PercentileRank

Test Percentile Calculator

Your score, the mean, and the standard deviation — see your percentile rank in the bell curve.

Your score

Mean (μ)

Std deviation (σ)

Percentile rank

84.1%

Your score is 1 standard deviations from the mean.

Assumes a normal (bell-curve) distribution — accurate for most large standardised tests.

What you entered

Score: 82Mean: 72Std dev: 10

1
Z-score: how many std deviations from the mean
(82 − 72) ÷ 10= 1.000
2
Convert Z-score to percentile via normal CDF
Φ(1.000) × 100= 84.1%

Result

Percentile rank: 84.1%

Your score is 1 standard deviations from the mean.

Score to percentile rank on a test with a mean of 72 and a standard deviation of 10

Percentile ranks for scores on a normally distributed test whose mean is 72 and standard deviation is 10 - the calculator's default setup. The z-score column is how many standard deviations the score sits from the mean, which is what drives the percentile.

Score	Z-score	Percentile rank	Share scoring higher
52	-2.00	2.3%	97.7%
57	-1.50	6.7%	93.3%
62	-1.00	15.9%	84.1%
67	-0.50	30.9%	69.1%
72	0.00	50.0%	50.0%
77	0.50	69.1%	30.9%
82	1.00	84.1%	15.9%
87	1.50	93.3%	6.7%
92	2.00	97.7%	2.3%
97	2.50	99.4%	0.6%

The z-score column is universal: any score exactly one standard deviation above the mean lands at the 84.1st percentile, whatever the test. Only the Score column depends on this particular mean and standard deviation, so enter your own test's numbers above. The percentile assumes a normal bell curve, which holds well for large standardised tests but not for small classroom quizzes or tests with a ceiling effect. Percentile rank is not a percentage correct.

What percentile actually means

85th percentile means you scored higher than 85% of test-takers — NOT that you got 85% of the questions right. Two different numbers.

Frequently asked questions

I scored 720 on the SAT math section — what percentile is that?

Enter 720 as your score, the section mean (~528), and standard deviation (~117) to get your approximate percentile. A 720 is roughly the 95th percentile — higher than 95% of test-takers.

Is the 90th percentile the same as scoring 90%?

No — those are completely different numbers. The 90th percentile means you scored higher than 90% of other test-takers. A 90% score means you got 90% of questions right. You could score 70% on a hard test and still be at the 95th percentile.

Can I use this for any standardized test?

Yes, as long as you know the test's mean and standard deviation. This works for SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, or any normally distributed test. Some tests publish their score distributions publicly.

How does this compare to the z-score calculator?

They're closely related. The z-score calculator converts a raw score into standard deviations from the mean. This calculator goes one step further and converts that z-score into a percentile rank (the percentage of scores below yours).