Excel PROB Function

Description

The Excel PROB function returns the probability that values in a range are between two limits, which is frequently used to estimate business losses or used by a risk manager to analyze the financial probability.

Formula syntax

Arguments

Returns

PROB function returns a numeric value.

Remarks

1. Errors appear when

• Any value in prob_range ≤ 0 or any value in prob_range > 1, PROB function returns the #NUM error value.
• The sum of values in prob_range is not equal to 1, PROB function returns the #NUM error value.
• X_range and prob_range have different numbers of data points, PROB function return the #N/A error value.

2. if upper_limit is omitted, PROB function returns the probability that values in x_range are equal to lower_limit.

Version

Excel 2007 and later versions

Usage and Examples

Basic usage

Supposing a table that contains the scores, the chances of getting each score, and the probabilities of getting each score as below screenshot shown:

To get the probability of getting a score higher than 8 based on the table, please use the PROB function as below:

=PROB($B$3:$B$12,$D$3:$D$12,8,10)

Press Enter key to get the probability.

Other Functions:

• Excel POISSON Function
  The Excel POISSON function returns the Poisson distribution which is used to predict the number of events occurring over a specific time.

• Excel FDIST Function
  The Excel FDIST Function returns the (right-tailed) F probability distribution which is usually used to measure the degree of diversity between two data sets.

• Excel EXPON.DIST Function
  EXPON.DIST function used in Excel 2010, returns the exponential distribution based on the given x value and the parameter of the distribution.

• Excel F.DIST Function
  The Excel F.DIST function returns the F probability distribution which is usually used to measure the degree of diversity between two data sets.