Percentile rank

A percentile rank is the percentage of values in a data set that fall at or below a given value.

Percentile rank turns a raw value into a position, which is why score reports quote it. You compute it as number of values at or below xn×100\frac{\text{number of values at or below } x}{n} \times 100, where nn is the number of observations. If 170 of 200 test takers scored at or below your score, your percentile rank is 170200×100=85\frac{170}{200} \times 100 = 85, so you are at the 85th percentile. The two terms run in opposite directions: a percentile is a data value, while a percentile rank is the percentage attached to a value you already have.

More describing data terms, or browse the full statistics glossary.