PERCENTILE

Microsoft Office Excel 2003

See Also

Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range. You can use this function to establish a threshold of acceptance. For example, you can decide to examine candidates who score above the 90th percentile.

Syntax

PERCENTILE(array,k)

Array    is the array or range of data that defines relative standing.

K    is the percentile value in the range 0..1, inclusive.

Remarks

  • If array is empty or contains more than 8,191 data points, PERCENTILE returns the #NUM! error value.
  • If k is nonnumeric, PERCENTILE returns the #VALUE! error value.
  • If k is < 0 or if k > 1, PERCENTILE returns the #NUM! error value.
  • If k is not a multiple of 1/(n - 1), PERCENTILE interpolates to determine the value at the k-th percentile.

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

ShowHow?

  1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
  2. Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

    Selecting an example from Help

    Selecting an example from Help

  3. Press CTRL+C.
  4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
  5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.
 
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Formula Description (Result)
=PERCENTILE(A2:A5,0.3) 30th percentile of the list above (1.9)