Two statistical models have been applied to the same dataset: 295, Cenozoic and Mesozoic calcareous nannofossil taxa occurring at 55 geologic sections recovered by the Deep Sea Drilling Project. Model 1 results in a ranked optimum sequence that is significant at a lower limit of probability. Model 2 results in both a ranked sequence, and a scaled sequence tied to statistical significance. The ranked solutions are similar in their overall trends, but important differences are apparent. These differences can be attributed to specific assumptions and algorithms explicit for each model, and include the initial evaluation of sampling density for the dataset, the handling of coeval events, and the assumed frequency distribution of an event occurrence in time. An optimum solution for the dataset can be obtained using the ranking approach of Model 1 and the scaling approach of Model 2