Compensation Glossary

Percentile

A point on a rank-ordered scale, found by dividing a group of observations into parts in order of magnitude from lowest to highest. The first percentile approximates the very lowest/bottom number found, while the 100th percentile is the very highest reported. The nth percentile is the point exceeding n percent of the observations. For example, in test taking, a score equal to or greater than 55 percent of those earned on an exam is said to be at the 55th percentile.