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F.TEST Function

Excel 2007+

Summary

The Excel F.TEST function performs an F-test to determine if two datasets have significantly different variances. It returns the two-tailed probability that the variances in two arrays are not significantly different.

Syntax

F.TEST(array1,array2)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
array1	`Array/Range`	Yes	First array or range of numeric data for variance comparison
array2	`Array/Range`	Yes	Second array or range of numeric data for variance comparison

Using the F.TEST Function

F.TEST is a statistical function used to compare variances between two populations. Use it when you need to determine if the spread or dispersion of data points differs significantly between two groups, such as test scores from different schools or production quality metrics from two machines.

Common F.TEST Examples

Basic F.TEST Example

=F.TEST(A2:A6,B2:B6)

Tests if variances of two datasets (Data1: 6,7,9,15,21 and Data2: 20,28,31,38,40) are significantly different. Returns 0.64831785 indicating no significant difference.

Test Scores Comparison

=F.TEST(B2:B10,C2:C10)

Compares variance in test scores between two classes to see if one class has more consistent performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

A result less than 0.05 (5%) typically indicates the variances are significantly different at the 95% confidence level.

Yes, text, logical values, and empty cells are ignored, but zero values are included in calculations.

Common Errors and Solutions

#DIV/0!

Cause: Array has fewer than 2 data points or zero variance

Solution: Ensure both arrays have at least 2 numeric values with non-zero variance

#VALUE!

Cause: Arrays contain incompatible data types

Solution: Use only numeric data or ranges containing numbers

Notes

Result is a probability between 0 and 1
Lower values indicate more significant variance difference
Zeros in data are included (unlike empty cells)
Consider using VAR.S or VAR.P for individual variance calculations

Compatibility

Available in: Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Microsoft 365

Not available in: Excel 2003 and earlier

Content last reviewed: December 9, 2025
Update frequency: As needed
Excel versions tested: Excel 2007+