Last updated: March 2, 2026

One-Sample T-Test for Hypothesis Testing

Formula

The one-sample t-test determines whether a sample mean differs significantly from a known or hypothesized population mean. It is used when the population standard deviation is unknown and the sample size is relatively small.

The t-distribution accounts for the extra uncertainty from estimating the population standard deviation, making it wider-tailed than the normal distribution, especially for small samples.

Common use cases:

  • Comparing a sample mean to a known value
  • Pre/post treatment comparisons
  • Quality control against a target value

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