The pattern of pore water pressure dissipation from the one-dimensional consolidation test significantly affects the calculated value of the coefficient of consolidation. This paper discusses the interpretation methodology for laboratory dissipation data from the oedometer test with the pore water pressure measurements or Rowe cell test. In the analysis, the gradient-based algorithm for finding the optimal value of the coefficient of consolidation is used against experimental results, obtained for various fine-grained soils. The appropriate value of coefficient of consolidation is considered as one with the lowest associated error function, which evaluates fitness between the experimental and theoretical dissipation curves. Based on the experimental results, two different patterns of the pore water pressure dissipation are identified, and the saturation of the specimen was found to be the key factor in describing the change in the patterns. For the monotonically decreasing dissipation curve, an inflection point is identified. The values of degree of dissipation at the inflection point are close to the theoretical value of 53.4%.