Difference Between Percentage And Percentile: An Easy Guide
We often find terms like percentage and percentile in our everyday lives. Very few know the exact difference between percentage and percentile. This can sometimes be confusing because they sound similar but have different meanings and applications.
To understand percentile vs percentage, we need to know how they are applied and how they can be utilized in different scenarios.
This blog aims to clarify the difference between percentage and percentile. You can also explore how each is calculated and used in various ways using their formulas.
Understanding Percentage and Percentile
Before diving into the difference between percentage and percentile, it is important to understand both these terms briefly.
- Percentage Meaning
- Percentage is a part of a whole expressed as a fraction of 100. It shows a ratio or proportion. For instance, if you score 85 out of 100, you score 85%.
- Percentile Meaning
- Percentile meaning refers to your rank compared to others. It shows how you compare to others in a group. Higher percentile marks reflect better performance compared to your peers. To dive deeper into percentiles and their calculations, visit this helpful resource on percentile.
While rank gives your exact placement, percentile vs rank tells you the percentage of students you outperformed.
Let us understand this with the following example; if you’re in the 90th percentile, you scored better than 90% of the people.
To explore more about converting CGPA to percentage, you might find our detailed CGPA to Percentage guide helpful.
Additional Resources
If you’re considering different study methods and their effectiveness, you may want to read about the Disadvantages of Group Study to understand how group study might impact your learning.
What is the Difference Between Percentage and Percentile?
| Feature | Percentage | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A percentage is a fraction or ratio expressed as a part of 100. | A percentile indicates the value below which a given percentage of observations fall. |
| Usage | Commonly used to describe proportions, rates, or changes (e.g., 25% off). | Used in statistical analyses to compare and rank data (e.g., the 90th percentile). |
| Calculation | (value/total value)×100%. | P = n/N * 100% |
| Example | 30% of a class scored above 80. | A student in the 90th percentile scored higher than 90% of the students. |
| Context | Often used in financial and everyday contexts (e.g., interest rates, discounts). | Typically used in educational testing, health metrics, and other fields that require ranking data. |
| Range | Always between 0 and 100. | Can exceed 100 or be below 0 in some contexts (though in most cases, it is between 0 and 100). |
| Interpretation | Directly represents part of a whole. | Represents relative standing within a distribution. |
How to Calculate Percentage
Calculating the percentage is pretty straightforward. It can be calculated using the following formula.
Formula
Example
Imagine you have a class of 50 students, and 12 of them were absent on Monday. To find the percentage of absent students:
Identify the Part and Whole:
- Part = 12 students
- Whole = 50 students
Percentage =(12/50)×100
= (0.24) × 100 = 24%
Percentage = 24%
How to Calculate Percentile
To calculate a percentile, you typically need to determine the position of a specific percentile in a ranked dataset. Here’s a detailed explanation of the formula and an example
Formula
Where:
- Number of Values Below “x”: The number of data points in the dataset that are less than the value “x.”
- Total Number of Values: The total number of data points in the dataset.
Example
Students’ test scores are 35, 42, 50, 56, 62, 68, 74, 81, 87, 93. Let’s find the percentile for the score 68.
- Number of scores below 68: 5 (scores are 35, 42, 50, 56, 62)
- Total number of scores: 10
The formula is:
Percentile = ( Number of Values Below “x” / Total Number of Values ) × 100
Percentile of 68 = ( 5 / 10 ) × 100
= 0.5 × 100 = 50
Percentile = 50
Therefore, the percentile rank for the score 68 is 50.
This means that 50% of the scores are below 68, placing it in the 50th percentile.
Conclusion
Percentage and percentile may appear similar at first glance, but they serve distinct purposes. It is commonly used to indicate proportions or changes in everyday situations.
On the other hand, a percentile provides insight into a value’s relative position within a dataset, helping to compare and rank data points.
We hope this blog has illuminated the nuances of percentage and percentile and enhanced your comprehension of these essential concepts.
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