A two-tailed test is more conservative than the corresponding one-tailed test.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A two-tailed test accounts for the possibility of the sample statistic being significantly different from the hypothesized value in either direction, while a one-tailed test only accounts for the possibility of significant deviation in one direction. Therefore, a two-tailed test is more conservative as it requires a higher level of significance to reject the null hypothesis compared to a one-tailed test.

A Two-Tailed Test Is More Conservative Than the Corresponding One-Tailed