Runs test
Test whether a sequence alternates more or less than chance.
When to use it
Use the runs test when the order of the rows matters. A run is a streak of values on the same side of a cutoff. Too few runs means the series clumps. Too many means it flips back and forth.
Assumptions
The column is numeric. The cutoff starts as the median. Mean is the other choice. The test uses the order of the rows as the sequence.
Running it in Tensr
Options
Prop
Type
Reading the output
The 96 exam scores in row order, split at the median. The row order is not a time order, so runs above and below the median should look mixed.
Runs test for score (cutoff = 70.15). The primary result is not significant (p = .538). This is not large enough to treat the comparison this page is about as a reliable association. The result is non-significant: the data are still compatible with no effect. Metrics: Runs = 46; Z = -0.616; p-value = .538.
Reporting (APA 7)
Runs test for score (cutoff = 70.15). This result is not significant (p = .538). Report the estimate with that p, and do not describe the pattern as a reliable effect.
Coming from SPSS
Analyze → Nonparametric Tests → Runs.