Identify the significance level, α
Determine whether the test is one-tailed or two-tailed
Find the appropriate distribution for the test
Determine the degrees of freedom, if applicable
Use a critical value table or statistical software
Locate the value that leaves α in one tail for a one-tailed test
Locate the values that leave α/2 in each tail for a two-tailed test
Match the critical value to the test statistic’s distribution and degrees of freedom
Compare the test statistic to the critical value(s) to make the decision