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QUARTILE.EXC

The QUARTILE.EXC function is a statistical function that returns the exclusive quartile of a dataset, which is the value below which a certain percentage of data falls. This function is most commonly used to determine the quartiles of a dataset, particularly in box and whisker plots.

Usage

Use the QUARTILE.EXC formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=QUARTILE.EXC(data, quartile_number)
Parameters:
  1. data (required):
    The range or array of values to calculate the quartile from.
  2. quartile_number (required):
    The quartile number to calculate, ranging from 1 to 3. For example, to calculate the first quartile, set quartile_number to 1.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the QUARTILE.EXC formula in Google Sheets.

Calculating quartiles of a dataset

By using the QUARTILE.EXC function, you can easily calculate the first, second, and third quartiles of a dataset, which can be used to create a box and whisker plot, or to gain insights into the distribution of data.

Identifying outliers in a dataset

You can use the QUARTILE.EXC function to calculate the interquartile range (IQR) of a dataset, which can be used to identify outliers. Any data points that fall below Q1 - 1.5 * IQR or above Q3 + 1.5 * IQR can be considered outliers.

Comparing datasets

By calculating the quartiles of two or more datasets using the QUARTILE.EXC function, you can easily compare their distributions and gain insights into how they differ.

Common Mistakes

QUARTILE.EXC not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the QUARTILE.EXC Google Sheets Formula:

Using non-numerical values in the dataset

The QUARTILE.EXC function ignores non-numerical values in the dataset. If non-numerical values are present, the function may return unexpected results.

Using the wrong quartile number

The QUARTILE.EXC function requires a quartile number of 1, 2, or 3. Using a different number may return unexpected results.

The following functions are similar to QUARTILE.EXC or are often used with it in a formula:

  • QUARTILE.INC

    The QUARTILE.INC function calculates the quartile of a dataset, which is a measure of statistical dispersion. It is commonly used to split a dataset into four equal parts, each containing 25% of the data points. The function takes in two parameters - the dataset as data and the quartile number as quartile_number - and returns the value of the specified quartile. Quartile numbers are specified as follows: 1 for the first quartile (25th percentile), 2 for the second quartile (50th percentile, or median), and 3 for the third quartile (75th percentile).

  • MEDIAN

    The MEDIAN function returns the median (middle) value of a set of numbers. It is commonly used to find the middle value in a range of data points. If the number of data points is even, it returns the average of the two middle values. This function can be useful in statistical analysis and data visualization.

  • AVERAGE

    The AVERAGE function calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of the values passed to it. It is commonly used to find the average of a range of cells containing numerical data.

  • STDEV

    The STDEV function calculates the standard deviation of a set of numbers. It measures the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values from the average (mean) value. It is commonly used in statistics to determine the spread of a data set. The values can be supplied as individual cells, ranges, or constants.

  • VAR

    The VAR formula calculates the variance of a set of numerical values. Variance is a measure of how spread out a set of data is in relation to the mean. This formula is commonly used in statistical analysis to measure the variability or diversity of a dataset.

Learn More

You can learn more about the QUARTILE.EXC Google Sheets function on Google Support.