What is the difference between Percentage and Percentile in JEE/NEET?
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JEE/NEET exams are highly competitive, and students’ performance is usually measured in terms of their scores in the exam. However, the score alone may not be an accurate measure of a student’s performance, as it does not take into account the performance of other students who appeared for the exam. Therefore, the concept of percentile is used to evaluate a student’s performance in comparison to others.
Percentage is a measure of the total marks obtained by a student out of the maximum possible marks in a particular subject or overall. For example, if a student scores 90 marks out of 100 in Mathematics, their percentage score in Mathematics is 90%. Percentage is used to assess a student’s performance based on the maximum marks they could have scored, and it gives an indication of their overall proficiency in a particular subject or overall.
For Example: In physics, chemistry, and maths, let’s say Manoj received 390 marks. There were 600 total marks on the paper. In this case, 390 will be divided by 600 and multiplied by 100 to get the percentage he obtained. The exam score is going to be 65%.
Percentile, on the other hand, is a measure of a student’s rank in comparison to others who appeared for the exam. It is calculated by ranking all the students who appeared for the exam and finding the percentage of students who scored less than the given student. For example, if a student is in the 90th percentile, it means that they have scored better than 90% of the total number of students who appeared for the exam. Percentile takes into account the performance of all students who appeared for the exam, and it provides a more accurate picture of a student’s performance in comparison to others.
For Example: Let’s use the same instance where the student received a 65% on the test. Let’s say there were 10,00,000 applicants, and there were 8,000,00 candidates for the exam. What will be the percentile of the 6,00,000 students that received less than 65%?
This student outperformed 6 lakh applicants in the JEE Main Exam, earning a score of 75 percentile.
Divide 6 lakh by 8 lakh and multiply the result by 100 to calculate it. In other words, the number of exam candidates behind you is divided by the total number of candidates who appeared.
| Basis of Comparison | Percentage | Percentile |
| Definition | A measure of how many marks a candidate has obtained out of the total marks | A measure of the percentage of candidates who have scored equal to or below a particular score in the exam |
| Calculation | (Marks obtained / Total marks) x 100 | (Number of candidates who scored equal to or below the candidate / Total number of candidates) x 100 |
| Scale | Absolute | Relative |
| Range | 0 to 100 | 0 to 100 (but can exceed 100 in some cases) |
| Interpretation | Indicates the overall performance of a candidate in terms of the marks obtained | Indicates a candidate’s performance relative to other candidates who appeared for the exam |
| Example | A candidate who scores 80 marks out of 100 has a percentage of 80% | A candidate who scores in the 80th percentile has performed better than 80% of the candidates who appeared for the exam |
Final Words
In summary, while percentage and percentile are both used to measure a student’s performance in JEE/NEET exams, they represent different aspects of the student’s performance. Percentage measures a student’s performance in relation to the maximum marks they could have scored, while percentile measures a student’s performance in relation to the performance of others who appeared for the exam. Both measures are important for evaluating a student’s performance, and they can provide valuable information for making decisions about college admissions or scholarships.
