NORMSDIST in WPS Spreadsheet: Standard Normal Cumulative Probability
Calculate lower-tail normal probabilities with NORMSDIST, standardize measurements, and distinguish cumulative area from density.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer
=NORMSDIST(1) gives an independently expected 0.8413447461: about 84.13% of a standard normal distribution is at or below z = 1. This function accepts one z-score and returns cumulative area. It has no TRUE/FALSE density selector.
Syntax and argument
NORMSDIST(z)
z is the required numeric point on a normal distribution with mean 0 and standard deviation 1. Negative z values are valid; they produce lower-tail probabilities below 0.5. A raw measurement is not automatically a z-score.
Worked worksheet: standardized delivery times
Assume delivery time follows a normal model with mean 30 minutes and standard deviation 4 minutes. Enter the labels in A1:A4 and the listed values or formula in B1:B4:
| Cell | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | Mean | 30 |
| B2 | Standard deviation | 4 |
| B3 | Deadline | 34 |
| B4 | z-score formula | =(B3-B1)/B2 |
B4 is 1. In D2 enter =NORMSDIST(B4). Expected output: 0.8413447461. Format it as a percentage to display about 84.13%; do not multiply by 100 as well as applying percentage formatting.
This is a model-based probability, not proof that the observed delivery data are normally distributed.
Three numeric controls
| Formula | Independent expected output |
|---|---|
=NORMSDIST(0) |
0.5 |
=NORMSDIST(-1) |
0.1586552539 |
=NORMSDIST(2) |
0.9772498681 |
The independent calculation uses the standard normal integral, equivalently (1+erf(z/sqrt(2)))/2. Symmetry checks that the values at -1 and 1 sum to 1.
Advanced example: a central interval and a late tail
For delivery times between 26 and 34 minutes, the standardized endpoints are -1 and 1:
=NORMSDIST(1)-NORMSDIST(-1)
Expected output: 0.6826894921. Subtract the two cumulative areas; adding them would answer a different question.
For time greater than 38 minutes, z = 2:
=1-NORMSDIST(2)
Expected output: 0.0227501319. Extremely small upper tails can lose precision when computed as 1 minus a number very close to 1; no extreme-tail accuracy guarantee is established by this lesson.
Troubleshooting and limits
- The official lesson documents
#VALUE!for nonnumeric z. Check imported values and avoid including a heading as the argument. - If a result is near 1 when you expected about one half, check whether you entered the raw time 30 instead of standardized z = 0.
NORMSDIST(z,TRUE)is not the documented signature. Do not add a Boolean argument copied from the separateNORM.S.DISTidentity.- A cumulative probability is not a probability density or the probability of one exact point. Under a continuous model, a single point has zero probability.
- Build-specific tail precision, coercion of numeric text and compatibility aliases are untested. The source does not state that NORMSDIST has been retired.
Availability and verification
The official WPS NORMSDIST lesson was fetched afresh on October 19, 2026. Its edition banner says WPS Office for Windows Personal. The lesson dates from 2019; it does not establish introduction or retirement dates, exact build coverage, or current Mac, Linux, web and mobile behavior. Examples are independently calculated expectations, not observed WPS outputs. Native execution and genuine current-application screenshots remain unverified.
Related guides
NORMDIST, AVERAGE, STDEV.S. Browse the WPS function library.