A test is carried out at the 5% level of significance. What does the 5% stand for?

The chance that

H_0

is true, given the sampleCorrect answerYour answerThe chance of rejecting

H_0

when it is in fact trueCorrect answerYour answerThe share of the whole population that was sampledCorrect answerYour answerThe error allowed in the value of the sample meanCorrect answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer B

Correct answer: B

The level of significance is the risk we accept of rejecting a true null hypothesis.
At 5%, a result as extreme as the critical value would happen by chance only 5 times in 100 if $H_0$ were true.

Worth noting

A test does not give the chance that $H_0$ is true; $H_0$ is either true or not.

Concept: The level of significance
Typical timeTypical: 90 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsNull and alternate hypotheses

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Sampling, Inference & the t-Test, at your own pace.

A test is carried out at the 5% level of significance. What does the 5% stand for?

Explanation