What does the 73rd percentile mean?

There are numerous places where you may have seen the 73rd percentile (seventy-third percentile) used. You know that your measurement or score is in the 73rd percentile of a group, but do you know what it actually means? The 73rd percentile can mean different things and we will start by giving you a couple of examples:

Test Score: This may be the most common place where percentile is used in daily life. If your test score is in the 73rd percentile, it means that you scored better than 73 percent of all the test takers. It also means that 27 percent scored the same or better than you.

Growth Chart: A growth chart is often used by pediatricians to show how a child's height, weight, and head circumference compare to other children over time. If your child's height is in the 73rd percentile, it means that 73 percent of the children are shorter than your child, and 27 percent of children are the same or taller than your child.

Based on the examples above, this is how we would define the 73rd percentile: The 73rd percentile means that 73 percent or more is below you and 27 percent is above you. The percentile is a way of illustrating how common your result is compared to others.

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What does the 74th percentile mean?
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