What is the formula for finding the Chi-Square critical value in Excel?

The Chi-Square critical value in Excel is a statistical measure used to determine the significance of relationships between categorical variables. It is calculated by using the CHISQ.INV function, which takes the desired probability level and the degrees of freedom as inputs. The resulting value is compared to the Chi-Square statistic obtained from the data, and if it is greater, it indicates a significant relationship between the variables. This formula allows for quick and accurate determination of the Chi-Square critical value, making it a useful tool for analyzing categorical data in Excel.

Find the Chi-Square Critical Value in Excel


When you conduct a Chi-Square test, you will get a test statistic as a result. To determine if the results of the Chi-Square test are statistically significant, you can compare the test statistic to a Chi-Square critical value. If the test statistic is greater than the Chi-Square critical value, then the results of the test are statistically significant.

The Chi-Square critical value can be found by using a  or by using statistical software.

To find the Chi-Square critical value, you need:

  • A significance level (common choices are 0.01, 0.05, and 0.10)
  • Degrees of freedom

Using these two values, you can determine the Chi-Square value to be compared with the test statistic.

How to Find the Chi-Square Critical Value in Excel

To find the Chi-Square critical value in Excel, you can use the CHISQ.INV.RT() function, which uses the following syntax:

CHISQ.INV.RT(probability, deg_freedom)

  • probability: The significance level to use
  • deg_freedom: The degrees of freedom

This function returns the critical value from the Chi-Square distribution based on the significance level and the degrees of freedom provided.

For example, suppose we would like to find the Chi-square critical value for a significance level of 0.05 and degrees of freedom = 11. 

In Excel, we can type the following formula: CHISQ.INV.RT(0.05, 11)

Chi-square critical value in Excel

This returns the value 19.67514. This is the critical value for a significance level of 0.05 and degrees of freedom = 11.

Note that this also matches the number we would find in the with α = 0.05, DF (degrees of freedom) = 11.

Chi-Square distribution table example

Cautions on Finding the Chi-Square Critical Value in Excel

  • If any argument is non-numeric.
  • If the value for probability is less than zero or greater than 1.
  • If the value for deg_freedom is less than 1.
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