Which test is appropriate for comparing a continuous outcome across three or more independent groups with normal distribution assumptions satisfied?

• A. Paired t-test
• B. Independent samples t-test
• C. One-Way ANOVA
• D. Wilcoxon

Answer: (C)

When you want to compare a continuous outcome across three or more independent groups and the data are approximately normally distributed, One-Way ANOVA is the appropriate choice. It tests whether all group means are equal by comparing the between-group variance to the within-group variance through the F statistic. A significant result indicates that at least one group mean differs from the others, and you would typically follow up with post-hoc comparisons to identify the specific differences. The method assumes independence of observations, normality within each group, and equal variances across groups. The other tests are either designed for two groups (paired t-test or independent samples t-test) or are nonparametric alternatives not specifically suited for three or more groups when normality holds (Wilcoxon is typically for two groups; Kruskal-Wallis would be the nonparametric option for three or more groups).