How to use the grade calculator
Start by choosing how your course is graded. Most syllabi list categories with a percentage weight, such as homework at 20% and the final exam at 40%; use Weighted (%) for those. If your teacher posts each assignment as points, such as 47 out of 50, switch to Points.
- Add one row per category or assignment. The name is optional and only helps you keep track.
- In weighted mode, type your score as a percentage and the weight from your syllabus. Together the weights must total 100%, including work you haven't done yet.
- For work that is still to come, enter the weight and leave the score blank. You then get your current grade from the graded work, plus the average you need on the rest to finish with a target grade.
- Pick the letter scale your school uses. The percentage stays the same, but the letter and GPA value can change.
The calculator won't show a grade while your weights add up to anything other than 100%. A wrong total almost always means a category is missing or mistyped, and a course grade built on it would be misleading. Rows you leave completely empty are ignored, so you don't need to delete them.
If a single exam is all that's left, you can also find out what score you need on your final exam from your current grade and the exam's weight.
Grade formula with a worked example
A weighted grade is the sum of each score multiplied by its weight, divided by the total weight of the work that has been graded:
Course grade = (score₁ × weight₁ + score₂ × weight₂ + …) ÷ (weight₁ + weight₂ + …)
Once every category is graded the weights add up to 100, so you simply divide by 100. Here is a typical course where all the work has been marked:
Example: all work graded
| Category | Weight | Score | Score × weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 20% | 92% | 1,840 |
| Quizzes | 15% | 86% | 1,290 |
| Midterm | 25% | 78% | 1,950 |
| Final exam | 40% | 88% | 3,520 |
| Total | 100% | 8,600 |
8,600 ÷ 100 = 86.0%, a B on the standard scale. The midterm pulls the result down more than a weak quiz score would, because it carries more weight. A category can never move your course grade by more than its weight: scoring 10 points higher across the 15% quiz category adds just 1.5 points.
Example: final exam not taken yet
Before the final, only 60% of the course is graded. The weighted points so far are 1,840 + 1,290 + 1,950 = 5,080, and 5,080 ÷ 60 = 84.7%, which is your current grade. To finish the course with 87%, you need (8,700 − 5,080) ÷ 40 = 90.5% on the final. Enter the same rows above with the final's score left blank and the calculator shows both numbers.
Example: points-based course
With points, add up what you earned and what was possible. Scores of 47/50, 38/40 and 86/100 give 171 out of 190 points, which is 90.0%, an A-. Bigger assignments automatically count for more because they carry more points.
Dropped scores, extra credit and curves
Many syllabi have rules that change the raw numbers. Apply them before you enter anything:
- Dropped lowest score: leave that item out of the category average. Quiz scores of 70, 85, 90 and 95 average 85%, but with the lowest dropped the category is 90%.
- Extra credit: if it is added to a category, enter that category's score as it stands, even if it goes above 100%. If it is added to the course total instead, add it to the final percentage yourself.
- Curves: use the curved score your teacher published. A curve depends on how the whole class did, so it can't be worked out from your raw score alone.
Percentage to letter grade table
This is the standard plus/minus scale used by many US high schools and colleges, and the calculator's default. Schools set their own boundaries, so check your syllabus or student handbook if your grade sits close to a cut-off.
| Letter grade | Percentage | GPA (4.0 scale) |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | 4.0 |
| A | 93–96.9 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92.9 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89.9 | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86.9 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82.9 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79.9 | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76.9 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72.9 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69.9 | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66.9 | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62.9 | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
The calculator also offers a 10-point scale (A from 90%), a modified plus/minus scale (A from 92%) and a strict scale (A from 94%). Switching scales changes only the letter and GPA value, never the percentage.
To work with a whole transcript rather than one course, you can convert letter grades to GPA points or, if your school reports marks as percentages, turn a percentage into a GPA.
FAQ
What if my weights don't add up to 100%?
The calculator shows a message instead of a grade. Check your syllabus for a category you missed, such as participation or labs, and include work that hasn't been graded yet by entering its weight with the score left blank. If the syllabus really lists weights that total more or less than 100%, ask your teacher how they scale them, because there is no single correct fix.
How do I handle assignments that haven't been graded yet?
Enter the weight and leave the score empty. Your current grade is then based on graded work only, which is how most school portals report it during the term, and the calculator shows the average you need on the remaining work to reach a target.
My teacher uses points instead of percentages. Which mode should I use?
Use Points if the gradebook lists every item as points out of a total and there are no category weights. If the syllabus has weighted categories that are each scored in points, turn each category into a percentage first (points earned ÷ points possible × 100), then use Weighted.
How does my course grade affect my GPA?
Your letter grade maps to grade points, shown next to your result: a B is 3.0 on the standard 4.0 scale. Your GPA is the average of those points across all your courses, weighted by credit hours. To see the effect on your semester, add your courses to our GPA calculator.
Why is my result different from my school portal?
The usual causes are a different letter scale, a dropped lowest score, extra credit, or a teacher who handles ungraded categories differently. Grades close to a boundary can also differ because of rounding: this calculator rounds to one decimal place before assigning a letter, while some schools round to whole numbers or don't round at all.