LOCATING PERCENTILE UNDER

THE NORMAL CURVE

 OBJECTIVES :

AT THE END OF THIS LESSON,

YOU ARE EXPECTED TO :
• FIND Z – SCORES WHEN
PROBABILITES ARE GIVEN; AND
• LOCATE PERCENTILES UNDER THE
NORMAL CURVE.
PERCENTILE
IS A MEASURE OF RELATIVE STANDING. IT IS A
DESCRIPTIVE MEASURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
OF A MEASUREMENT TO THE REST OF THE
DATA.
EXAMPLE:
You Got a score of 82 and you want to know
How you fared in comparison with your
classmates. If your teacher tells you thaf you
scored at the 90th percentile, it means that
90% of the grades are lower than yours and
10% were higher.
PROBABILITIES AND WE WANT TO KNOW
THEIR CORRESPONDING Z-SCORES.
• 1ST, A PROBABILITY VALUE CORRESPONDS
TO AN AREA UNDER THE NORMAL CURVE.
• 2ND, IN THE TABLE OF AREAS UNDER THE
NORMAL CURVE, THE NUMBERS IN THE
EXTREME LEFT AND ACROSS THE TOP ARE
Z-SCORES, WHICH ARE DISTANCES ALONG
THE HORIZONTAL SCALE. THE NUMBERS IN THE
BODY OF THE TABLE ARE AREAS OR PROBABILITIES.
• 3RD THE Z-SCORES TO THE LEFT OF
THE MEAN ARE NEGATIVE VALUES
 EXAMPLE 1. FIND THE 95TH PERCENTILE OF A
NORMAL CURVE

Steps Solution

1.Draw the appropriate normal

curve

2.Express the given percentage 95% is the same as 0.9500

as probability.

3.Split 0.9500 into 0.5000 and 0.9500 = 0.5000 + 0.4500

0.4500.
4. Shade .5000 of the sketch
of the normal curve

5. Refer to the table of Areas This Area is not found in the

Under the Normal Curve. Locate
the area 0.4500 in the body of
the table.
6. Find the z-score that
corresponds to 0.4500 on the
leftmost column.
table. It is between the values of
0.4495 and 0.4505
Find z by interpolation, as
follows

7. Find the z- value that 0.4505 > z = 1.65

corresponds
To 0.4505
8. Find the z-value that 0.4495 > z = 1.64
corresponds to 0.4495

9. Find the average of the two z- z = 1.65 + 1.64

values. 2

10. Locate z = 1.645 under the The 95th percentile is z = 1.645

curve in step 1 and make a
statement.

11. Draw a line through under Do this under th sketch of the

the curve in step 1. curve in step 1.
12. Shade the region to the Do this under the sketch of
left of the curve in step 1.
z = 1.645

13. Describe the shade region. The shaded region is 95% of the
distribution.
 EXAMPLE 2. FIND THE UPPER 10% OF THE
NORMAL CURVE

STEPS SOLUTION

1. Draw the appropriate normal

curve

2. Express the given percentage 10% is the same as 0.1000

as probability.

3. With respect to the mean, To the right of the mean.

locate the upper 10%.
 0.5000 – 0.1000 = 0.4000
4. Ising the upper side of the
mean, find the remaining
area.
5. Refer to the table of Areas This area is not found in the
under the Normal curve. Locate body of table, so we take
0.4000. 0.3997, which is the closest
value.
6. Find the z-score that z = 1.28
corresponds to
.39997 on the leftmost column.

7. Locate z = 1.28 under the That is, the upper 10% is above
Sketch of the curve in step 1 and z = 1.28
make a statement.
8. Draw a line through under Do this under the sketch of
the sketch of the curve in the curve in step 1.
step 1.

9. Shade the region to the right Do this under the sketch of the
of curve in step 1.
z = 1.28.

10. Describe the shaded region. The shaded region is the upper
10% of the normal curve.
 EXAMPLE 3. THE RESULTS OF A NATIONWIDE
APTITUDE TEST IN MATHEMATICS ARE NORMALLY
DISTRIBUTED WITH M = 80 AND S = 15. WHAT
US THE PERCENTILE RANK OF A SCORE OF 84?

Steps Solution

1. Convert the raw score of 84 to 84 - 80

z-score form. = 15 =
0.27

2. Find the are that corresponds Z=0.27 corresponds to the area

to z=0.27. 0.1064..
3.Draw the normal curve
showing the z-score.

4. Draw a line through z= 0.27 in Do this under the sketch of the

the sketch of the normal curve in curve in step 3.
step 3.
5. Shade the require region in Do this under the sketch of the
the sketch of the normal curve in curve in step 3.
step 3. The required region is below z=
0.27 expressed as percentile
rank.
6. Examine the shaded regions First, get the total area below
and decide what operationto z=0.27.
apply. That is, 0.5000 + 0.1064
=0.6064
7. Compute the percentile Percentile rank of 84
rank of the score 84. = 0.6064 x 100
= 60.64%

8. Make a concluding statement. The percentile rank of the score

84 in a test is 60.64.