Wed Jun 25 03:00:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**NEET-UG Results: Decoding the Percentile Puzzle**
*The Hindu – June 25, 2025*
New Delhi – Following the release of the NEET-UG medical entrance examination results on June 14, 2025, confusion surrounds the concept of percentile scores. While top scorer Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan achieved an impressive 686 out of 720, his percentile was reported as 99.9999547, not 100.
This raises a fundamental question: What does percentile mean, and why isn’t the national topper awarded a 100th percentile?
Unlike percentages, which reflect absolute performance based on marks obtained, percentiles provide a relative measure, showing a student’s performance compared to other test-takers. A 99th percentile means a student outperformed 99% of their peers.
The article explains the formula for calculating percentiles: {Number of candidates scoring less than you} / {Total number of candidates} * 100. Because even the top scorer has others below them, achieving a perfect 100 percentile is mathematically impossible under this formula.
The article also highlights the significance of decimal precision in percentiles. In highly competitive exams with lakhs of candidates, even a minuscule difference in percentile can separate thousands of ranks.
NEET-UG is not the only exam to use percentile scoring system. Many tests around the world use percentile scores. The GMAT, SAT and GRE all use scaled scores converted into percentiles for easier interpretation.
According to Dr. C. Aravinda, percentiles offer a crucial understanding of a student’s position in the competitive landscape. In a country with high aspirations and limited seats, understanding percentile scores helps students and parents grasp that success in competitive exams is not about perfection but about performing ahead of the rest.
First Piper 