APPLICATIONS OF

NORMAL
DISTRIBUTION
PERCENTILES

Mr. Revin C. Ramirez, LPT

Mathematics Department, UBBC-SHS
Percentiles
Percentiles are measures of relative standing. They are used
extensively in education to compare the performance of an
individual to that of a reference group. A percentile or percentile
point is the value on the measurement scale below which is specified
percentage of the scores in the distribution fall. It is a descriptive
measure of the relationship of a measurement to the rest of the data.
Thus, the 60th percentile point is the value on the measurement scale
below which 60% of the scores in the distribution fall.
Definition

Percentile rank is the percentage of scores with values

lower than the score in question.
Determining Percentile
Under a Normal Curve
To locate the percentile rank in a normal random distribution,
1. Draw the graph showing relevant areas.
2. Calculate the z-score or z-value.
3. Locate for area or probability of the computed z-value from the Table of z-
value.
4. If necessary, that is if the score of normal random variable is beyond the
mean, add to the probability or area located 0.5000 to take into the account
areas lying below the mean.
5. To convert this proportion to percentage, multiply it by 100.
Example 1.
The score on a nationwide science aptitude exam was normally distributed, with
a μ= 80 and a σ=10. What is the percentile rank of 85?
Solution
Given: μ= 80, σ=10, and X=85
First, draw the curve and identify relevant areas (as shown in the next slide).
Next, compute for z-value:
Find the corresponding area of 0.50 in the z-table
𝑃 85 = ( 0.6915 ∗ 100 ) =69.15 %

The result indicates that 69.15% of the science aptitude

scores are below 85.
Example 2.
In the same problem, what percentage of aptitude scores is below a
score of 66?
Solution: Draw the curve and identify relevant areas (as shown in the
next slide). Next, compute for z-value:

Then, locate for the corresponding area from the Table of Z-value
which showed
The result indicates that 8.08% of the science aptitude scores are below 66.
Example 3.
The results of the entrance examination for
UBBC – Senior High School Department
conducted on August 2021 was normally
distributed with a mean of 75 and a standard
deviation of 12. What is the percentile rank of a
score of 87?
Solution:
Given: μ= 75, σ=12, and X=87
First, draw the curve and identify relevant areas (as shown in the next slide). Next, compute for z-value:
The area of the z-score z=1.00 is 0.8413.
Thus, the score of 87 is the 84th in the distribution.