What does the 78th percentile mean?

There are numerous places where you may have seen the 78th percentile (seventy-eighth percentile) used. You know that your measurement or score is in the 78th percentile of a group, but do you know what it actually means? The 78th 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 78th percentile, it means that you scored better than 78 percent of all the test takers. It also means that 22 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 78th percentile, it means that 78 percent of the children are shorter than your child, and 22 percent of children are the same or taller than your child.

Based on the examples above, this is how we would define the 78th percentile: The 78th percentile means that 78 percent or more is below you and 22 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 79th percentile mean?
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