Grade Calculator
Work out your weighted class grade from your scores and category weights, or find the score you need on the final exam to reach the grade you want — with the working shown.
Grade Calculator
Example Replace the rows with your own scores and weights.
88.73% B+
Weighted average of 4 graded items. B+ (87% to under 90%) on the common US scale.
The weights of your graded items add up to 75%, not 100%, so they were normalized: the grade is divided by 75 instead of 100. That gives your grade on the work graded so far. Not graded yet (left out): “Final exam” (25%).
Working
| Item | Score | Percent | Weight | Adjusted weight | Points toward grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 95% | 95% | 20% | 26.67% | 25.33 |
| Quizzes | 34/40 | 85% | 15% | 20% | 17 |
| Midterm exam | 84% | 84% | 25% | 33.33% | 28 |
| Project | 46/50 | 92% | 15% | 20% | 18.4 |
| Total | 75% | 100% | 88.73% |
- Convert points to percentages: “Quizzes” 34 ÷ 40 = 85%; “Project” 46 ÷ 50 = 92%.
- Multiply each score by its weight: 95 × 20 + 85 × 15 + 84 × 25 + 92 × 15 = 6,655.
- Add the weights: 20 + 15 + 25 + 15 = 75 (not 100, so the weights are normalized by dividing by 75 instead).
- Weighted grade = 6,655 ÷ 75 = 88.7333% → 88.73%.
- Letter grade on the common US scale: 88.73% is a B+ (87% to under 90%).
Example Enter your own current grade, final weight and target.
You need 96% on the final
to finish with 90% (an A− on the common scale).
Working
- Everything except the final counts for 100% − 25% = 75% of your grade, so you already have 88 × 0.75 = 66 points.
- Points still needed to reach 90%: 90 − 66 = 24.
- The final is worth 0.25 of the grade, so divide by 0.25: 24 ÷ 0.25 = 96%.
Score needed for each letter grade
| Letter grade | Minimum overall | Needed on final |
|---|---|---|
| A | 93% | Not reachable (needs 108%) |
| A− | 90% | 96% |
| B+ | 87% | 84% |
| B | 83% | 68% |
| B− | 80% | 56% |
| C+ | 77% | 44% |
| C | 73% | 28% |
| C− | 70% | 16% |
| D+ | 67% | 4% |
| D | 65% | Already secured |
Letter grades use a common US scale, not a universal one — check your syllabus. Turning letter grades into a GPA? Use the GPA calculator.
How to use the grade calculator
Weighted grade. Add one row for each category or assignment on your syllabus — homework, quizzes, exams,
projects. Type the score as a percentage (90 or 90%) or as points earned out of points possible
(45/50 or 45 out of 50), and the weight as the percent of your course grade it counts for. Rows
without a score are treated as “not graded yet” and left out, so you can enter the whole syllabus now and fill in scores as
they come. Use Add item for more rows and the × button to remove one.
Final exam needed. Switch to the second tab, enter your current grade, how much the final is worth and the overall grade you want. The result shows the score you need, and the table underneath shows what the final would need to be for every letter grade. After a weighted calculation with ungraded work left, the What do I need on the remaining… button carries your current grade and the remaining weight across for you.
Everything runs in your browser. Scores and weights (not item names) are saved in the page address, so you can bookmark your grade and come back to it.
The formulas
weighted grade = Σ(score % × weight) ÷ Σ(weight)
needed on final = (target − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w (w = final weight ÷ 100) Dividing by the sum of the weights, rather than by 100, normalizes them. When the weights add up to 100 the two are the same. When they add up to less — say 75, because the final (25%) hasn’t happened yet — dividing by 75 gives your grade on the 75% of the course that has been graded. If you leave every weight blank, the calculator adds up total points (when every score is in points) or gives each score equal weight.
Worked example
The calculator starts with this syllabus:
| Item | Score | Percent | Weight | Score × weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 95% | 95% | 20% | 1,900 |
| Quizzes | 34/40 | 85% | 15% | 1,275 |
| Midterm exam | 84% | 84% | 25% | 2,100 |
| Project | 46/50 | 92% | 15% | 1,380 |
| Final exam | not taken | — | 25% | — |
| Graded so far | 75% | 6,655 |
The current grade is 6,655 ÷ 75 = 88.733…% → 88.73%, a B+. Dividing by 100 instead would give 66.55% — a D, and wrong, because a quarter of the course hasn’t been graded. To finish with a 90% (A−), the final has to supply 90 − 88.73 × 0.75 = 23.4525 points, and since it is worth 0.25 of the grade the student needs 23.4525 ÷ 0.25 = 93.81% on it. A perfect final would lift the grade to 91.55%.
A common US letter-grade scale
There is no national grading scale in the United States; each school, and often each teacher, sets its own cutoffs. This calculator uses the widely used scale below, which matches the College Board’s percent-to-letter table (that table also lists an A+ at 97–100, worth the same 4.0 as an A).
| Letter | Percent | Letter | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93–100% | C | 73–76% |
| A− | 90–92% | C− | 70–72% |
| B+ | 87–89% | D+ | 67–69% |
| B | 83–86% | D | 65–66% |
| B− | 80–82% | F | below 65% |
| C+ | 77–79% |
Common variations: many schools pass at 60% (with a D− for 60–62 and a D for 63–66), some use a 10-point scale with an A from 90, and some don’t give plus or minus grades at all. Teachers also differ on rounding — whether an 89.5% becomes 90%. The percentage this calculator shows is exact; apply your class’s rules to turn it into a letter.
Tips and common mistakes
- Don’t average the category percentages. A 95% in homework worth 20% and an 84% midterm worth 25% is not 89.5%; the midterm counts for more, so the weighted grade is 88.89%.
- Points and percentages mix fine. Each score is turned into a percentage before weighting, so 34/40 in one row and 84% in another is no problem.
- Enter category averages, not every assignment, when your syllabus weights categories. If ten homework assignments together count for 20%, enter the homework average once with a weight of 20.
- Dropped scores and extra credit. If the lowest quiz is dropped, leave it out of the category average. Extra credit can push a score above 100% (for example
52/50); the calculator accepts that. - The “current grade” for the final exam should be your grade on everything except the final. If other work is still to come, the answer assumes you keep the same average on it.
For quick percentage questions, such as what 34 out of 40 is as a percent, use the percentage calculator. Once you know your letter grades, the GPA calculator turns them into a semester or cumulative GPA.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my weighted grade?
Multiply each score (as a percentage) by its weight, add the results, and divide by the total of the weights. Homework at 95% worth 20% and a midterm at 84% worth 25% give (95 × 20 + 84 × 25) ÷ 45 = 4,000 ÷ 45 = 88.89%. Convert points to a percentage first: 34 out of 40 is 85%.
What if my category weights don’t add up to 100%?
Divide by the weights you actually have instead of by 100 — this is called normalizing. It is what you want partway through a term: if the graded categories are worth 75% of the course so far, dividing by 75 gives your grade on the work done so far. If your weights add up to more than 100%, recheck the syllabus; normalizing still keeps the answer a percentage.
How do I figure out what I need on my final exam?
Use needed = (target − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w, where w is the final’s weight as a decimal. With an 88% current grade, a final worth 25% and a target of 90%: (90 − 88 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = (90 − 66) ÷ 0.25 = 96%.
What percentage is an A, B or C?
On the common US scale used here, an A is 93% or higher, an A− is 90–92, a B+ 87–89, a B 83–86, a B− 80–82, a C+ 77–79, a C 73–76, a C− 70–72, a D+ 67–69 and a D 65–66; below 65% is an F. Many schools use different cutoffs (for example, passing at 60%), so your syllabus has the final word.
Is an 89.5% an A−?
Not on its own: 89.5% is below the 90% cutoff, so this calculator shows a B+. Some teachers round final grades to the nearest whole percent, which would make it 90% and an A−, but that is a class policy, not a rule — check the syllabus or ask.
My class uses total points, not weights. How do I calculate my grade?
Enter every score as points earned/points possible (like 45/50) and leave all the weights blank. The calculator then adds up the points: 45/50 and 88/100 make 133 out of 150, or 88.67%. That is different from averaging the two percentages (90% and 88% average to 89%), because the bigger assignment counts more.