If the percentile rank for a specified score is 90%, then 90% of the scores were lower. For percentile rank, a score is given and a percentage is computed. Percentile scores and percentile ranks are often used in the reporting of test scores from norm-referenced tests, but, as just noted, they are not the same. The percentile rank of a score is the percentage of scores in its distribution that are less than it, an exclusive definition, and one that can be expressed with a single, simple formula.

The percentile score and the percentile rank are related terms. The 25th percentile is also known as the first quartile ( Q 1), the 50th percentile as the median or second quartile ( Q 2), and the 75th percentile as the third quartile ( Q 3).įor example, the 50th percentile (median) is the score below (or at or below, depending on the definition) which 50% of the scores in the distribution are found. Percentiles are expressed in the same unit of measurement as the input scores, not in percent for example, if the scores refer to human weight, the corresponding percentiles will be expressed in kilograms or pounds. In statistics, a k-th percentile, also known as percentile score or centile, is a score below which a given percentage k of scores in its frequency distribution falls (' exclusive' definition) or a score at or below which a given percentage falls (' inclusive' definition). Not to be confused with Percentile function or Percentile rank.

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