Percentiles are comparison scores that are normally used in educational institutions to compare the performance of the students. Normally, students are ranked on the basis of marks that they have received in their papers but some schools and colleges prefer to rate their students based on percentiles because it gives you an easy understanding of how the students have performed in their test.
Most colleges and universities are now moving to this new method because it simplifies the job of the teachers to show how students have performed in their exams and also shows how many students have done extremely well.
Percentiles are a better way to encourage the students to perform better because they know exactly how they have performed. For instance, if there are 100 students in your class, and you have got the highest marks in any of the subjects then it will show that you have scored in the 99th percentile because you have performed better than the rest in the class.
Percentiles can also show students if they need to prepare well for certain subjects because they can see the comparative performances and see their positions for a particular subject. Percentiles also help the teachers to understand how their students are performing and which students need extra attention to cover up their marks in the future tests.
