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Activity No. 12
z-test for Comparing Two Sample Means
Problem
A professor is eager to identify if students coming from private schools are better than those students coming
from public schools in Statistics subject. She gathered the following data:

No. Private Public Solution:

1. 88 90
1. Ho: Students coming from private schools are not better
2. 75 89 than those students coming from public schools in Statistics.
3. 80 88 (μ 1 = μ 2)
4. 89 86
5. 77 85
6. 68 84 2. Ha : Students coming from private schools are better than those
students coming from public schools in Statistics.
7. 88 89
8. 75 91
9. 78 88 (μ 1 ≠ μ 2) non directional test, two tailed test
10. 82 92
11. 81 87 3. α = 0.05 (use 0.05 if its not emphasized in the problem)
12. 84 88
13. 85 88 4. use z-test for comparing two sample means (≥ 30).
14. 83 86
5. df = n1 + n2 – 2 = 31 + 32 – 2 = 61
15. 79 92
16. 91 85 Tabular or critical z-value = 1.96
17. 88 84
18. 86 87 6. Computation:
19. 85 88
20. 79 88 Use Excel in getting the standard deviation and variance:
21. 80 90 s1 (private) = 5.33 s2 (public) = 2.32
22. 83 91
23. 84 92
24. 86 88 (s1)2 (private) = 28.39 (s2)2 (public) = 5.37
25. 82 86
26. 75 87
Use Data Analysis ToolPak in getting the mean, z-value and p-value.
27. 88 85
28. 76 85 1 (private) = 81.52 2 (public) = 87.72
29. 80 86
30. 75 87 z-value = -5.96
31. 77 86
32. 89
p-value = < 0.05
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Final Table and Discussion

Using the computed value and tabular/critical value ONLY:

Table 1
Analysis Table of the Mean Scores of the Students From Private and Public Schools
s n Computed Critical Decision Remark
Students z z
Private 81.52 5.33 31 Students coming from private

Reject Ha schools are not better than those

and consider students coming from public

Public 87.72 2.32 32 -5.96 1.96 Ho schools in Statistics.

5% level of significance and 61 degrees of freedom

Discussion:

Since computed z, -5.96, is less than critical z, 1.96, We have to reject Ha and accept Ho. Therefore,
Students coming from private schools are not better than those students coming from public schools in Statistics.