What is ANOVA?

1 Answer
Kate M.
Oct 28, 2015

We use an ANOVA to test for significant differences between means.

Explanation:

We use an ANOVA, or analysis of variance, to test for significant differences between means of multiple groups.

For example, if we wanted to know if the average GPA of biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus majors differed, we could use an ANOVA.

If we only had two groups, our ANOVA would be the same as a t-test.

There are three basic assumptions of an ANOVA:

  1. Dependent variables in each group are normally distributed
  2. Population variances in each group are equal
  3. Observations are independent of one another
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