In standardized testing, the term ‘percentile’ is used to denote the relative standing of a test taker compared to others. If Paul states that he scored in the 100th percentile, this would imply that he performed better than everyone else who took the test.
However, in practice, scoring in the 100th percentile is somewhat misleading. While it sounds like a perfect score, it actually means that Paul scored better than 100% of the test takers who participated in the assessment. This typically indicates that there were no other test takers who achieved the same score as Paul, which is statistically improbable if the test was taken by a large group of people.
Moreover, percentile ranks are calculated based on the distribution of scores. Therefore, the highest possible percentile a test taker can theoretically achieve is the 99th percentile, which indicates a score better than 99% of test takers. In cases where more than one individual achieves the top score, they would share the 99th percentile ranking.
In conclusion, while Paul might have achieved an outstanding score, claiming a 100th percentile rank is not possible. Instead, he likely meant that he scored within the top few percentages of test-takers, but not in the absolute highest percentile.