What a p-value means
A study reports p = 0.03 for the difference between two groups. Which interpretation is correct?
Answer A: explanation for every choice
A
Correct. A p-value is the probability of the observed data, or more extreme data, assuming the null hypothesis is true.
B
A p-value is not the probability that the null hypothesis is true.
C
A p-value doesn't give the probability that any hypothesis is true.
D
Statistical significance says nothing about effect size or clinical importance.
TakeawayA p-value is P(data this extreme | null is true), not P(null | data).
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Reviewed 2026-11-05 by a medical student. Spot an error? Report it with question ID ps152.