American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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Which statistical method is appropriate for analyzing parametric data with more than two groups?

  1. ANOVA

  2. Chi-squared

  3. Unpaired t test

  4. Paired t test

The correct answer is: ANOVA

When analyzing parametric data with more than two groups, the appropriate statistical method to apply is ANOVA, or Analysis of Variance. ANOVA is specifically designed to compare the means of three or more independent groups to determine whether there are statistically significant differences among them. The key feature of ANOVA is its ability to assess the variance within each group and between the groups simultaneously, providing a more comprehensive view of the data than merely conducting multiple t-tests, which can increase the risk of Type I errors. The other statistical methods mentioned are suited for different types of analyses: Chi-squared tests are typically used for categorical data to assess relationships between variables, while unpaired t tests and paired t tests are designed for comparisons between two groups only, whether they are independent (unpaired) or related (paired). Thus, ANOVA is the only appropriate choice when dealing with more than two groups of parametric data.