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How to use the grade calculator
This grade calculator has three tabs. Weighted grade works out where you stand in a class from your assignments and their weights. Final exam tells you the score you need on the final to finish with the grade you want. GPA turns letter grades and credits into a term GPA and, if you add your previous GPA, a cumulative one.
- Type each assignment, its score, what it is out of, and its weight from the syllabus. Leave the score empty for work you have not done yet.
- Set the grade you are aiming for. The result shows the average you need on everything that is still ungraded.
- Open Grading scale if your school's cut-offs differ from the default. Every tab uses the same scale.
Your rows are kept in this browser, so you can close the tab and come back after the next quiz. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How do you calculate a weighted grade?
Turn each score into a percentage, multiply it by the item's weight, add those up, and divide by the total weight of the items that have been graded.
Say homework is 92% and worth 20%, quizzes 85% (15%), the midterm 78% (25%) and a group project 88% (15%). That is 18.4 + 12.75 + 19.5 + 13.2 = 63.85 points out of the 75% graded so far, so your current grade is 63.85 ÷ 75 = 85.13%. The final, worth the last 25%, is still open.
A common mistake is to stop at 63.85 and think you are failing. Those are points already locked in out of 100, not your average. The calculator shows both: Locked in so far is your floor if you scored zero on everything left, and Best possible is your ceiling with perfect scores.
Weights or points?
Some teachers grade by category weights, others simply add up points (for example 430 out of 500). Switch to By points for the second kind. Then the weight column disappears and the grade is total points earned divided by total points possible.
What do I need on my final exam?
Use this formula, or the Final exam tab, which also lists the score needed for every letter grade on your scale:
With 86% now and a final worth 25%, finishing with 85% needs (85 − 86 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = 82% on the final. A B (83%) needs 74%. The heavier the final, the more it can move your grade in either direction. Here is what someone sitting at 85% needs:
| Final weight | To finish with 90% | 80% | 70% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 110% (not possible) | 60% | 10% |
| 25% | 105% (not possible) | 65% | 25% |
| 30% | 101.7% (not possible) | 68.3% | 35% |
| 40% | 97.5% | 72.5% | 47.5% |
| 50% | 95% | 75% | 55% |
If the answer is above 100%, the target cannot be reached unless there is extra credit. The What if I score box is the more useful one the night before: type a realistic score and see the grade you would end up with.
What percentage is an A, B or C?
The most common US scale with plus and minus grades looks like this. Many schools use it, but plenty set their own cut-offs, so the syllabus wins.
| Letter | Percent | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ / A | 97–100 / 93–96 | 4.0 |
| A− | 90–92 | 3.7 |
| B+ / B / B− | 87–89 / 83–86 / 80–82 | 3.3 / 3.0 / 2.7 |
| C+ / C / C− | 77–79 / 73–76 / 70–72 | 2.3 / 2.0 / 1.7 |
| D+ / D / D− | 67–69 / 63–66 / 60–62 | 1.3 / 1.0 / 0.7 |
| F | below 60 | 0.0 |
Some colleges give an A+ 4.33 instead of 4.0. Edit the points in the scale if yours does. Rounding is another trap: an 89.5% may or may not become an A−. The calculator never rounds before looking up the letter, so 89.5% shows as B+ on this scale.
How do I calculate my GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, add them, and divide by the credits. A B+ in Calculus (4 credits) is 3.3 × 4 = 13.2 quality points. Add an A in a 3-credit class (12), an A− in another (11.1), a B in 4-credit Chemistry (12) and an A in a 1-credit lab (4): 52.3 quality points over 15 credits is a 3.49 term GPA.
Notice the lab. A 1-credit A barely moves the GPA, while the 4-credit B+ and B pull it down most. When you plan which class to put effort into, credits matter as much as the letter.
Cumulative GPA and target GPA
Cumulative GPA is not the average of your term GPAs. Weight each by credits: a 3.2 over 30 credits plus a 3.49 over 15 gives (96 + 52.3) ÷ 45 = 3.30. Enter a target and next term's credits and the calculator shows the term GPA you would need. Getting from 3.30 to 3.4 after 15 more credits takes about a 3.71, and 3.5 is already out of reach that quickly, which is worth knowing before you promise anyone a number.
Classes taken pass/fail, withdrawn courses and transfer credits are usually left out of GPA. Leave them out here too. Your registrar's figure is the official one if the two differ.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my weighted grade?
Multiply each score as a percentage by its weight, add them up, and divide by the total weight of the graded items. Homework 92% (20%), quizzes 85% (15%), midterm 78% (25%) and project 88% (15%) give 63.85 ÷ 75 = 85.13%.
What do I need on my final exam?
Needed score = (target − current × (1 − final weight)) ÷ final weight. With 86% now and a final worth 25%, you need 74% on the final to finish with 83% (a B), and 82% to finish with 85%.
How do I calculate my GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credits, add them, and divide by the total credits. B+ in a 4-credit class, A in 3, A− in 3, B in 4 and A in a 1-credit lab is 52.3 ÷ 15 = 3.49.
How do I calculate cumulative GPA?
Combine the quality points of old and new terms and divide by all credits. A 3.2 GPA over 30 credits plus a 3.49 term over 15 credits is (96 + 52.3) ÷ 45 = 3.30, not the simple average of 3.2 and 3.49.
What percentage is a B?
On the most common US scale a B is 83 to 86%, a B− is 80 to 82% and a B+ is 87 to 89%. Schools differ, so check your syllabus and edit the scale if your cut-offs are different.
Is an A+ worth 4.0 or 4.33?
Most US colleges cap an A+ at 4.0, but some give 4.33. The default scale uses 4.0; change the points for A+ in the grading scale if your school counts it higher.
What if my weights do not add up to 100%?
If some work is still to come, the missing weight is treated as ungraded and the calculator tells you what you need on it. If everything is graded and the weights add to, say, 90%, the result is divided by 90 so it is still out of 100.