Coefficient of Variation (CV)

The coefficient of variation is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. Express CV as a percentage. Use the following formula to calculate the CV:

Using the CV makes it easier to compare the overall precision of two analytical systems. The CV is a more accurate comparison than the standard deviation as the standard deviation typically increases as the concentration of the analyte increases. Comparing precision for two different methods using only the standard deviation can be misleading.