Paired T-Test

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First, use the Critical Significance Level (α: alpha) chosen in Step 2 and degrees of freedom
(df) calculated in Step 3 (where df = one less than the number of pairs) to find the Critical
Value of t (tcritical) using a Critical Value Table such as the one below e.g., if α = 0.05 and df
= 15, then tcritical = 2.131.
Second, compare tcritical with the value for the t statistic calculated in Step 3.
Reject your Null Hypothesis if your calculated value is greater than or equal to the critical
value; t ≥ tcritical (significant result).
Accept your Null Hypothesis if your calculated value is less than the critical value; t <
tcritical (non-significant result).
E.g., if t = 2.2 and tcritical = 2.1 then reject the Null Hypothesis.
Table of Critical Values for Critical Significance Levels

(α: alpha) of 0.1, 0.05 and 0.01 for the t statistic where
degrees of freedom (df) is one less than the number of
pairs of data points for paired t-test.
df α = 0.10 α = 0.05 α = 0.01
1 6.314 12.706 63.656
2 2.920 4.303 9.925
3 2.353 3.182 5.841
4 2.132 2.776 4.604
5 2.015 2.571 4.032
6 1.943 2.447 3.707
7 1.895 2.365 3.499
8 1.860 2.306 3.355
9 1.833 2.262 3.250
10 1.812 2.228 3.169
11 1.796 2.201 3.106
12 1.782 2.179 3.055
13 1.771 2.160 3.012
14 1.761 2.145 2.977
15 1.753 2.131 2.947
16 1.746 2.120 2.921
17 1.740 2.110 2.898
18 1.734 2.101 2.878
19 1.729 2.093 2.861
20 1.725 2.086 2.845
21 1.721 2.080 2.831
22 1.717 2.074 2.819
23 1.714 2.069 2.807
24 1.711 2.064 2.797
25 1.708 2.060 2.787
26 1.706 2.056 2.779
27 1.703 2.052 2.771
28 1.701 2.048 2.763
29 1.699 2.045 2.756
30 1.697 2.042 2.750
31 1.696 2.040 2.744
32 1.694 2.037 2.738
33 1.692 2.035 2.733
34 1.691 2.032 2.728
35 1.690 2.030 2.724
36 1.688 2.028 2.719
37 1.687 2.026 2.715
38 1.686 2.024 2.712
39 1.685 2.023 2.708
40 1.684 2.021 2.704
Interpret the key results for Paired t

Learn more about Minitab
Complete the following steps to interpret a paired t-test. Key output includes the estimate of the
mean of the difference, the confidence interval, the p-value, and several graphs.
In This Topic
 Step 1: Determine a confidence interval for the population mean difference

 Step 2: Determine whether the difference is statistically significant
 Step 3: Check your data for problems
Step 1: Determine a confidence interval for the population

mean difference
First, consider the mean difference, and then examine the confidence interval. The mean
difference is the average of the differences between the paired observations in your sample.
The mean difference is an estimate of the population mean difference. Because the mean
difference is based on sample data and not on the entire population, it is unlikely that the sample
mean difference equals the population mean difference. To better estimate the population mean
difference, use the confidence interval of the mean difference.
The confidence interval provides a range of likely values for the population mean difference. For
example, a 95% confidence level indicates that if you take 100 random samples from the
population, you could expect approximately 95 of the samples to produce intervals that contain
the population mean difference. The confidence interval helps you assess the practical
significance of your results. Use your specialized knowledge to determine whether the
confidence interval includes values that have practical significance for your situation. If the
interval is too wide to be useful, consider increasing your sample size. For more information, go
to Ways to get a more precise confidence interval.
Estimation for Paired Difference

Mean StDev SE Mean 95% CI for μ{sub}d{#sub}
2.2000 3.2541 0.7276 (0.6770, 3.7230)
μ{sub}d{#sub}: mean of (Before - After)
Key Results: Difference, 95% CI of μd
In these results, the estimate for the population mean difference in heart rates is 2.2. You can be
95% confident that the population mean difference is between 0.677 and 3.723.
Step 2: Determine whether the difference is statistically

significant
To determine whether the difference between the population means is statistically significant,
compare the p-value to the significance level. Usually, a significance level (denoted as α or
alpha) of 0.05 works well. A significance level of 0.05 indicates a 5% risk of concluding that a
difference exists when there is no actual difference.
P-value ≤ α: The difference between the means is statistically significant (Reject H0)
If the p-value is less than or equal to the significance level, the decision is to reject the
null hypothesis. You can conclude that the difference between the population means is
statistically significant. Use your specialized knowledge to determine whether the
difference is practically significant. For more information, go to Statistical and practical
significance.
P-value > α: The difference between the means is not statistically significant (Fail to reject H0)
If the p-value is greater than the significance level, the decision is to fail to reject the null
hypothesis. You do not have enough evidence to conclude that the difference between the
population means is statistically significant. You should make sure that your test has
enough power to detect a difference that is practically significant. For more information,
go to Increase the power of a hypothesis test.
Test
Null hypothesis H₀: μ{sub}d{#sub} = 0
Alternative hypothesis H₁: μ{sub}d{#sub} ≠ 0
T-Value P-Value
3.02 0.0070
Key Result: P-Value
In these results, the null hypothesis states that the mean difference in resting heart rates for
patients before and after a running program is 0. Because the p-value is 0.007, which is less than
the significance level of 0.05, the decision is to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there
is a difference in the heart rates for patients before and after a running program.
Step 3: Check your data for problems

Problems with your data, such as skewness and outliers, can adversely affect your results. Use
graphs to look for skewness and to identify potential outliers.
Examine the shape of your data to determine whether your data appear to be
skewed
When data are skewed, the majority of the data are located on the high or low side of the graph.
Often, skewness is easiest to detect with a histogram or boxplot.
Right-skewed
Left-skewed
The histogram with right-skewed data shows wait times. Most of the wait times are relatively
short, and only a few wait times are long. The histogram with left-skewed data shows failure
time data. A few items fail immediately, and many more items fail later.
Data that are severely skewed can affect the validity of the p-value if your sample is small (less
than 20 values). If your data are severely skewed and you have a small sample, consider
increasing your sample size.
In this histogram, the data do not appear to be severely skewed.
Identify outliers
Outliers, which are data values that are far away from other data values, can strongly affect the
results of your analysis. Often, outliers are easiest to identify on a boxplot.
On a boxplot, asterisks (*) denote outliers.

Try to identify the cause of any outliers. Correct any data–entry errors or measurement errors.
Consider removing data values for abnormal, one-time events (also called special causes). Then,
repeat the analysis. For more information, go to Identifying outliers.
In this boxplot, there are no outliers.

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Table of Critical Values for Critical Significance Levels

Interpret the key results for Paired t

 Step 1: Determine a confidence interval for the population mean difference

Step 1: Determine a confidence interval for the population

Estimation for Paired Difference

Key Results: Difference, 95% CI of μd

Step 2: Determine whether the difference is statistically

Key Result: P-Value

Step 3: Check your data for problems

On a boxplot, asterisks (*) denote outliers.

In this boxplot, there are no outliers.

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