Table Of Contents
What is F-Test in Excel?
F-test in excel is a statistical tool that helps us decide whether the variances of two populations having normal distribution are equal or not. F-test is an essential part of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) model.
F-test is performed to test a null hypothesis and gives an independent variable as the result. The sample data used in F-test is not dependent. F-tests can evaluate multiple models simultaneously in a large variety of settings.
How to Enable F-Test in Excel?
The steps to enable F-test in Excel are listed as follows:
- Enable the “Analysis ToolPak Add-In” in your worksheet to use the F-test. In Excel, click on “File” at the extreme left and go to “Options” given at the end.
- After clicking on “Options,” select “Add-Ins” on the left side. Select “Excel Add-ins” in the Manage box and click “Go.”
- In the “Add-Ins” dialog box, click “Analysis Toolpak” and click “Ok.”
- Now, the “Data Analysis” tool will be added to the right side of the Data tab on the Excel ribbon.
How to do F-Test in Excel? (Step-by-Step)
The steps to perform F-test in Excel are listed as follows:
- Step 1: The data used in the F-test analysis is shown in the following image.

In the Analysis Toolpak workbook, you can practice the analysis of the F-test.
- Step 2: In the Data tab on the Excel ribbon, click on “Data Analysis.”

- Step 3: After clicking on “Data Analysis,” a dialog box opens. Click on F-test and click “Ok” to enable the function.

- Step 4: Enter the range of variable 1 and variable 2. To do this, select the range of cells B3:B14 for variable 1 and C3:C14 for variable 2.

- Step 5: Select the “Output Range.”

- Step 6: Click “Ok” and the analysis of data appears in the selected cell.

The Working of F-Test
The following points will help learn more about the F-test function:
- The F-test is used where we need to figure out whether a critical distinction between the variances of two datasets exists or not.
- The null hypothesis is rejected if the variances of the two datasets are unequal and accepted if the variances are equal.
- The F-test calculates the probability or the likelihood of variation.
- The F-test shows an error if:
- The number of values of array 1 or array 2 is less than two.
- The variance of either of the two arrays is equal to zero.
- The F-test cannot be processed on a single sample meaning that two datasets are required.
- The F-test function ignores the text of sample data and gives numbers as the outcome.
The Examples of F-Test
Some instances where the F-test can be used are listed as follows:
- To analyze the quality of lecture of two professors teaching the same subject
- To test two samples of bottle gourd in two different experimental conditions
- To analyze the scores of two groups in the same field