Does absolute value matter when comparing the t value and the critical t value? I have found the t value of -1.00 and the critical t value of -2.12. The p value is 0.3331 and the alpha is 0.05. Since the p value is bigger than the alpha, the null hypothesis is retained. To retain the null hypothesis with the t value and the critical t value, doesn't the t value have to be less than the critical t value? With the negative signs, isn't the -1.00 t value bigger than the critical t value because it is closer to zero? thanks!