How to fill in your categories
- Find the grading breakdown in your syllabus, for example Homework 30%, Tests 50%, Final 20%. One row per category, or one row per assignment if each has its own weight.
- Type your current score in each category as a percent. On a keyboard you can also type a letter (B+) or points (45/50).
- Leave the score empty for anything not graded yet. Its weight then counts as still open, and the box under the result shows what you need there for the grade you want.
If your class simply adds up points, switch to Total points and type points earned and points possible for each assignment.
Example: homework, tests and a final still to come
Homework counts 30% and you have 92. Tests count 50% and you have 81. The final, worth 20%, has not happened yet. Multiply each score by its weight and divide by the weight that is already graded:
(92 × 30 + 81 × 50) ÷ 80 = 6,810 ÷ 80 = 85.13%
That is a B, and it is lower than the plain average of 92 and 81 (86.5), because tests weigh more than homework. The open 20% decides the rest. To finish with a 90, the final would have to add 9,000 − 6,810 = 2,190 weighted points, so 2,190 ÷ 20 = 109.5%: an A is out of reach. A B needs (8,000 − 6,810) ÷ 20 = 59.5% on the final.
Tap Use in final grade calculator and both numbers, 85.13% and the 20% weight, open there with a table of what every letter needs.
When the weights do not add up to 100
A typo, or a syllabus that lists extra credit as its own category, can leave you with weights like 40 + 40 + 30 = 110. The calculator then scales every weight down in proportion (40 becomes 36.4, 30 becomes 27.3) and tells you so. With 90, 80 and 70 in those categories the result is 8,900 ÷ 110 = 80.91%.
Below 100 it works the other way. If the weights you typed add up to 80 and every row has a score, the result is your average over those 80%, and the missing 20% is treated as still to come, usually a final or a category your teacher has not graded yet.
Total points: why one big test pulls harder
In a points class, every point counts the same, so a 100-point test outweighs a 10-point quiz tenfold. Take 18/20, 45/50, 70/100 and 9/10: three of the four are 90%, but the class total is 142 of 180 points, 78.89%, a C on the standard scale. Averaging the four percents would claim 85%.
Add the points still to come, say a 100-point project, and a goal of 80%: you need 80% of 280 = 224 points, so 224 − 142 = 82 of the 100, or 82% on the project.
Weighted grade questions
How do you calculate a weighted grade?
Multiply each category score by its weight, add the results and divide by the weight that is graded so far. Homework 92 at 30% and tests 81 at 50%: (92 × 30 + 81 × 50) ÷ 80 = 85.13%.
Why is my weighted grade lower than the average of my scores?
Because a heavy category pulls harder. If tests count 50% and homework 30%, a weak test average costs more than strong homework earns back. The plain average of 92 and 81 is 86.5; weighted 30 to 50, it is 85.13. When your best scores sit in the heavy category, the weighted grade comes out higher instead.
What if my category weights add up to more or less than 100?
Above 100, every weight is scaled down in proportion and the calculator says so. Below 100, the missing part is treated as still to come, usually a final or a category with no grades yet, and the calculator shows what you need there. Check the syllabus either way: a typo in one weight shifts the whole result.
Does a category with no grades yet count as zero?
Not in this calculator: a category with a weight but no score counts as still open, so your average uses only what is graded. If your teacher enters a zero for missing work, type 0 as the score, because that is what your gradebook will count.
Can I type letter grades or points instead of percents?
Yes. A letter counts as the middle of its band: B = 85 on the standard scale, B+ = 88.5 on plus-minus. Points like 45/50 count as 90%. For a class that adds up all points, switch to Total points and type earned and possible for each assignment.
Letters and where the scale comes from
The letter next to your average uses the standard 90/80/70/60 scale or the plus-minus scale (A from 93, A− 90, B+ 87 …), both on the grading scale page with the school policies they come from. A letter typed as a score counts as the middle of its band: A = 95, B = 85 on the standard scale; on plus-minus a B+ counts 88.5. For an F, type the percent. Add to my GPA puts your class's letter into the GPA calculator next to the courses you saved there.