# Statistics > Hypothesis Test > Matched Pairs

This utility performs calculations for testing claims about the mean of the differences between a population of matched pairs. The population is assumed to be approximately normal. The null hypothesis of a claim about a population mean μ is μ = μd. The alternative hypothesis can be one of the following: μ < μd, μ > μd, or μ ≠ μd.

The hypothesis test statistic is given by:

where is the mean of the differences between sample matched pairs, sd is the standard deviation of the differences between sample matched pairs, and n is the number of matched pairs. The degrees of freedom is n - 1.

### Dialog Inputs

The sample data can be inputted in one of two ways:

- Samples in columns: The sample matched pairs are provided in two columns, and the two values in a matched pair are provided in the same row. Select the column containing values of the first sample in First Sample: drop-down menu. Select the column containing values of the second sample in Second Sample: drop-down menu.
- Summarized Sample Data: The sample size, mean, and standard deviation are provided (instead of individual sample values).

The significance level or confidence level must be between 0 and 1. For example, enter 0.95 for a 95% confidence level.

The Alternative Hypothesis can be one of the following forms: Less than (μ < μd), Not Equal to (μ ≠ μd), or Greater than (μ > μd). Enter the Hypothesized Mean Difference (hypothesized mean of differences for the population of all matched pairs) in the provided text box.