What Test statistic is
Test statistic is a statistic that is calculated from sample data and is used to determine whether to reject or accept a null hypothesis. It is used to make statistical decisions regarding a population parameter. Here are the steps for calculating a test statistic:
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Formulate the null hypothesis.
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Collect a sample of data.
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Calculate the sample statistic, which is an estimate of the population parameter.
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Calculate the test statistic, which is the difference between the sample statistic and a hypothesized value of the population parameter.
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Compare the test statistic to a critical value to determine if it is statistically significant.
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Make a decision about the null hypothesis.
Examples
- Calculating a Z-test to compare the means of two independent samples.
- Calculating a chi-square test to determine if there is a significant relationship between two categorical variables.
- Computing an F-test to compare the variances of two independent samples.
- Using a t-test to compare the means of two dependent samples.
- Computing an ANOVA to compare the means of three or more independent samples.