How do I conduct an ANOVA test?

It is unlikely you’ll want to do this test by hand, but if you must, these are the steps to conduct an ANOVA test:

• Step 1 – Determine the mean or average for each of the groups in the test. This is done by adding up all the numbers and dividing the sum by the number of items in the set. 
• Step 2- Determine the overall mean or the average of the groups combined. 
• Step 3- Determine the ‘Within Group Variation’ or the total deviation of each member’s score from the Group Mean. This refers to variations resulting from differences within individual groups. These are differences not caused by the independent variable. 
• Step 4- Determine the Between Group Variation or the deviation of each Group Mean from the Overall Mean. Between group variation focuses on determining how the means of groups vary from each other. It measures the variation between separate groups of interest. 
• Step 5- Determine the F statistic. This is the ratio of Between Group Variation to Within Group Variation. 

You can also use free online ANOVA calculators to make the calulation faster and easier.