The Point Estimate Calculator

This calculator finds the most suitable point estimate from a given number of successes, number of trials, and confidence interval using 4 available point estimate formulas:

Maximum Likelihood Estimation Point Estimate: x / n
Wilson Point Estimate: (x + z²/2) / (n + z²)
Jeffrey Point Estimate: (x + 0.5) / (n + 1)
Laplace Point Estimate: (x + 1) / (n + 2)

Here, x is the number of successes, n is the number of trials, and z is the Z-score associated with the confidence interval.

The calculator below will compute the 4 point estimates and automatically select the best one:

Best Estimate = 0.35840

MLE Point Estimate = 0.34286

Wilson Point Estimate = 0.35840

Jeffrey Point Estimate = 0.34722

Laplace Point Estimate = 0.35135

Once you get the estimates, you need to choose the most accurate one. You can do so by following these rules:

  1. If MLE ≤ 0.5, use the Wilson Point Estimate.
  2. If MLE < 0.9, use MLE Point Estimate.
  3. If MLE < 1.0, use the Jeffrey or Laplace Point Estimate, whichever is smallest.
  4. If MLE = 1.0, use the Laplace Point Estimate

Hope this calculator helps. Happy analyzing!

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