How To Calculate The Upper Quartile: 13 Steps (with Pictures)

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Calculate the Upper Quartile PDF download Download Article Reviewed by Grace Imson, MA

Last Updated: May 6, 2024 References

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  • Data Set Prep
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  • Calculating the Upper Quartile
    • |
  • Using Excel
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  • Video
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  • Q&A
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This article was reviewed by Grace Imson, MA. Grace Imson is a math teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience. Grace is currently a math instructor at the City College of San Francisco and was previously in the Math Department at Saint Louis University. She has taught math at the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. She has an MA in Education, specializing in Administration and Supervision from Saint Louis University. This article has been viewed 221,868 times.

Quartiles are numbers used to divide a set of data into four equal parts, or quarters.[1] The upper quartile, or third quartile, is the top 25% of numbers in the data set, or the 75th percentile. The upper quartile is calculated by determining the median number in the upper half of a data set.[2] This value can be found by calculating with pen and paper, but you can also easily find the upper quartile using statistical software, such as MS Excel.

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 3:

Data Set Prep

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  1. Step 1 Arrange the numbers of the data set in ascending order. 1 Arrange the numbers of the data set in ascending order. This means ordering them from the smallest value to the largest value. Make sure to include all repeated values.[3]
    • For example, if your set of numbers is [3, 4, 5, 11, 3, 12, 21, 10, 8, 7], you would reorder them like this: [3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 21].
  2. Step 2 Determine how many numbers are in the data set. 2 Determine how many numbers are in the data set. To do this, simply count each number in the set. Don’t forget to count each instance of a repeated value.[4]
    • For example, the set [3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 21] has 10 numbers.
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  3. Step 3 Set up the formula for calculating the upper quartile. 3 Set up the formula for calculating the upper quartile. The formula is Q 3 = 3 4 ( n + 1 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(n+1)} , where Q 3 {\displaystyle Q_{3}} is the upper quartile, and n {\displaystyle n} is the number of numbers in the data set.[5]
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Part 2 Part 2 of 3:

Calculating the Upper Quartile

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  1. Step 1 Plug the value of n {\displaystyle n} into the formula. 1 Plug the value of n {\displaystyle n} into the formula. Remember that n {\displaystyle n} is the number of numbers in the data set.[6]
    • For example, if there are 10 numbers in your data set, your formula will look like this: Q 3 = 3 4 ( 10 + 1 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(10+1)} .
  2. Step 2 Complete the calculation in parentheses. 2 Complete the calculation in parentheses. According to the order of operations, you must attend to the parentheses first when evaluating a mathematical expression. In this instance, add 1 to the number of numbers in the data set.
    • For example: Q 3 = 3 4 ( 10 + 1 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(10+1)} Q 3 = 3 4 ( 11 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(11)}
  3. Step 3 Multiply the sum... 3 Multiply the sum by 3 4 {\displaystyle {\frac {3}{4}}} . You could also multiply by .75 {\displaystyle .75} . This will show you the placement of the value in the data set that is at the three-fourths, or 75 percent mark, and thus the place where the data set is split into the upper quartile and the lower quartiles. This will not give you the number of the upper quartile.[7]
    • For example: Q 3 = 3 4 ( 11 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(11)} Q 3 = 8 1 4 {\displaystyle Q_{3}=8{\frac {1}{4}}} So, the upper quartile is given by the number at the 8 1 4 {\displaystyle 8{\frac {1}{4}}} position in the data set.
  4. Step 4 Determine the number representing the upper quartile. 4 Determine the number representing the upper quartile. If you calculated a whole number, simply find that number in the data set.
    • For example, if you calculated 12 using the formula, then the upper quartile is the 12th number in the data set.
  5. Step 5 Calculate the upper quartile, if necessary. 5 Calculate the upper quartile, if necessary. Usually, you will calculate a fraction or decimal using the formula. In this instance, find the value above and below this position in the data set, and find their mean, or average. To do this, divide the sum of the two values by 2. This will give you the upper quartile of your data set.[8]
    • For example, if you calculated 8 1 4 {\displaystyle 8{\frac {1}{4}}} using the formula, then the upper quartile is between the 8th and 9th number in the data set. In the set [3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 21], 11 and 12 are the 8th and 9th number. Calculate 11 + 12 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {11+12}{2}}} to find the average: 11 + 12 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {11+12}{2}}} = 23 2 {\displaystyle ={\frac {23}{2}}} = 11.5 {\displaystyle =11.5} So, the upper quartile of the data set is 11.5
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Part 3 Part 3 of 3:

Using Excel

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  1. Step 1 Input your data into Excel. 1 Input your data into Excel. Enter each value into a separate cell. Don’t forget to include any repeated values. You can enter your data in any cells in the spreadsheet.
    • For example, you might enter the data set [3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 21] into cells A1 through A10 in the spreadsheet.
  2. Step 2 Enter the quartile function into another cell. 2 Enter the quartile function into another cell. The quartile function is =(QUARTILE(AX:AY, Q)), where AX and AY is the data range, and Q is the quartile.[9] Begin typing this function into Excel, then when it pops up in the menu, double-click on it to select.
  3. Step 3 Select the cells containing the data. 3 Select the cells containing the data. Select the first cell of the data range, then scroll down or across to select all the cells in the range.
  4. Step 4 Enter 3 into the function to denote the upper quartile. 4 Enter 3 into the function to denote the upper quartile. Make sure you include a comma after the data range, and two closing parentheses.[10]
    • For example, if you want to find the upper quartile of cells A1 through A10, your function will look like this: =(QUARTILE(A1:A10, 3)).
  5. Step 5 Show the upper quartile. 5 Show the upper quartile. To do this, hit enter after typing the function into Excel. This will show you the actual upper quartile, not the position of the quartile in the data set.
    • Note that with the release of Office 2010, there are two different quartile functions: QUARTILE.EXC and QUARTILE.INC. These functions cannot be used in earlier versions of Excel, and QUARTILE can still be used.
    • The two Excel quartile functions use a different formula to calculate the upper quartile. QUARTILE/QUARTILE.INC uses the formula Q 3 = 3 4 ( n − 1 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(n-1)} , and the QUARTILE.EXC function uses the formula Q 3 = 3 4 ( n + 1 ) {\displaystyle Q_{3}={\frac {3}{4}}(n+1)} . Both formula are accepted ways to calculate quartiles, although the former is becoming standardized in statistical software.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question How do you find the upper and lower quartiles? Community Answer Community Answer Use the methods above to find the upper quartile. To find the lower quartile using the formula, use Q1 = 1/4(n+ 1), or enter 1 into the Excel function instead of 3. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 24
  • Question How do I determine the inter quartile range of data? Cluster Duck Cluster Duck Community Answer The IQR can be calculated by subtracting the lower quartile from the upper. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 12
  • Question How do I calculate the upper quartile for a large group of numbers? Community Answer Community Answer Same as for a small group of numbers. Or better use script language like Matlab or Python to load the dataset and do the calculations. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 1
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Video

Tips

  • You may sometimes see a reference to the “interquartile range.” This is the range between the lower and upper quartiles, which is calculated by subtracted Quartile 1 from Quartile 3. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/data/quartiles.html
  2. ↑ https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/edu/power-pouvoir/ch12/5214890-eng.htm
  3. ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/data/quartiles.html
  4. ↑ https://www.cuemath.com/quartile-formula/
  5. ↑ https://www.cuemath.com/quartile-formula/
  6. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zx7rk7h/revision/2
  7. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zx7rk7h/revision/2
  8. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zx7rk7h/revision/2
  9. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/QUARTILE-function-93cf8f62-60cd-4fdb-8a92-8451041e1a2a
More References (1)
  1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/quartile-function-93cf8f62-60cd-4fdb-8a92-8451041e1a2a

About This Article

Grace Imson, MA Reviewed by: Grace Imson, MA Math Teacher This article was reviewed by Grace Imson, MA. Grace Imson is a math teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience. Grace is currently a math instructor at the City College of San Francisco and was previously in the Math Department at Saint Louis University. She has taught math at the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. She has an MA in Education, specializing in Administration and Supervision from Saint Louis University. This article has been viewed 221,868 times. 36 votes - 50% Co-authors: 16 Updated: May 6, 2024 Views: 221,868 Categories: Probability and Statistics Article SummaryX

Quartiles are numbers used to divide a set of data into 4 equal parts or quarters. The upper quartile is the top 25 percent of numbers in the data set, or the 75th percentile. To calculate the upper quartile, first, arrange the numbers of the data set in ascending order. Then, determine how many numbers are in the set. The formula for calculating the upper quartile is Q3 = ¾ (n +1). Q3 is the upper quartile and n is the number of numbers in your data set. For example, if you have 10 numbers in your data set, you would solve Q3 = ¾ (10 + 1), then solve ¾ x 11, which would give you 8 ¼. If you get a fraction or decimal as your answer, the upper quartile will be the average of the number below and above in your data set. For example, if you calculate 8 ¼ for Q3 and the numbers below and above in your set are 8 and 10, the average of them is 9. Therefore, 9 is the upper quartile. To learn how to calculate an upper quartile in Excel, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Grace Imson, MA Reviewed by: Grace Imson, MA Math Teacher 36 votes - 50% Click a star to vote 50% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 16 Updated: May 6, 2024 Views: 221,868

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