BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

How to calculate the Percentile

Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 71
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:16 pm
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:750
by ashforgmat » Thu May 13, 2010 10:21 pm
154) Angela's grade was in the 90th percentile out of 80 grades in her class. In another class there were 19 grades higher than Angela's. If nobody had Angela's grade, then Angela was what percentile of the two classes combined?
a. 72
b. 80
c. 81
d. 85
e. 92


please can some help with the explanation of the above.

Thanks.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Problem Solving |
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 10:52 pm

by addy100 » Thu May 13, 2010 10:59 pm
First calulate how many students are ahead of him i.e. in class a out of 80 8 are ahead of him since he is having 90 % .
second class has 19 students having more per than him . so total stduent in both class comes to 190 and 27 students have higher per than him . so automatically he is having 85% if we compare for both class.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1275
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:13 pmFollowed by: 2 members
Location: Arabian Sea
Thanked: 125 times

by ajith » Thu May 13, 2010 11:43 pm
ashforgmat wrote:154) Angela's grade was in the 90th percentile out of 80 grades in her class. In another class there were 19 grades higher than Angela's. If nobody had Angela's grade, then Angela was what percentile of the two classes combined?
a. 72
b. 80
c. 81
d. 85
e. 92


please can some help with the explanation of the above.

Thanks.
If Angela was at 90th percentile - 90% of the students' grade were below Angela's

so Angela's rank was 8 and there were 7 students above angela in her class

Now assuming that the second class also had 80 students

The combined rank of Angela will be 27

There will be 160-27 = 133 students with grades less than Angela

The percentile would be = 133/160*100 = 83.1

Which is not in the answer choices
Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 71
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:16 pm
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:750

by ashforgmat » Fri May 14, 2010 12:55 am
Now i am confused as to which is the correct explanation....
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1275
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:13 pmFollowed by: 2 members
Location: Arabian Sea
Thanked: 125 times

by ajith » Fri May 14, 2010 3:50 am
ashforgmat wrote:Now i am confused as to which is the correct explanation....
May I know the source of the question.

if you are at 90th percentile on some parameter means 90% of the group is below you on that parameter.
So in a class of 80 if you are at 90th percentile - 90% i.e. 72 students are below you.
Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1275
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:13 pmFollowed by: 2 members
Location: Arabian Sea
Thanked: 125 times

by ajith » Fri May 14, 2010 3:51 am
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percentile
Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 71
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:16 pm
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:750

by ashforgmat » Fri May 14, 2010 4:16 am
The source is 198 maths questions 700+...
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:27 am

by agresj » Fri May 14, 2010 12:42 pm
IMO it seems as if there's a missing variable that needs to be defined. You need to somehow derive the total number of students in the other class. Without that, the problem doesn't make much sense. If there are only 19 people in the other class the final percentile will be much different from if the other class had 1000 students.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:20 pm
Location: fssf
Thanked: 17 times

by krazy800 » Fri May 14, 2010 3:03 pm
Plz check the link below

https://www.beatthegmat.com/percentile-t ... tml#139703

HTH!
Aiming High
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1275
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:13 pmFollowed by: 2 members
Location: Arabian Sea
Thanked: 125 times

by ajith » Fri May 14, 2010 8:08 pm
krazy800 wrote:Plz check the link below

https://www.beatthegmat.com/percentile-t ... tml#139703

HTH!
I totally disagree with the explanation in that link even though I agree with the answer

Angela is at 90th percentile means there are 72 students (90/100*80) below Angela! or there are 7 above Angela
In the other class there are 19 Above Angela out of 100

Angela's combined rank is 27 and there are 153 students (180-27) below Angela hence the percentile is 85%

The explanations in the above link is wrong because they assume that 90th percentile means there are 10 percent above Angela wherein it actually means 90 Percent are below Angela.

Somehow it doesn't alter the answer though!
Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1