QUARTILES, DECILES, AND

PERCENTILES
Quartiles are the score points which divide a
distribution into four equal parts.
25 % fall below the first quartile (Q1), 50%
below the second quartile (Q2), and 75% are
less than the third quartile (Q3).
 Note that the second quartile (Q2), is equal to
median.
 We recall that in determining the median class, we
1
have to multiply n by since 50% are below
2
median.
1
 Logically for the first quartile, we multiply by n by ,
4
3
and for the third quartile, we multiply by .
4
 Here’s the formula.
𝒏
−𝒄𝒇𝒑
𝟒
 𝑸𝟏 = 𝑿𝒍𝒃 + 𝐢
𝑭𝒒

Where
 Xlb = lower boundary of the class interval which contains Q1 (first quartile
class)
 Cfp = cumulative frequency for the class interval preceding the first
quartile class.
 Fq = frequency of the first quartile class
 i = interval size
 Here’s the formula.
𝟑𝒏
𝟒
−𝒄𝒇𝒑
 𝑸𝟑 = 𝑿𝒍𝒃 + 𝒊
𝑭𝒒

Where
 Xlb = lower boundary of the class interval which contains Q3 (third quartile
class)
 Cfp = cumulative frequency for the class interval preceding the third
quartile class.
 Fq = frequency of the third quartile class
 i = interval size
 Nine score-points are required to divide a distribution into ten equal
parts. They are called deciles and denoted by D1, D2, D3, …, D9.
The formulas are as follows:
1
𝑛 −𝑐𝑓𝑝
 D1 = Xlb + 1𝑜
𝑖
𝑓𝑑
1
𝑛 −𝑐𝑓𝑝
 D2 = Xlb + 5
𝑖
𝑓𝑑
3
𝑛 −𝑐𝑓𝑝
 D3 = Xlb + 1𝑜
𝑖
𝑓𝑑
9
𝑛 −𝑐𝑓𝑝
 D9 = Xlb + 1𝑜
𝑖
𝑓𝑑
 Percentiles are the ninety-nine score points which divide a
distribution into 100 equal parts.
 They are generally used to characterize values according
to the percentage below them.
 For example the first percentile (P1) separates the lowest
1% from the other 99%, the second percentile (P2),
separates the lowest 2% from the other 98% and so on.
 15 % are less than the 15th percentile and 20 % are below
the 20th percentile; the middle 80 % is determined by the
10th and the 90th percentiles.
 If k% are less than a given percentile, then
𝑘𝑛
−𝑐𝑓𝑝
Pk = Xlb + 100
𝑖
𝑓𝑝

Where
 Xlb = lower boundary of the kth percentile class

 Cfp = cumulative frequency for the class interval preceding the kth class.

 Fq = frequency of the kth percentile class

 i = interval size in the kth percentile class