📝 How to Calculate Percentile (Explained in a Simple, Human Way)

Most people hear the word percentile for the first time during exam results —
“You are in the 95th percentile,”
or
“Your child’s height is in the 70th percentile.”

But what does that actually mean?

In simple words, percentile tells you where you stand compared to others.
It doesn’t tell you your marks or percentage — it tells you your position.

Let’s break it down calmly with real-life examples so it’s crystal clear. Wikipedia

⭐ What Does Percentile Really Mean?

If your percentile is 80, it simply means:

👉 80% of the people scored less than you.

So percentile is always relative, not absolute.

For example:
Two students can score the same marks but have different percentiles depending on how others performed.

⭐ Percentile vs Percentage (People confuse this)

Percentage	Percentile
Part of 100	Position among others
Based on your marks	Based on everyone’s marks
Same every time	Changes with group size

Think of it like this:

• Percentage = Your performance
• Percentile = Your rank among everyone else

⭐ How to Calculate Percentile (The Easiest Method)

The most beginner-friendly way is the counting method.

Formula (simple version):

Percentile = (Number of values below yours / Total values) × 100

Let’s use an example so it makes sense instantly.

📘 Example 1: Percentile From Small Scores

Scores:
40, 50, 55, 60, 72, 80, 90
Your score = 72

Step 1 — Count values below 72
→ 40, 50, 55, 60 = 4 values

Step 2 — Total values = 7
Step 3 — Apply formula:

Percentile = (4 / 7) × 100 = 57.14

So the score 72 is roughly in the 57th percentile.

Nothing complicated.

📘 Example 2: Exam Percentile (JEE/NEET/CAT style)

This formula is used for almost all Indian competitive exams.

Say:

• Total students = 2,00,000
• Your rank = 10,000

Formula:

Percentile = ((Total - Rank) / Total) × 100

Apply it:

Percentile = (200000 - 10000) / 200000 × 100
           = 95%

So your percentile = 95.

This means you performed better than 95% of students.

⭐ How to Calculate Percentile in Excel (Very Useful)1. To find a specific percentile (like 75th):

=PERCENTILE.INC(A1:A10, 0.75)

2. To find your own percentile position:

=PERCENTRANK.INC(A1:A10, your_value)

If Excel gives you 0.57, that means 57th percentile.

⭐ Where Do We Actually Use Percentiles?

You see percentiles everywhere:

• Exam results
• Growth charts for children (height/weight percentiles)
• Salary distribution
• Stock analysis
• Fitness scores
• Business performance comparison

Percentiles show where you stand, not how much you scored.

⚠️ Common Mistakes People Make

• Thinking percentile = marks
• Using raw rank without total students
• Forgetting to sort data for manual percentile
• Using the wrong Excel function (INC/EXC)
• Ignoring duplicate values

🎯 Quick Summary

• Percentile shows your position among a group
• Easy formula: (values below / total) × 100
• Competitive exams use (total – rank) / total × 100
• Excel has built-in functions
• Useful for ranking, growth analysis, and exam results