Field Guide/Statistics/Inverse normal
Exam essential3 min

Use inverse normal for percentiles

You know a cumulative probability/percentile and need the corresponding value.

01

Press these keys

2ndVARSDISTRinvNorm(

Step 1 of 4. Press 2nd.

02

Walkthrough

  1. 1
    Convert to left area

    invNorm uses the area to the left. A top 10% cutoff therefore uses area 0.90.

  2. 2
    Enter parameters

    Use invNorm(area,μ,σ) and select LEFT/CENTER/RIGHT if your OS wizard presents a tail option.

  3. 3
    Verify

    Substitute the result into normalcdf to confirm the intended probability.

03

Worked example

X~N(70,10²). Find the 90th percentile.

AnswerApproximately 82.8.