PERCENTILE in Google Sheets: Interpolated Cutoffs and Tied-Score Policies

• Introduced: first introduction date is not established by the reviewed official history; no desktop release number is inferred.
• Availability: documented in the rolling Google Sheets service; this guide uses the web worksheet workflow.
• Checked: October 14, 2026; official PERCENTILE reference. Documentation and independent calculations, with no native Sheets execution or wider client certification.

=PERCENTILE(data,percentile)

Both arguments are required. Enter a fraction such as 0.9 or the equivalent 90% for the 90th percentile. These examples use numeric data and interior fractions; invalid-argument error codes are not inferred from another product.

The Google function catalogue directs PERCENTILE.INC to PERCENTILE. The numerical audit below uses the inclusive-position model 1+(n-1)*percentile in a sorted list. This makes each independently calculated output reproducible; the compact dedicated reference does not print that equation.

Google specifically states that percentile 0.5 is equivalent to the median of the same data. PERCENTILE.EXC uses a different exclusive convention.

Enter 0,10,30,60,100 in A2:A6:

=PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.75)

Expected result under the stated numeric model: 60. With five observations, the position is 1+4*0.75=4, exactly the fourth sorted value.

The corresponding first-quartile and median controls are:

=PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.25)
=PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.5)
=MEDIAN(A2:A6)

Expected results: 10,30,30. The final pair checks the equivalence directly documented by Google. A median is not necessarily the arithmetic average of all values: this dataset’s average is 40.

=PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.9)

Expected result: 84. The independent inclusive position is 4.6, so move 60% of the way from the fourth value 60 to the fifth value 100: 60+0.6*(100-60)=84.

There is no 84 in the original range. That is consistent with the documented interpolation rule; it is not evidence that the function selected the wrong row. LARGE answers a different question when an actual ranked observation is required.

For the original five values, the 75th-percentile cutoff is 60. Only one value is strictly above it, while two values are at or above it.

=COUNTIF(A2:A6,">"&PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.75))
=COUNTIF(A2:A6,">="&PERCENTILE(A2:A6,0.75))

Expected counts: 1 and 2. Those are 20% and 40% of five rows, not exactly 25%.

Add another 60 in A7. The upper-quartile model still gives 60, but three of six values now meet the inclusive cutoff. Ties and discrete record counts require an explicit inclusion rule. A percentile threshold alone cannot promise an exact number of selected records.

For each original value, calculate 2*A2+5 and fill down. The new values are 5,25,65,125,205. Their 90th percentile is expected to be 173, matching 2*84+5.

A positive affine conversion preserves the ordering and transforms the interpolated cutoff consistently. Keep the original and converted units labeled when using the threshold in a report. This control does not establish behavior for arbitrary nonlinear transformations.

Keep the range fixed with dollar references when copying a percentile calculation across several requested fractions. For example, =PERCENTILE($A$2:$A$6,C2) lets C2 hold the requested fraction without moving the dataset reference.

The complete Google body reviewed does not supply a mixed-type/error matrix or detailed singleton, empty-range and fractional-precision rules. These remain unverified; do not borrow Excel’s error labels. The worked outputs use ordinary numeric values and exact rational interpolation before final display rounding.

PERCENTRANK.INC reverses the broad question by asking for the rank of a specified value. Native precision and tied-value behavior should be checked before treating the two functions as exact inverses in every report.

• Google PERCENTILE reference.
• Editorial testing standards.

Examples use fictional data, English function names and comma argument separators. Expected results are independent calculations or explicitly documented rules, not native Sheets captures. Check spreadsheet locale when reproducing punctuation-sensitive formulas.