Although it may be regarded as an over-simplification, the table below is a guide to interpreting p-values.
p-value | Interpretation |
---|---|
over 0.1 | no evidence that the null hypothesis does not hold |
between 0.05 and 0.1 | very weak evidence that the null hypothesis does not hold |
between 0.01 and 0.05 | moderately strong evidence that the null hypothesis does not hold |
under 0.01 | strong evidence that the null hypothesis does not hold |
reported as 0.000 | almost certain that the null hypothesis does not hold |
The following multiple-choice exercises expect you to interpret p-values in these terms.
The first exercise is relatively simple. What does the p-value tell you about the null and alternative hypotheses?
Harder
The next exercise randomises the order of the options and phrases some of them in terms of the alternative hypothesis.
Repeat this exercise a few times. It is important that you can correctly interpret the p-value from any hypothesis test.