Grade calculator

How do I calculate a weighted grade?

Multiply each category's score by its weight, add them up and divide by the total weight. Homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 30% and the midterm 78 at 50%: 18.4 + 25.5 + 39 = 82.9%.

What do I need on the final to get a certain grade?

Use (goal − current grade × (1 − final weight)) ÷ final weight. With 82.9% now, a goal of 85% and a final worth 30%: (85 − 82.9 × 0.7) ÷ 0.3 = 89.9% on the final.

What if my weights do not add up to 100%?

The calculator divides by the weights you entered, so a class where only 70% of the grade is in so far still shows your current average. The final-exam mode is the way to plan the rest.

What letter grade is my percent?

On a common scale: 90% and up is an A, 80–89 a B, 70–79 a C, 60–69 a D and below 60 an F. Many schools add plus and minus grades or use their own cutoffs — go by your syllabus.

What if the final needed is over 100%?

Then the goal cannot be reached with the final alone unless there is extra credit. Try a lower goal to see what is still possible.

How do I find a grade when the class is graded in points?

Divide the points you have earned by the points possible so far: 438 out of 500 is 87.6%. If each category is points-based, total the points inside the category first and then convert it to a percent, rather than averaging the percents of single assignments; a 10-point quiz then counts for less than a 100-point test, as it should. Enter the category percent and its weight here.

What is my lowest possible final grade?

Set the final to zero. With 74% going into a final worth 40% of the course, the course grade would be 74 × 0.6 = 44.4%. That is the number to compare with the passing mark if you are worried about the worst case.

How the weighted grade works

A weighted grade is a weighted average: each category score is multiplied by its weight, the products are added, and the sum is divided by the total of the weights. When the weights add up to 100, the division changes nothing; when only some categories are graded so far, it keeps the grade on a 0–100 scale instead of dragging it down. Take homework 92% at 20%, quizzes 85% at 30% and a midterm 78% at 50%: the grade is 82.9%, and the midterm alone moves it more than the other two categories together.

Planning for the final

The score you need on the final is (goal − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w, where w is the share of the course grade that the final is worth, as a fraction. Suppose you have 74% going in, and the final is worth 40%. To finish with a 70 you need 64.0% on the final. To finish with a 90 you would need 114.0%, which is above 100% and therefore out of reach without extra credit. The same formula works for any exam or large project, as long as the rest of the grade is fixed.

A larger weight makes the result more sensitive: the same final that is worth 40% of the course moves a grade twice as far as one worth 20%. Use the formula early in the term, while the weights of the remaining work are still large.

Mistakes to avoid

Enter weights exactly as the syllabus gives them and check whether they add up to 100. Do not enter a category that has no scores yet with a score of 0; leave it out, or the calculator will treat it as a zero. Syllabi that drop the lowest quiz, or replace a low exam score with a later one, have to be handled before entering the category average. And remember the letter cutoffs on this page (90, 80, 70, 60) are common ones, not universal: plus and minus grades and different cutoffs are set by the instructor.

Sources: the weighted-average and final-exam formulas are standard arithmetic; your syllabus decides weights, dropped scores and letter cutoffs. Related tools: final grade, GPA and weighted average calculators.