DA0-002 Data Analysis Practice Question
A data analyst is comparing the average test scores of students who attended a tutoring program versus those who did not. Which statistical test is most appropriate for determining if there is a significant difference between the means of these two independent groups?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Two-sample t-test
The independent samples t-test is used to compare the means of two independent groups.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Paired t-test
Why it's wrong here
A paired t-test compares repeated measurements on the same subjects, so it cannot handle two independent groups. It is tempting because it also tests mean differences, and would be correct if each student were measured before and after tutoring, but here the groups are separate.
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Chi-square test
Why it's wrong here
A chi-square test compares observed with expected frequencies in categorical data, so it cannot evaluate a difference between two continuous group means. It is tempting because it also tests group differences, but it applies to counts or proportions across categories — for example, whether pass rates differ by tutoring attendance.
- ✓
Two-sample t-test
Why this is correct
The two-sample t-test compares means drawn from two independent groups, which matches the tutoring versus non-tutoring cohorts. It partitions variance between and within groups to produce a p-value for the null hypothesis of equal population means, satisfying the requirement to test significance between two unrelated samples.
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ANOVA
Why it's wrong here
ANOVA compares means across three or more groups, so using it for two independent groups is unnecessary and yields the same result as a t-test. It is correct when comparing means of three or more groups, such as several tutoring methods.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DA0-002 exam.