Percentage vs Percentile – Meaning, Calculation, and Key Differences
People often confuse percentage and percentile, especially when looking at exam results, entrance tests, and merit lists. While the words sound similar, they describe very different ideas. One measures how much you scored, and the other shows how you performed compared to others.
Understanding the difference helps avoid misinterpreting results.
What is a Percentage?
The term percentage comes from “per cent,” which literally means “out of a hundred.” It expresses a value as a fraction of 100 and shows how large one quantity is in comparison to the total.
A percentage focuses only on individual performance and does not depend on how others performed.
Formula: Percentage = (Part ÷ Whole) × 100
Example
If a student scores 400 marks out of 500, the percentage is calculated as:
(400 ÷ 500) × 100 = 80%
This means the student achieved 80 out of every 100 marks. It tells us nothing about the student’s rank in the class — only how much of the total marks were obtained.
Key Idea
A percentage is a measure of proportion, not comparison.
What is a Percentile?
A percentile shows the relative position of a value within a group of values. It tells us what percentage of observations fall at or below a particular score.
In short, percentile is about ranking, not marks.
Formula: Percentile = (Number of values at or below the score ÷ Total number of values) × 100
Example 1 – All Scores Different
Suppose 10 students scored the following marks (in ascending order):
45, 56, 58, 62, 69, 84, 89, 94, 95, 98
To find the percentile of the student who scored 69:
There are 4 students who scored below 69 out of 10 students.
(4 ÷ 10) × 100 = 40th percentile
This means the student scored better than 40% of students, while 60% scored higher.
Example 2 – When Scores Are Repeated
Now consider marks arranged in ascending order:
45, 56, 58, 62, 69, 69, 69, 94, 95, 98
Here, three students scored 69. In such cases, percentile counts all scores less than or equal to the value.
There are 7 values less than or equal to 69 out of 10.
(7 ÷ 10) × 100 = 70th percentile
This means a student scoring 69 performed as well as or better than 70% of students.
Important Observations
- A high percentage does not guarantee a high percentile.
- If an exam is easy and most students score above 90%, percentages will be high for many students, but percentiles will still rank them based on relative performance.
- Competitive exams often use percentiles to compare students across different sessions or difficulty levels.
Difference Between Percentage and Percentile
| S. No. | Percentage | Percentile |
| 1 | Percentage is a ratio | Percentile is a ranking measure |
| 2 | Shows individual performance | Shows relative position in a group |
| 3 | Based on total marks obtained | Based on comparison with all scores |
| 4 | Denoted using the % symbol | Denoted as position (e.g., 85th percentile) |
| 5 | Same marks always give the same percentage | Same marks can give different percentiles depending on group performance |
Final Summary
A percentage tells you how much you scored out of the total, while a percentile tells you how you performed compared to others. Percentage measures achievement in isolation; percentile measures competitive standing. Both are useful, but they answer completely different questions.
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