In the Six Steps of Hypothesis Testing, When Are the Null

In the six steps of hypothesis testing, when are the null and research hypothesis stated in relation to calculating the test statistic?

A) The hypothesis is stated before calculating the test statistic because it is the predicted outcome for the question of interest and would not be informative or fairly conceived after the data are analyzed.
B) The hypothesis is formulated at the end of the process, after calculating the test statistic and a conclusion is reached.
C) The hypothesis is the actual outcome of the study and cannot be verified unless it is formulated after the test statistic.
D) The hypothesis changes throughout the process in response to any new information found during testing.