The PERCENTILE function returns the k-th percentile result of values in the dataset or data range. The percentile value you want to determine must always be between 0 and 1, including 0 and 1. Otherwise, the function will fail to compute and return an error message.
PERCENTILE Function in Excel
Guide to using the PERCENTILE function in Excel - Illustrated Examples
Syntax: PERCENTILE(array,k)
Where:
- array: Mandatory - Represents the dataset or data range.
- k : Mandatory - Represents the percentile value within the range 0..1, inclusive.
Consider an example
Given an Excel spreadsheet with actual values corresponding to the parameters of the PERCENTILE function. In this example, we compute with a dataset consisting of 5 values: 5, 3, 2, 4, 1 and a percentile value of 0.8 (note that this percentile value must be within the range 0..1, inclusive):
Enter the formula into cell C8. The calculated result of the function is 4.2:
So now you know how to use the PERCENTILE function in Excel. Even if you input the value of k not according to the standard, the PERCENTILE function still employs an interpolation mechanism to determine the percentile value for you. This is also a very useful feature of this calculation function.