Syntax
NORM.DIST(x, mean, standard_dev, cumulative)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| x | Parameter of the NORM.DIST function. |
| mean | Parameter of the NORM.DIST function. |
| standard_dev | Parameter of the NORM.DIST function. |
| cumulative | Parameter of the NORM.DIST function. |
Examples
Probability of scoring below 80
Formula
=NORM.DIST(80, 72, 8, TRUE)
Returns 0.841 — there is an 84.1% probability of scoring below 80 if scores are normally distributed with mean 72 and std dev 8.
Probability above a threshold
Formula
=1 - NORM.DIST(100, 85, 12, TRUE)
Returns the probability of exceeding 100. Since NORM.DIST gives P(X<=100), subtracting from 1 gives P(X>100).
PDF value
Formula
=NORM.DIST(0, 0, 1, FALSE)
Returns 0.399 — the height of the standard normal bell curve at x=0 (its peak). This is the probability density, not a probability.
Common Errors
#NUM!
Standard deviation must be positive (greater than 0).
#VALUE!
Non-numeric arguments or cumulative is not TRUE/FALSE.
Tips
CDF vs PDF
TRUE (cumulative) gives the area under the curve to the left of x — a probability. FALSE gives the curve height at x — a density, not directly a probability.
For between-values probability
P(a < X < b) = NORM.DIST(b, mean, stdev, TRUE) - NORM.DIST(a, mean, stdev, TRUE). Subtract the CDFs of the two bounds.
Standard normal shortcut
For mean=0 and stdev=1, use NORM.S.DIST instead. It only needs the z-value and cumulative arguments.
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