The chi-square test for independence, also called Pearson's chi-square test or the chi-square test of association, is used to discover if there is a relationship between two categorical variables.n our enhanced chi-square test for independence guide, we show you how to correctly enter data in SPSS Statistics to run a chi-square test for independence. Alternately, we have a generic, quick start guide to show you how to enter data into SPSS Statistics, available here.