need to be sure that the paired differences make sense! When it is appropriate to use a paired t-test, it can be more powerful than a 2-sample t-test.

When should you use a two-sample t-test?
The two-sample t-test (Snedecor and Cochran, 1989) is used to determine if two population means are equal. A common application is to test if a new process or treatment is superior to a current process or treatment. There are several variations on this test. The data may either be paired or not paired.
Which test is used to test the significance of the difference of two-sample means for large sample size?
Key Takeaways. A t-test is a type of inferential statistic used to determine if there is a significant difference between the means of two groups, which may be related in certain features. The t-test is one of many tests used for the purpose of hypothesis testing in statistics.
Which test is used to test the significance of the difference between two-sample means when the sizes are less than 30 and they are dependent?
A z-test is a statistical test to determine whether two population means are different when the variances are known and the sample size is large. A z-test is a hypothesis test in which the z-statistic follows a normal distribution.
What t-test would you run to compare the means of the treatment and control group?
Paired t-test will tell you if training is effective or not. You need to compare the data after training with the control group using unpaired t test.
How do you test for significant difference between two means?
In order to test the hypothesis that your results could be significant, run a hypothesis test for differences between means. To compare two independent means, run a two-sample t test . This test assumes that the variances for both samples are equal. If they are not, run Welch's test for unequal variances instead.
How do you compare two means are significantly different?
When the P-value is less than 0.05 (P<0.05), the conclusion is that the two means are significantly different.
How do you know what t-test to use?
If you are studying one group, use a paired t-test to compare the group mean over time or after an intervention, or use a one-sample t-test to compare the group mean to a standard value. If you are studying two groups, use a two-sample t-test. If you want to know only whether a difference exists, use a two-tailed test.
When do you use t-test vs z-test?
As mentioned, a t-test is primarily used for research with limited sample sizes whereas a z-test is deployed for hypothesis testing that requires researchers to look at a population size that's larger than 30.
When do we use a one-sample t-test?
The one-sample t-test is used when we want to know whether our sample comes from a particular population but we do not have full population information available to us. For instance, we may want to know if a particular sample of college students is similar to or different from college students in general.
In which of the following cases would you use a paired sample t-test?
The Paired Samples t Test is commonly used to test the following: Statistical difference between two time points. Statistical difference between two conditions. Statistical difference between two measurements.
What is the best test to use when we are dealing with a before and after data wherein there is only one group?
For before and after comparison for continuous variables (e.g. systolic blood pressure before and after treatment) then a paired t-test may be appropriate. If the data is not normally distributed then an alternative would be the Wilcoxon Sign Rank test.
What kind of statistical test should I use to compare two groups?
The two most widely used statistical techniques for comparing two groups, where the measurements of the groups are normally distributed, are the Independent Group t-test and the Paired t-test.
What is a two sample t-test?
The two-sample t-test is one of the most commonly used hypothesis tests in Six Sigma work. It is applied to compare whether the average difference between two groups is really significant or if it is due instead to random chance. It helps to answer questions like whether the average success rate is higher after implementing a new sales tool than before or whether the test results of patients who received a drug are better than test results of those who received a placebo.
How to find the t-statistics of a two sample t-test?
In the two-sample t-test, the t-statistics are retrieved by subtracting the difference between the two sample means from the null hypothesis, which is is zero.
What is SP in statistics?
Sp is a pooled estimate of the common population standard deviation. Hence, in this method it can be assumed that variances are equal for both populations. If it cannot be assumed, it cannot be used. (Statistical software can handle unequal variances for the two-sample t-test module, but the actual calculations are complex and beyond the scope of this article).
What is the critical value of t?
The critical t-value equals the value whose probability of occurrence is less or equal to 5 percent. From the t- distribution tables, one can find that the critical value of t is +/- 2.093.
What happens when you subtract the mean from two samples?
Actually, if one subtracts the means from two samples, in most cases, there will be a difference. So the real question is not really whether the sample means are the same or different. The correct question is whether the population means are the same (i.e., are the two samples coming from the same or different populations)?
What is the p-value of the Anderson Darling test?
Since both samples have a p-value above 0.05 (or 5 percent) it can be concluded that both samples are normally distributed. The test for normality is here performed via the Anderson Darling test for which the null hypothesis is “ Data are normally distributed” and the alternative hypothesis is “Data are not normally distributed.”
Is 1.19 a null hypothesis?
Here, 1.19 is less than 2.06; thus, it is the null hypothesis that = 0.
What is the two-sample t -test?
The two-sample t -test (also known as the independent samples t -test) is a method used to test whether the unknown population means of two groups are equal or not.
What variables are needed for a two sample t-test?
For the two-sample t -test, we need two variables. One variable defines the two groups. The second variable is the measurement of interest.
When can I use the test?
You can use the test when your data values are independent, are randomly sampled from two normal populations and the two independent groups have equal variances.
What if the variances for my two groups are not equal?
You can still use the two-sample t- test. You use a different estimate of the standard deviation.
What is the p-value of JMP?
It’s difficult to calculate by hand. For the figure above, with the F test statistic of 1.654, the p- value is 0.4561. This is larger than our α value: 0.4561 > 0.10. We fail to reject the hypothesis of equal variances. In practical terms, we can go ahead with the two-sample t -test with the assumption of equal variances for the two groups.
Why is normality important in testing?
Testing for normality. The normality assumption is more important when the two groups have small sample sizes than for larger sample sizes. Normal distributions are symmetric, which means they are “even” on both sides of the center. Normal distributions do not have extreme values, or outliers.
What do we need for each group in a sample?
For each group, we need the average, standard deviation and sample size. These are shown in the table below.
What is the test statistic?
The test statistic is the difference between the sample means, which is then divided by the standard error. Since we are using sample standard deviations to estimate the population standard deviation, the test statistic from the t-distribution.
What condition can we not automatically assume?
The condition that we are unable to automatically assume is if the test scores are normally distributed. Since we have a large enough sample size, by the robustness of our t-procedures we do not necessarily need the variable to be normally distributed.
How many degrees of freedom are there in a 95% confidence interval?
Again using the conservative approximation, we have 19 degrees of freedom. For a 95% confidence interval we see that t * = 2.09. We could use the T.INV function in Exce l to calculate this value.
What is standard error in statistics?
The standard error is an estimate of a standard deviation. For this statistic, we add the sample variance of the samples and then take the square root. This gives the formula:
Is the mean and standard deviation of a population unknown?
Both the population mean and standard deviation are unknown for both of the populations.
Can we use conservative approximation?
We can use the conservative approximation for our degrees of freedom. This may underestimate the number of degrees of freedom, but it is much easier to calculate than using Welch's formula. We use the smaller of the two sample sizes, and then subtract one from this number.
Is the mean test score for fifth graders higher than the mean test score for third graders?
Since we have such a small p-value, we reject the null hypothesis. The conclusion is that the mean test score for fifth graders is higher than the mean test score for third graders.
What is the confidence interval for the difference between the number of raisins per box in two brands of breakfast cereal?
Estimate a 90 percent confidence interval for the difference between the number of raisins per box in two brands of breakfast cereal.
Is intensive tutoring more effective than paced tutoring?
An experiment is conducted to determine whether intensive tutoring (covering a great deal of material in a fixed amount of time) is more effective than paced tutoring (covering less material in the same amount of time). Two randomly chosen groups are tutored separately and then administered proficiency tests.
Is there any evidence that right handedness has any effect on typing speed?
of 1.714. This value is larger than the absolute value of the computed t of –1.598, so the null hypothesis of equal population means cannot be rejected. There is no evidence that right‐ or left ‐ handedness has any effect on typing speed.
Can you pool variances?
If the two population distributions can be assumed to have the same variance—and, therefore, the same standard deviation— s 1 and s 2 can be pooled together, each weighted by the number of cases in each sample. Although using pooled variance in a t‐ test is generally more likely to yield significant results than using separate variances, it is often hard to know whether the variances of the two populations are equal. For this reason, the pooled variance method should be used with caution. The formula for the pooled estimator of σ 2 is
What is a one sample t-test?
A one-sample t-test is used to compare a single population to a standard value (for example, to determine whether the average lifespan of a specific town is different from the country average).
What type of t-test should I use?
When choosing a t-test, you will need to consider two things: whether the groups being compared come from a single population or two different populations, and whether you want to test the difference in a specific direction.
What is a t-test?
Published on January 31, 2020 by Rebecca Bevans. Revised on December 14, 2020. A t-test is a statistical test that is used to compare the means of two groups. It is often used in hypothesis testing to determine whether a process or treatment actually has an effect on the population of interest, ...
What test to use if data does not fit the assumptions?
If your data do not fit these assumptions, you can try a nonparametric alternative to the t-test, such as the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test for data with unequal variances.
What is a t test in statistics?
Most statistical software (R, SPSS, etc.) includes a t-test function. This built-in function will take your raw data and calculate the t -value. It will then compare it to the critical value, and calculate a p -value. This way you can quickly see whether your groups are statistically different.
What is the choice of t-test?
Your choice of t-test depends on whether you are studying one group or two groups, and whether you care about the direction of the difference in group means.
What are the values to include in a t-test?
When reporting your t-test results, the most important values to include are the t-value, the p-value, and the degrees of freedom for the test. These will communicate to your audience whether the difference between the two groups is statistically significant (a.k.a. that it is unlikely to have happened by chance).
How does a 2 sample t-test work?
The 2-sample t-test takes your sample data from two groups and boils it down to the t-value. The process is very similar to the 1-sample t-test, and you can still use the analogy of the signal-to-noise ratio. Unlike the paired t-test, the 2-sample t-test requires independent groups for each sample.
Why do we use paired t-tests?
Using the paired t-test simply saves you the step of having to calculate the differences before performing the t-test. You just need to be sure that the paired differences make sense!
What Do t-Values Mean?
Each type of t-test uses a procedure to boil all of your sample data down to one value, the t-value. The calculations compare your sample mean (s) to the null hypothesis and incorporates both the sample size and the variability in the data. A t-value of 0 indicates that the sample results exactly equal the null hypothesis. In statistics, we call the difference between the sample estimate and the null hypothesis the effect size. As this difference increases, the absolute value of the t-value increases.
What happens if there is no difference between the sample mean and the null value?
If there is no difference between the sample mean and null value, the signal in the numerator, as well as the value of the entire ratio, equals zero. For instance, if your sample mean is 6 and the null value is 6, the difference is zero.
Why do t-values show the difference between the sample estimate and the null hypothesis?
If the signal does not stand out from the noise, it’s likely that the observed difference between the sample estimate and the null hypothesis value is due to random error in the sample rather than a true difference at the population level.
What is the signal in statistics?
Signal (a.k.a. the effect size) The numerator is the signal. You simply take the sample mean and subtract the null hypothesis value. If your sample mean is 10 and the null hypothesis is 6, the difference, or signal, is 4.
What is the default null hypothesis for a 2 sample t-test?
The default null hypothesis for a 2-sample t-test is that the two groups are equal. You can see in the equation that when the two groups are equal, the difference (and the entire ratio) also equals zero. As the difference between the two groups grows in either a positive or negative direction, the signal becomes stronger.
When to use a 2 sample t-test?
Use the 2-sample t-test when you want to analyze the difference between the means of two independent samples. This test is also known as the independent samples t-test. Click the link to learn more about its hypotheses, assumptions, and interpretations.
How does the 2-sample t-test work?
Regardless of the denominator value you use, the 2-sample t-test works by determining how distinguishable the signal is from the noise. To ascertain that the difference between means is statistically significant, you need a high positive or negative t-value.
How Do T-tests Use T-values to Determine Statistical Significance?
Here’s what we’ve learned about the t-values for the 1-sample t-test, paired t-test, and 2-sample t-test:
What is the signal portion of a t-value?
The calculation for the signal portion of t-values is such that when the sample effect equals zero, the numerator equals zero, which in turn means the t-value itself equals zero. The estimated sample effect (signal) equals zero when there is no difference between the sample mean and the null hypothesis value. For example, if the sample mean is 5 and the null value is 5, the signal equals zero (5 – 5 = 0).
What is a t-test?
T-tests are statistical hypothesis tests that analyze one or two sample means. When you analyze your data with any t-test, the procedure reduces your entire sample to a single value, the t-value. In this post, I describe how each type of t-test calculates the t-value. I don’t explain this just so you can understand the calculation, ...
What is the t value of a signal if the noise is 2?
If the signal is 10 and the noise is 2, your t-value is 5. The signal is 5 times the noise.
Why do we use paired t-test?
Remember, double-check that this difference is meaningful! If using a paired t-test is valid, you should use it because it provides more statistical power than the 2-sample t-test, which I discuss in my post about independent and dependent samples.
What is the chance of detecting the difference in a two-sample t-test?
Then we would have a one-sided, two-sample t test. And, we would have only about a 20% chance of detecting the difference, on account of the diversity of skills in the population.
How big of a sample size is required for a two sample t-test?
With such variable populations this is not a rare occurrence. Generally speaking, much larger sample sizes (about 200 in each sample) would be required for the two-sample t test reliably to detect a 'training' effect of 4 units.
How many pairs are there in a paired test?
In a paired test you have one sample of pairs. Typically, there will be n paired observations ( x i, x 2). These may be two measurements on each individual subject. (For example, Before and After 'treatment' scores on a questionnaire, exam, or lab test.) Alternatively, the pairs may be pairs of subjects.
What is a two sample test?
In a two-sample test, you have two independent samples. Of course, by independence, we expect the two sets of measurements will not be correlated. Sample sizes for the two samples need not be equal. (But it often makes sense for them to be approximately equal.)
What is the average score before and after a workout?
The average score increases from 105.91 Before training to 109.16 After. Before and after scores are highly correlated.
When is a paired t-test used?
For the explanation of these two tests, I saw the following sentence " Two-sample t-test is used when the data of two samples are statistically independent, while the paired t-test is used when data is in the form of matched pairs."
Can a pair be a pair of subjects?
Alternatively, the pairs may be pairs of subjects. (For example, married couples, twins, or subjects matched according to some criterion. They might also be two devices manufactured at the same time and place.) It is expected that the two measurements on pairs will be correlated.

The Statement of The Problem
Conditions and Procedure
- We must select which procedure to use. In doing this we must make sure and check that conditions for this procedure have been met. We are asked to compare two population means. One collection of methods that can be used to do this are those for two-sample t-procedures. In order to use these t-procedures for two samples, we need to make sure that th...
Standard Error
- The standard error is an estimate of a standard deviation. For this statistic, we add the sample variance of the samples and then take the square root. This gives the formula: (s1 2 / n1 + s22 / n2)1/2 By using the values above, we see that the value of the standard error is (32 / 27+ 52 / 20)1/2 =(1 / 3 + 5 / 4 )1/2= 1.2583
Degrees of Freedom
- We can use the conservative approximation for our degrees of freedom. This may underestimate the number of degrees of freedom, but it is much easier to calculate than using Welch's formula. We use the smaller of the two sample sizes, and then subtract one from this number. For our example, the smaller of the two samples is 20. This means that the number of degrees of freedo…
Hypothesis Test
- We wish to test the hypothesis that fifth-grade students have a mean test score that is greater than the mean score of third-grade students. Let μ1 be the mean score of the population of all fifth graders. Similarly, we let μ2be the mean score of the population of all third graders. The hypotheses are as follows: 1. H0: μ1 - μ2= 0 2. Ha: μ1 - μ2> 0 The test statistic is the difference …
Confidence Interval
- Since we have established that there is a difference between the mean scores, we now determine a confidence interval for the difference between these two means. We already have much of what we need. The confidence interval for the difference needs to have both an estimate and a margin of error. The estimate for the difference of two means is straightforward to calculate. We simpl…