Do you know what quartiles are?
Usually, Excel users when need to divide data into quarters they use the quartiles function. Are you thinking about quartiles similar to pizza slices? You don’t need to, because it is like splitting data into four sections based on the number line.
Do you have any idea how to calculate quartiles in Excel? Let’s figure out in this post:
Here is the division into four sections:
- First Quartile
It consists of the lowest 25% of the data range.
- Second Quartile
It consists of the next lowest 25% of numbers, which usually is up to the median of a data set.
- Third Quartile
It consists of the second-highest 25% of numbers that are above the median.
- Fourth Quartile
It consists of the highest 25% of numbers you have in a data range.
As you already know quartiles are the division of numbers on the basis of the number line that’s why you need to assign numbers accordingly so that quartiles are visible.
Quartiles Syntax in Excel
Here is the formula for Quartiles:
In this formula, the arguments used are:
Array – It includes the cell range of numerical values that are needed for the quartile value.
Quart – It includes the Quartile value to return.
How to Calculate Quartiles in Excel?
The quartile function is not a complex one, however, let’s see how you can use it simply with an example:
Example 1:
Below in this example, you can find some sales figures:
First, you will need to find the minimum value, First Quartile, Second Quartile, Third Quartile, and Maximum value with the help of the QUARTILE function. Let’s consider the second argument QUART from 0-4 just as in the given image:
Now, apply the QUARTILE function to the sales data.
Let’s calculate the QUARTILE function for all VALUES one by one and for this select the values from the given drop-down list.
Here is the outcome:
In a similar way, you can find quartiles for other values as well.
Explanation
It passes the cell range of data values that need to find the QUARTILE function. And then it passes the value 0 as the second argument to find the minimum value of the dataset.
- For the first quartile, you need to enter the value 1.
- For the second quartile, enter the value 2.
- For the third quartile, enter the value 3.
As the second argument, enter the value 4 which gives the maximum value of the data set.
Things to Consider
- QUARTILE function simply splits the dataset into 4 equal segments.
- QUARTILE function divides 25% values that lie on the number line between Min and 1st Quartile, 1st Quartile and 2nd Quartile, 2nd Quartile, and 3rd Quartile, and 3rd and Maximum value.
- If you ever encounter #VALUE! error, it clearly shows the second parameter QUART is non-numeric.
- If the given array is empty then you will get the #NUM! error.
Let’s have a look at some tips for using the QUARTILE function in Excel:
Tips for Using QUARTILE Function
Now, you have learned how to calculate quartiles in Excel, let’s have a look at some useful tips you can use for the quartile function in Excel:
Review Values
The quartile function helps you in identifying the numbers present in ascending order in the column. You may encounter errors when your data contains blank cells, text, or special characters. Moreover, you may find an error when the quart value in the command is less than zero or greater than four.
Analyze Different Quarts
If you notice, you will see every quart gives you multiple data you can use. Suppose, you need to find the maximum figure that any customer needs in the lowest percentile in combination with higher quartiles. It simply helps you in identifying the tricks to achieve business goals.
Manually Check Accuracy
With the help of different formulas, you can easily find out quartiles manually:
- Lower Quartile = (N + 1) x ¼
- Middle Quartile = (N + 1) x 2/4
- Upper Quartile = (N + 1) x ¾
Here N is the integer number available in your dataset. And the outcome shows the position of each quartile. For instance, when you get six for the lower quartile formula, the sixth number in the sequence is the lower quartile. The fourth quartile is the maximum value given in the range and you will not find any formula to figure it out.
Summary:
In this post, you have learned how to calculate quartiles in Excel with the help of simple tricks. Hopefully, the above-mentioned data is useful to you and you will find it super helpful.
