PERCENTILEEXC

PERCENTILEEXC refers to the exclusive percentile calculation used in some spreadsheet software, most commonly implemented as PERCENTILE.EXC. It computes a percentile value from a numeric dataset by applying the exclusive method, which excludes the minimum and maximum data points from the calculation. This approach is contrasted with the inclusive method that includes those endpoints.

Syntax and parameters

The typical syntax is: PERCENTILE.EXC(array, k)

- array: a range or array of numeric data.

- k: a decimal value between 0 and 1, exclusive (0 < k < 1).

Return value and behavior

The function returns the kth percentile of the data using linear interpolation when the exact percentile position falls between observed values. If k is outside the (0,1) interval or the data set contains fewer than two elements, the function generally returns an error (such as #NUM!). The exclusive method specifically omits the 0th and 100th percentiles from consideration.

Comparison with related functions

PERCENTILE.EXC differs from PERCENTILE.INC, which uses the inclusive method and allows k to be 0 or 1. Some software also provides a general PERCENTILE or legacy aliases, which may map to one of the two methods depending on the implementation.

Example

For a dataset {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and k = 0.5, PERCENTILE.EXC returns 3, since the median falls at the middle value in this simple set.

Applications and limitations

PERCENTILE.EXC is used in statistical analysis and data reporting where endpoints are not desired in percentile calculations. It requires at least two data points and a k strictly between 0 and 1; otherwise, it may produce an error.